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Site Report: Kotzebue Airport - Northwestern Aviation

Site Name: Kotzebue Airport - Northwestern Aviation
Address: Block 2 Lot 4, Ralph Wein Memorial Airport, Kotzebue, AK 99752
File Number: 410.26.007
Hazard ID: 24444
Status: Active
Staff: Laura Jacobs, 9074512911 laura.jacobs@alaska.gov
Latitude: 66.890808
Longitude: -162.594827
Horizontal Datum:WGS84

We make every effort to ensure the data presented here is accurate based on the best available information currently on file with DEC. It is therefore subject to change as new information becomes available. We recommend contacting the assigned project staff prior to making decisions based on this information.

Problems/Comments

Ben Lomond Inc. installed six underground storage tanks (USTs) while subleasing the property from James D. Rood. The USTs ranged in size from 500 to 10,000 gallons and stored Jet A and AV gasoline. Heating fuel (diesel) may have been stored in the two 500-gallon tanks. Site Assessment performed in 1996 was not done in accordance with regulation. All soil excavated was returned to pit. In 1999 lessee James D. Rood indicates that he is unwilling to perform corrective action until all upgradient sites have completed release investigations.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
8/16/1995 Leaking Underground Storage Tank Release Confirmed - Petroleum LUST Site created in CSP for source area ID 77826 ADD; Added by Pring-Ham. Former Staff
8/16/1995 Site Added to Database Former Staff
1/2/1997 Underground Storage Tank Site Characterization or Assessment SA1A; Reviewed site assessment rept. rec'd 11/18/96. Rept. lacks adequate info.& unacceptable. Called RPCON 1/8/97 to send amendments. 1/14/97 RPCON returns call, is given specifics via phone to submit as amendments. Call 2/13/97 & 2/27/97 for amendments. No response. Former Staff
1/2/1997 Underground Storage Tank Site Characterization or Assessment Results from 1996 SA: GW analyzed from bottom of excavation 35,000 ppm DRO. Soil samples from 0.5 to 5 feet bgs show DRO impacts up to 16,000ppm and GRO impacts up to 1,700 ppm. Extensive soil contamination throughout lot. Shannon Oelkers
1/2/1997 Leaking Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Initiated - Petroleum 6 USTs removed from site. 16 soil samples and one GW sample taken. Contaminated soil excavated during tank removal returned to excavation site as fill. Former Staff
2/13/1997 Leaking Underground Storage Tank Corrective Action Underway LCAR; Phone call to RPCON to inform that LCAR not acceptable to DEC. RPCON claims in 11/11/96 S.A. report that it is not possible to generate a CAP due to contamination being everywhere at the airpt. and contamination is coming on site from adjoining properties. DEC requests RPCON reconsider/consult & submit a CAP. Former Staff
11/20/1997 Update or Other Action ADEC sends Notification of Intent to Cost Recover Letter to Current Owner: JAMES ROOD Former Staff
10/26/1999 Update or Other Action Received comments back from RP. RP has no intention of cleaning the site since the belief is that the entire airport is contaminated, and that they have not contributed. Former Staff
1/28/2004 Update or Other Action Transferred DEC staff lead from John Carnahan Cynthia Pring-Ham
1/5/2005 Update or Other Action Update of Lat/long Using TopoZone Pro and file maps. Kim DeRuyter
2/26/2007 Update or Other Action Changed name of file from "ADOTPF Kotzebue Airport Block 2 Lot 4" to "Kotzebue Airport - Northwestern Aviation" Shannon Oelkers
3/9/2007 Update or Other Action Database updated to refelct administrative file. Shannon Oelkers
4/20/2007 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Intitial Ranking Complete for Source Area: 77826 (Autogenerated Action)
7/30/2007 Update or Other Action Site transferred from Oelkers to Farris. Shannon Oelkers
12/4/2008 Update or Other Action Sent letter to RP requesting status of site and/or additional site characterization as a result of exceedances in TAH and TAqH in porewater samples along the Kotzebue Sound and Kotzebue Lagoon. Tamara Cardona-Marek
12/24/2008 Update or Other Action DEC received correspondence from the attorneys representing Mr. James Rood from Northwestern Aviation. They do not agree with DEC's conclusion that there is contamination remaining on the lot and requested the UST closure document referred to in DEC's letter from November 2008. Tamara Cardona-Marek
1/12/2009 Update or Other Action DEC responded to James Rood's attorneys and enclosed a copy of the UST report. DEC requested additional site characterization of the property. Tamara Cardona-Marek
5/25/2016 Update or Other Action Sent RP a letter requesting information about the status of the contaminated site at Northwestern Aviation. Laura Jacobs
7/8/2016 Potentially Responsible Party/State Interest Letter Sent PRP letter to Northwestern Aviation notifying the company of the financial responsibility to clean up the site. Laura Jacobs
8/29/2016 Update or Other Action Legal representative for RP sent an email to our office in response to PRP letter. Laura Jacobs
10/3/2016 Update or Other Action Legal representative of RP filed a Public Records Request for past reports having to do with airport-wide studies. Laura Jacobs
