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Site Report: Clear SFS Site TU026 Heating Oil UST Bldg 37

Site Name: Clear SFS Site TU026 Heating Oil UST Bldg 37
Address: Building 37, Clear Air Force Station, Clear, AK 99704
File Number: 151.38.001
Hazard ID: 25399
Status: Active
Staff: Jamie McKellar, 9074515175 jamie.mckellar@alaska.gov
Latitude: 64.284386
Longitude: -149.167349
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

Contamination remaining at Site TU026 is associated with a former 7,000-gallon underground heating oil tank that was formerly located on the west side of Building 37. The UST was removed in 1998 along with approximately 108 cubic yards of petroleum-impacted soils surrounding the tank. Data collected during previous investigations indicated that vadose and saturated zone soils are contaminated with fuel-related compounds from approximately 10 feet (ft) below ground surface (bgs) to the groundwater table, between 62 and 72 ft. bgs. Historical groundwater data indicate that DRO, GRO, and benzene were detected above the ADEC Table C groundwater cleanup levels (18 AAC 75.345). The DRO exceedances extended approximately 100 ft to the north (downgradient) of former UST 37. In addition, light nonaqueous phase liquids (LNAPL) were historically observed in monitoring wells located in the former UST 37 footprint and downgradient. In July 2014, a bioventing system consisting of a single biovent well with three multi-level vapor monitoring points was installed at former UST 37. During the 2018 monitoring event, DRO was detected above the Table C cleanup level in three monitoring wells at concentrations of 3.2, 2.9 and 6.8 milligrams per liter (mg/L), respectively.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
2/17/2009 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other The Release Investigation Report: Former Storage Tanks, Site 26, Clear Air Force Station, was reviewed. The Air Force should locate the destroyed wells and either repair them or properly decommission them. They can act as a direct conduit to groundwater and as such present a risk to the groundwater resources. Also the fact that six monitoring wells appear to have been destroyed appears to show deficiency in the base’s ability to control activities. ADEC must be assured of active management of all activities to assure that the use of institutional controls is an effective means of preventing risk. Please work with the staff at Clear to develop a plan for enforcement of institutional controls. Debra Caillouet
3/25/2009 Site Characterization Report Approved The final release investigation for Site 26 was approved. Debra Caillouet
3/25/2009 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Initial ranking with ETM completed for source area id: 75694 name: Clear AFS Site 26 Heating Oil Tanks - UST/Bldg 37 Debra Caillouet
4/10/2009 Site Added to Database A new site has been added to the database Mitzi Read
8/6/2009 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Addendum to Final Work Plan, Release Investigation, Former Underground Storage Tank (UST) 37 In-Situ Pilot Testing, Site 26,was approved Debra Caillouet
5/13/2010 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Draft Technical Memorandum Former Underground Storage Tank (UST) 37 In-Situ Pilot Testing, Site 26, February 2010 The report appears to fairly document the failure of the pilot test of In-Situ Oxidation. The conclusion is that the process will not work for the petroleum contamination at Site 26 UST 37. Debra Caillouet
5/21/2010 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other The final 2009 well decommissioning report documents the proper closure of 55 wells throughout the base. It recommends an additional 20 wells be decommissioned. Debra Caillouet
11/4/2011 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other comment sent on the draft supplemental remedial investigation Debra Caillouet
1/26/2012 CERCLA RI Report Approved Final Supplemental Release Investigation, Former Underground Storage Tank (UST) 37, Site 26, Clear Air Force Station, January 2012 The report delineates the extent of soil and groundwater contamination remaining at the UST 37 site. It concludes Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA) sampling results indicate that groundwater conditions are oxidative and pH values are favorable for biodegradation. However, MNA alone may not be sufficient to degrade contamination based on cold groundwater temperatures. Enhancement by bioaugmentation may be necessary for biodegradation to be a viable remedial option. Remedial alternatives other than MNA were not evaluated in this investigation. The pilot test of in-situ chemical oxidation previously evaluated did not yield favorable results. The Air Force should propose a remedial alternative for this site. Debra Caillouet
