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Site Report: Fort Wainwright Montgomery Road Extension

Site Name: Fort Wainwright Montgomery Road Extension
Address: Montgomery Road, between 10th Street & Whidden Road, Fort Wainwright, AK 99703
File Number: 108.38.111
Hazard ID: 25658
Status: Active
Staff: Tim Sharp, 9074512131 tim.sharp@alaska.gov
Latitude: 64.829832
Longitude: -147.656705
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

Historical aerial photographs indicate extensive warehousing activities occurred near the proposed Montgomery Road extension. Rows of drums stored on a gravel pad for many years suggest the potential for buried drums; petroleum, oil, and lubricant (POL)-contaminated soil; and chlorinated compounds. 2010 field activities were conducted in support of future construction activities at this site. Geophysical survey activities were conducted and nine highly anomalous areas were identified for test pitting activities. Several identified anomalies warranted additional investigation. Test pitting began in the center of each identified anomaly and the direction and location of any expansions were based on field observations. The depths of the test pits were determined according to the bottom depth of identified debris. All debris was removed and each test pit was backfilled accordingly. Approximately 5 cubic yards of POL-contaminated soil was excavated. Thirteen samples were collected during test pitting activities. Samples from Test Pit 2 and Test Pit 4 exceeded the ADEC cleanup criteria for DRO (250 mg/kg) with results of 8,730 mg/kg, 4,050 mg/kg, and 293 mg/kg, respectively. Results from Test Pit 2 also showed exceedances for RRO (28,800 mg/kg and 23,600 mg/kg), lead (528 mg/kg and 1990 mg/kg), tetrachloroethene (0.0487 mg/kg), and benzene (0.0561 mg/kg). Fifty-four soil samples were collected during soil boring activities. Two samples from SB09 at 14 feet bgs and 16.5 feet bgs and one sample from SB13 at 3.5 feet bgs, exceeded ADEC cleanup criteria for DRO (250 mg/kg) with results of 5,910 mg/kg, 3,660 mg/kg, and 900 mg/kg respectively. Five groundwater samples from temporary well points were collected. One groundwater sample from location SB09 exceeded ADEC Table C cleanup criteria for DRO (1.5 milligrams per liter (mg/L)) with a result of 1.6 mg/L. This site also includes a concrete vault identified during the summer of 2010 when an underground sewage lift station consisting of a concrete vault (11.5 feet by 5.5 feet by 18 feet) and six concrete partitioned containment cells were discovered during construction activities associated with the extension of Montgomery Road. A historical as-built drawing indicated the presence of sanitary sewage lines from the containment cells to the Chena River, however, an inspection of the Chena River bank did not indicate the presence of any sewer outfall. In 2010, standing wastewater in the concrete vault was sampled and analytical results confirmed benzene, lead, diesel range organics (DRO), residual range organics (RRO) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at concentrations above the Table C groundwater cleanup levels. Additionally, a sediment sample was collected and results indicated, DRO, RRO, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, and mercury exceeded Method Two soil cleanup levels. Further investigation in 2011 showed the concrete vault system was abandoned in place after being backfilled by concrete and soil. Wastewater that had accumulated in the vault was removed, treated and disposed of properly. Tabulated analytical results from 2010 and 2011 show lead above the DEC cleanup levels for soil and groundwater, and DRO above the DEC cleanup level for soil. The effluent pipe for the concrete vault has not been located.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
5/24/2011 Update or Other Action Staff recieved a draft work plan for 2011 work but has not received a final report for the 2010 work nor a final work plan for last year’s work. Debra Caillouet
5/24/2011 Site Added to Database A new site has been added to the database Mitzi Read
5/24/2011 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Initial ranking with ETM completed for source area id: 79090 name: Fort Wainright Montgomery Road Extension Debra Caillouet
6/10/2011 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Work Plan Addendum, Montgomery Road Planned Excavation Activities, Fort Wainwright May 2011 DEC has no objection to the implementation of this work but is concerned that the diesel range organic contamination that was documented to exist at the location of SB09 in 2010 is not being addressed. Nor any of the geophysical anomalies that were detected outside of the road footprint. Please make arrangements to completely characterize this area. Debra Caillouet
7/21/2011 Site Characterization Report Approved Final After-Action Report, Montgomery Road, 2010 Construction Support, Fort Wainwright, June 2011 Contamination remains on-site; DRO with results of 8,730 mg/kg, 4,050 mg/kg, and 293 mg/kg, respectively. Results from Test Pit 2 also showed exceedances for RRO (28,800 mg/kg and 23,600 mg/kg), lead (528 mg/kg and 1990 mg/kg), tetrachloroethene (PCE) (0.0487 mg/kg), and benzene (0.0561 mg/kg). Debra Caillouet
10/10/2011 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Doyon Utilities, Services to Montgomery Road Extension, Addendum to the Post-Wide Sampling and Analysis Plan, non-objection letter Debra Caillouet