4/7/2017 Meeting or Teleconference Held DEC met with Penny Adler, Sam Myers, and Mike McCarroll at DOT to discuss contamination associated with the Kotzebue Airport. During the meeting, DEC discussed what is known about petroleum-contaminated water and migration to the Kotzebue Sound and the Lagoon. DEC is no longer investigating the contamination through state funding, and will be working with lease lot RPs to identify the sources of contamination and attempt to cleanup contamination through source removal. Lease agreements, lease lot histories, and deterrents to investigations were discussed. Laura Jacobs
5/5/2017 Update or Other Action Department of Law sent letter to RP with request for answering the DEC Questionnaire and working with a consultant to submit a work plan for site characterization. Laura Jacobs
5/24/2017 Update or Other Action Legal counsel for RP hand delivered letter to Department of Law in response to earlier letter requesting work plan and answers to questionnaire. Answers were included in the reply with a request for a phone conference to discuss additional work. Laura Jacobs
8/30/2017 Update or Other Action DEC drafted a letter to all contaminated site lessees and managers at the Kotzebue Airport to explain the unique challenges at the airport and DEC's planned approach to address these issues for all sites. Laura Jacobs
9/8/2017 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC reviewed the proposed work plan for site characterization submitted by Restoration Science & Engineering, LLC. The work plan includes digging 8 soil pits; 6 pits will be located where underground storage tanks were, and one up gradient and one down gradient of the tank locations. Excavations will be field screened for petroleum contaminants every one foot of depth down to permafrost or other aquiclude. One soil analytical sample will be collected from each pit at the location of the highest screening values. If soil samples have very high levels of contaminants, soils will be excavated and stockpiled for thermal treatment or disposal. The limits of excavation will continue until screening values are considered below a threshold value. Three temporary groundwater monitoring wells will be installed in the pits with the highest screening values. Groundwater samples will be collected for lab analyses. One pore water sample will be collected along the shoreline of the Kotzebue Lagoon. Laura Jacobs
2/15/2018 Update or Other Action ADEC staff received an email from RP's consultant stating their attempt to conduct site characterization was unsuccessful. They had proposed digging pits to collect samples, but the airport management staff is requiring drilling. Because it was late in the season, drill operators were not available. Plan a revisit in the upcoming year. Laura Jacobs
4/16/2018 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC staff reviewed and provided comments to a work plan proposed by RSE to conduct soil boring in six locations where there were underground tanks and two more up and down gradient from middle of property, three of the boring locations with highest field readings will be developed into temporary monitoring wells, and one pore water sample will be collected from the near shore area along Kotzebue Lagoon. Laura Jacobs
6/12/2019 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC staff reviewed the "Site Characterization Report, Northwestern Aviation Facility, Kotzebue, Alaska". The report describes the investigation into potential hydrocarbon contamination remaining at the site in the area of six former underground storage tanks that were removed from the site in 1996. Soil samples taken from the six borings exceeded the Migration to Groundwater cleanup levels for the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, benzene, ethylbenzene, naphthalene, toluene, and total xylenes. Groundwater sample results from temporary monitoring wells had exceedences for diesel range organics (DRO), and various VOCs. TAH and TAqH samples from Kotzebue Lagoon were below ADEC surface water quality standards. Laura Jacobs
9/19/2019 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 77826 Various USTs. Laura Jacobs
10/9/2019 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC staff reviewed the May 2019 Site Characterization Report submitted by the RP's consultant, Restoration Science & Engineering, LLC. Soil borings were concentrated on the western side of the property, in each excavated tank location and a few stepping out from a handful of tank locations. Diesel range organics were found in groundwater to be from 7.49 to 89.9 mg/L across the site. Gasoline range organics were found in groundwater samples to range from 0.119 to 5.28 mg/L. The analytes 1-Methylnaphthalene, 2-Methylnaphthalene, Acenaphthene, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene, Fluoranthene, Fluorene, Naphthalene, Phenanthrene, and Pyrene were found to be above the ADEC Table C Groundwater cleanup levels. ADEC requested additional soil borings and sampling on the eastern side of the property, additional pore water samples along the Kotzebue Lagoon, and additional monitoring wells. Laura Jacobs
5/16/2022 Workplan Requested A letter was sent to the Kotzebue Airport Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities requesting a work plan to remediate continuing movement of contaminants into area surface waters from the airport. Laura Jacobs

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments

Control Type

Type Details

Requirements

Description Details

No associated sites were found.

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