6/19/2014 Cleanup Plan Approved Final Site Cleanup Plan Site TU026 Clear AFS, Alaska June 2014 ADEC has no objection to the implementation of this cleanup plan. Note: 18 AAC 325 (i) A responsible person shall obtain approval before disposing of soil or groundwater from a site (1) that is subject to the site cleanup rules; and 18 AAC 75.360. Cleanup operation requirements(4) a cleanup plan that includes(D) provisions for transporting contaminated soil as a covered load in compliance with 18 AAC 60.015; and (E) Provisions for the disposal of contaminated soil and groundwater, including the location and method of disposal; are applicable to this action. The Air Force must provide this information and obtain approval before any soil or groundwater is disposed. Debra Caillouet
8/5/2015 Update or Other Action Site temporarily reassigned to program manager Vreeman Fred Vreeman
2/22/2016 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC completed review of the Draft 2015 Performance Monitoring Report, Site TU026, Clear AFS, Alaska, dated January, 2015. There were several discrepancies between the lab data and reported results, and there is a potential VI issue with the nearby buildings. DEC will follow up with a recommendations letter. Monte Garroutte
10/6/2016 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC received the 2016 Performance Monitoring Report for site TU026. Groundwater contamination remains above DEC CULs in two wells- 26CLIW02 and 26CLIW03. Recommendations for a vapor intrusion investigation at the adjacent Building 37 were made in the five year review interview. Monte Garroutte
6/11/2018 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other REPORT RECEIVED on 6/4/2018: Final 2017 RA-O/LTM Report, Basewide Well Inventory, Clear Air Force Station, Alaska. Prepared by CEC-Insight LLC (CES). Dated May 2018. Report approved on June 11, 2018. Jamie McKellar
7/17/2018 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other REPORT RECEIVED: Final Annual Long-Term Monitoring Report for LF001 & LF002. Prepared by AECOM Technical Services, Inc. Dated July 2018. Jamie McKellar
8/1/2018 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other REPORT APPROVAL:2018 Final Annual Long-Term Monitoring Report, LF001 and LF002, Clear AFS, Alaska. Prepared by AECOM Technical Services. Dated July 2018. Jamie McKellar
9/4/2020 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other WORK PLAN APPROVAL: Final Supplemental Work Plan, 2020 Remedial Action Operations, Land Use/Institutional Control, Clear Air Force Station, Alaska – Sites LF001, LF002, SD013, and TU026 (EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc., September 2020) Jamie McKellar
12/17/2020 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other REPORT UPDATE: The 2019 Performance Monitoring Report for Site TU026, prepared by AECOM Technical Services, Inc. and dated December 2020, was submitted to DEC as a final. USAF informed DEC that the contract for the 2019 PMR had already been closed and there was no funding to provide responses to DEC comments. As such, the 2019 PMR has not been reviewed or approved by DEC. Jamie McKellar
10/11/2021 Update or Other Action On 10/11/2021, DEC requested that DAF revise the Final Cleanup Plan (CUP) for Site TU026 prior to the 2022 field season. This request was made due to inconsistencies between the work described in the 2014 CUP and what is being conducted at the site. The 2014 CUP indicated that the following activities would be conducted at Site TU026: land use controls, free product removal, bioventing, and natural attenuation. The 2020 report indicates that Site TU026 is experiencing erosion from vehicles that use the area in front of the building for parking and turning around, and that the layout of the site makes it unrealistic for the area to be blocked off. As such, it appears that the land use controls described in the 2014 CUP are no longer effective. Free product removal has not been performed at the site since the implementation of the CUP in 2014. The bioventing system has been offline since 2019. Jamie McKellar
10/11/2021 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other REPORT APPROVAL: Final 2020 Remedial Action Operations, Institutional Control/Land Use Control Report and TU026 Performance Monitoring Report, Sites TU026, LF001, LF002, and SD013, Clear Air Force Station, Alaska (EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc., PBC) Jamie McKellar
5/24/2022 Site Visit On 5/23/2022, Contaminated Sites and Solid Waste staff conducted the annual inspection at Clear Space Force Station. CS staff visited Site SS024 and observed pre-characterization test-pitting in prep for a construction project. Sites WP006, TU026, and AFFF Area #5 were also observed. Jamie McKellar
