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Site Report: Mentasta School

Site Name: Mentasta School
Address: 6 miles off the Tok cutoff of the Glenn Highway, 38 miles south of Tok Junction, Hwy, 38 miles S of Tok Junction, Mentasta Lake, AK 99780
File Number: 210.26.003
Hazard ID: 25016
Status: Cleanup Complete - Institutional Controls
Staff: IC Unit, 9074655229 dec.icunit@alaska.gov
Latitude: 62.929500
Longitude: -143.797800
Horizontal Datum:NAD83

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

In 1992 Nortech supervised the removal of two 9,000 gallon diesel USTs from this site. Contaminated soil which appeared to be due to overfills and spills was found in the location of the fill and vent pipes. The highest level of contamination reported from the stockpiled soil was 19,000 ppm DRO; 4500 ppm DRO contamination was present in one sidewall of the excavation. 200 cubic yards of soil was stockpiled on Gateway School District property in Tok rather than on this site due to proximity of the Mentasta School well which serves as the PWS for the community. The well tested negative for petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in 1992 and is monitored by the ADEC Drinking Water Program. Other file references: 130.02.001 & 130.45.064.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
10/8/1992 Leaking Underground Storage Tank Release Confirmed - Petroleum LUST Site created in CSP for source area ID 77445 Former Staff
10/8/1992 Site Added to Database Former Staff
10/31/1992 Leaking Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Initiated - Petroleum 10/13/06 action history updated Evonne Reese
8/21/2002 Update or Other Action RECKEY has automatically been generated. Cynthia Pring-Ham
2/16/2005 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Updated problem statement. ADEC approved a workplan for the site in 1993, there is no documentation in the file that the SA was conducted. Kim DeRuyter
2/16/2005 Update or Other Action Update GIS using Statewide locater, Topozone Pro, and report site plans. Kim DeRuyter
5/30/2006 Update or Other Action Maintenance Supervisor Chris Rauh confirmed that stockpiled soils from Mentasta School were incorporated into a roadbed in Tok in 1996 or 1997. Also confirmed that the well tested in 1992 is still in use. Agreed to provide a list of wells close to school. Chris mentioned the 2004 upgrade of wells and community sewer and didn't think there was any DRO contamination found during those excavations, some of which were within 400 yards of the UST site. Shannon Oelkers
5/30/2006 Update or Other Action Confirmed with Mentasta Village Council that water and sewer project in 2004 did major work on many private wells and updated their sewage system. Mentasta School is still served by it's own private well but is no longer primary water source for community. Shannon Oelkers
8/16/2006 Update or Other Action No reply to May 2006 letter as of this date. Will resend request for well data. Shannon Oelkers
9/19/2006 Update or Other Action Received well log from Regional Housing Authority Apartment Complex, the only well within 1/4 mile of Elementary School well. Well is 140 feet deep, has no evidence of VOC contamination - tested in 2002, 1999, and 1996. The elementary well is no longer the primary water source for the community of Mentasta. A washeteria and utilities were installed in 2002. Shannon Oelkers
11/28/2006 Institutional Control Record Established ADEC requires no further remedial action subject to the following conditions: 1. A Notice of Environmental Contamination will be recorded on the ADEC Database identifying the nature and extent of contamination remaining on site. 2. In accordance with 18 AAC 78.274(b), ADEC approval must be obtained prior to removal and/or disposal of soil or groundwater from this site to an off-site location. 3. The school’s drinking water well shall be monitored in accordance with a schedule and plan approved by ADEC Shannon Oelkers
11/28/2006 Conditional Closure Approved Based on the information provided to date, ADEC has determined that the cleanup actions employed at the Mentasta Elementary School have been effective in removing the source(s) of contamination at the site. The contamination remaining on site does not pose a risk to human health or the environment provided site specific conditions and/or controls are attached to the property. Shannon Oelkers
3/29/2011 Institutional Control Compliance Review IC review performed and reminder letter to the RP was issued on this date. Evonne Reese
9/2/2016 Institutional Control Compliance Review Staff changed from Will Boger to IC Unit. IC compliance review conducted. Sampling of the drinking water well is required every other year as part of the institutional controls placed on this site. Scheduled to send a reminder letter in the near future. Kristin Thompson
9/6/2016 Institutional Control Update Sent IC reminder letter requesting information on drinking water sampling by 9/30/2016. Nathan Maxwell
10/6/2016 Institutional Control Update Contacted the DEC Drinking Water Program to inquire about drinking water sampling for the school's public well. I was informed that sampling has been done in 2011 and 2014 and VOCs were non-detect which provides enough information to determine that the drinking water at the school is safe. The next sampling is scheduled to be done sometime between 2017 - 2019. I've scheduled our internal reminder system to check with the Drinking Water Program to verify that the sampling results remain non-detect for VOCs. A letter with this information will be sent to the responsible party. Evonne Reese
10/7/2016 Institutional Control Update Follow-up IC reminder letter issued. Kristin Thompson
4/7/2023 Institutional Control Compliance Review Contacted the DEC Drinking Water Program to inquire about drinking water sampling for the school's public well.The latest sample results in 2019 and 2022 were non-detect. Evonne Reese
4/14/2023 Institutional Control Compliance Review IC compliance review completed and a reminder letter was issued to the Alaska Gateway School District on this date. Evonne Reese

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments
DRO Between Method 2 Migration to Groundwater and Human Health/Ingestion/Inhalation Soil

Control Type

Type Details
CS Database Notation And Letter To Landowner/RP

Requirements

Description Details
Groundwater Monitoring Monitoring of DW well required every other year.
Advance approval required to transport soil or groundwater off-site.
Movement or use of contaminated material (including on site) in a manner that results in a violation of the water quality standards is prohibited (18 AAC 70)

No associated sites were found.

Missing Location Data

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