12/13/2011 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Doyon Utilities, Services to Montgomery Road Extension, notice of no contamination found recieved. Debra Caillouet
3/23/2012 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other reviewed and commented on Preliminary Draft 2012 Work Plan, Assessment and Monitoring at Various Post-Construction Sites, Fort Wainwright, March 2012 Debra Caillouet
3/28/2012 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other 2011 Montgomery Road Extension After-Action Report, Draft, March 2012 Debra Caillouet
7/17/2012 Interim Removal Action Approved 2011 Montgomery Road Extension After-Action Report (FINAL) The report documents a removal of 24 cubic yards of contaminated soil within the area of the Montgomery Road Extension. This was a limited action and did not address all of the contamination that was identified in 2010. Debra Caillouet
3/16/2015 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Draft Work Plan Environmental Investigations various Sites, Fort Wainwright Alaska January 2015 was reviewed. This this work plan addresses 17 sites at Fort Wainwright. The plan was written in UFP-QAPP but has major deficiencies requiring a complete rewrite of the document. Detailed comment was sent to the Army. Debra Caillouet
6/15/2015 Update or Other Action The Army was sent a review of the response to comment that was provided for the comments sent in March on the draft work plan. DEC has remaining concerns for the Conceptual Site Model, site specific DQO's and the site history provided. Debra Caillouet
12/13/2016 Meeting or Teleconference Held A two day Federal Facilities Agreement (FFA) and Stakeholders meeting was held on December 13 & 14, 2016. The main focus of the meeting was to develop a site discovery and site intake process that would satisfy requirements of the Fort Wainwright FFA, RCRA Permit, and two party agreements. The Army, EPA and DEC committed to a flowchart of the preliminary source evaluation process. Timelines were established for scoping a land use control implementation plan (LUCIP) and developing a contracting schedule for Fort Wainwright contaminated site investigations and remedial actions. Seven sites were proposed for inclusion into the FFA (three party agreement) by the Army and the RPMs documented the assignment of the regulatory path for these sites using a newly developed and agreed to signature form. Dennis Shepard
1/1/2017 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC approved the 2015 Annual Institutional Controls Report, Fort Wainwright, Alaska (August 2016). Dennis Shepard
2/19/2020 Update or Other Action The Montgomery Road concrete vault site (108.38.134) was changed to non-qualifying on 2/19/2020. It has been merged with this site. Kevin Fraley
9/8/2021 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Initial ranking with ETM completed for source area id: 80550 name: Montgomery Road Concrete Vault Erica Blake
6/9/2023 CERCLA RI Plan Approved DEC completed a backcheck and partial approval of the Final Supplemental Remedial Investigation (SRI) Work Plan for 33B Barracks, Building 1054, Building 3014, and the Montgomery Road Extension. The objective of each SRI is to characterize the nature and extent of contamination and evaluate the human health and ecological risk. The SRI results will be used to develop preliminary remediation goals and identify remedial alternatives that will be further evaluated in a feasibility study (FS). The work plan is intended for use in conjunction with the Risk Assessment Work Plan, which is currently under regulatory review. Several comments on the draft work plan requested contamination in soil to be delineated to at least the most stringent of DEC’s promulgated cleanup levels, typically the migration to groundwater cleanup levels. DEC recognizes the importance of the intended field sampling, and the Army’s commitment to ensureanalytical methods have limits of detection that are able to achieve the DEC migration to groundwater cleanup levels. As the Army did not identify the fate and transport model that will be used to evaluate the migration to groundwater pathway, DEC will evaluate the results of this field effort as presented in the draft report to evaluate whether the nature and extent of the contamination has been delineated. DEC will identify at that point if sufficient information has been gathered to determine the fate and transport of contamination over time. Data gaps may persist after the SRI effort due to this oversight. Additionally, due to the recent DEC Bulk Petroleum Hydrocarbon Noncancer Toxicity for Human Health Risk Assessments Technical Memorandum (DEC, May 2023), DEC does not find the language in Section 1.3 regarding bulk petroleum risk to be in accordance with guidance, and the Army must address this issue further during comment resolution of the Risk Assessment Work Plan. All other responses to comments have been incorporated into the final document and are accepted. Lastly, on May 24, 2023, DEC was informed that the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) had begun conducting sampling without DEC approval of the SRI work plan. In accordance with 18 AAC 75.335(b) and 18 AAC 75.360(2), work may not begin at a site until the work plan has been approved. This formally documents the Army’s non-compliance with the above-referenced regulations and provides notice that future non-compliance with state regulations may result in a Compliance Advisory Letter or formal enforcement actions, as appropriate. Tim Sharp

Contaminant Information

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