5/31/2022 Update or Other Action On May 31, 2022, Environmental Staff at Clear Space Force Station reported that contractors working in the right of way near Former UST 62 had encountered contamination. UST 62 was initially tracked under Site 26. 2022 Lab results indicate that soil exceeded the 18 AAC 75 migration to groundwater cleanup level for DRO, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, and 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene at 6 to 6.5 ft bgs. Arsenic and chromium also exceeded the cleanup level from approximately 6 to 10 feet bgs. During the 2009 Remedial Investigation, only one analytical soil sample was collected at former UST 62, at a depth of 30 to 32 ft. bgs. The vertical extent of soil contamination in this location has not been adequately delienated. No groundwater exceedances were detected in 2009; however, two of the four groundwater wells were not sampled because they had been destroyed and one well was not sampled due to insufficient sample volume. Jamie McKellar
10/20/2022 Site Characterization Report Approved REPORT APPROVED: Final Remedial Action Operation and Long Term Management Report, Clear Space Force Station Sites LF001, LF002, SD013, and TU026 (Brice Engineering, LLC; October 2022) Jamie McKellar
11/15/2022 Update or Other Action DEC completed the Interview record for the Clear SFS Five Year Review. DEC noted that Five Year Reviews at Clear SFS are consistently being completed in six-year cycles, which is not in accordance with the CERCLA FYR guidance. DEC initially noted concerns with the efficacy of Site TU026 and recommended that USAF reevaluate Site TU026 and the nearby former UST locations to verify that the extent of contamination has been delineated, and to take an appropriate action (conduct additional site characterization OR prepare a Decision Document). Jamie McKellar
11/21/2022 Update or Other Action Site 26 initially consisted of 18 former underground storage tanks (USTs) and one former aboveground storage tank (AST), which were also tracked under Hazard ID 4632 (Clear SFS Site 26 Heating Oil Tanks). In 2009, following review of the Release Investigation Report: Former Storage Tanks Site 26 (Earth Tech, March 2009), DEC staff noted in the database that there was "no contamination requiring remedial action remaining." However, the 2009 report indicates that contamination exceeding the applicable 18 AAC 75 Table B1/B2 soil cleanup levels was left in place. Additionally, it appears that the depth of contamination was not adequately characterized during the 2009 field effort. In the construction camp area, migration to groundwater exceedances were identified at UST 1; UST 3; AST 37; UST 40, UST 42; UST 43; UST 48; and UST 93. In the summer of 2022, construction crews encountered contamination around former UST 62. Soil exceeded the migration to groundwater cleanup level for DRO, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene was detected at 6 to 6.5 ft bgs. Since ~2009, USAF has been focusing on the contamination at AST 37. As of 2022, USAF reports that there are no distinguishable groundwater trends. It is likely that a source area is still present that is contributing to groundwater contamination. Additionally, the areas listed above with reported MTG exceedances may also be contributing to groundwater contamination in the construction camp area. Jamie McKellar
3/13/2023 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 75694 Clear SFS Site 26 Heating Oil Tanks - UST/Bldg 37. Jamie McKellar
7/14/2023 CERCLA ROD Periodic Review DEC issued an approval letter for the Final 2022 FYR for Sites LF001, LF002, SD013, and TU026. This is the fourth FYR for sites LF001 and LF002 and the second FYR for sites SD013 and TU026. Jamie McKellar
12/14/2023 CERCLA ROD Periodic Review DEC Received a copy of the final, signed 2023 FYR for Clear Space Force Station, which includes Sites LF001, LF002, SD013, and TU026. This FYR finds that the remedy is protective at Sites LF001, LF002, and SD013. At Site TU026, the remedy is short-term protective. During the FYR period, USAF did not collect the required date to evaluate the effectiveness of the TU026 bioventing system, which was the remedy under that site's cleanup plan. Recommendations in the FYR include: installing traffic barriers at the northern boundary of Site TU026, coordinate with DEC to evaluate the bioventing system at TU026, evaluate whether site TU026 is adequately characterized, and draft a Decision Document for Site TU026. Jamie McKellar

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