Skip to content Skip to content

Site Report: Caton Island

Site Name: Caton Island
Address: Caton Island, King Cove, AK 99612
File Number: 2568.38.004
Hazard ID: 2616
Status: Cleanup Complete
Staff: No Longer Assigned, 9074655229 dec.icunit@alaska.gov
Latitude: 54.407733
Longitude: -162.477521
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

Caton Island is the second largest island in the Sanak Island group and is located approximately 88 miles south of Cold Bay. A 66.9-acre tract on Caton Island was withdrawn from protection as a National Wildlife Reservation by the United States (U.S.) Navy in September 1942. In January 1943, the Navy established a small radar installation on the northwest corner of Caton Island. The island housed radio and radar beacons, a radio range, and a weather station that provided a radar navigation signal for aircraft and weather observation data for the Kodiak Naval Station during World War II. The air navigation site was abandoned in December 1945. The Navy withdrawal was in effect until October 1951 at which time Caton Island again became a part of the Aleutian Island Wildlife Refuge. Caton Island was leased from the Department of the Interior twice for animal grazing, during the years of 1939 to 1941 and 1969 to 1973. In December 1980, Caton Island was classified further under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. Caton Island is designated a Wilderness Area as part of the Aleutian Islands Unit of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (AMNWR). Residuals remaining from the military’s use include dilapidated wooden buildings, concrete foundations, structural steel antennas, abandoned equipment, drums, wooden poles, and general debris. Residuals remaining from animal grazing operations include the dilapidated former ranch buildings, corrals, and miscellaneous trash. The original service roads and operation areas have been virtually reclaimed by natural vegetation. Petroleum and lead contamination are the primary contaminants of concern on Caton Island. One open case of 40% Dupont blasting gelatin was discovered. Little risk of explosion but caution is advised.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
5/30/1995 Preliminary Assessment Approved PA action added by Shannon and Wilson, Inc., on 2/19/97. Based on FUDS Site Summary dated 02/21/96, PAs were completed 11/15/93 and 5/30/95. RD scheduled to start 10/98. S&W-Miner
2/19/1997 Site Added to Database Site added by Shannon and Wilson. S&W-Miner
8/24/1998 Preliminary Assessment Approved EPA sent out a letter stating the it completed a preliminary assessment (PA) on the site and determined that no further action is required under the federal Superfund program and referred the site to ADEC. The PA, dated July 1998, documented up to 27,000 mg/kg DRO in soil near a drum pile, up to 6,360 mg/kg lead in soil near a battery. John Halverson
12/1/1999 Update or Other Action ADEC reviewed and commented on a draft "Zone 17 C3 Site Visits Report" dated October 1999 (Jacobs Eng.). It summarizes the site history, previous investigations and the site visit and limited sampling done in 1999. Documented wastes and areas of concern identified in 1985, 1993, 1997 and 1999 include abandoned and deteriorating buildings, generators, antenna poles, drums, three fuel tanks, and a case of blasting gelatin, two transformers, ~10 lead acid batteries, DRO contaminated soil was found in two areas in 1999; one possible UST was identified and warrants further investigation to determine whether a tank is present and, if so, if there is still fuel in it. John Halverson
5/6/2008 Update or Other Action File number assigned: 2568.38.004. Nicole Hurt
6/11/2008 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Initial ranking with ETM completed. Jonathan Schick
4/21/2011 Update or Other Action Contaminated Sites Staff recieved a copy of the Scoping Meeting Read Ahead Package and Meeting Minutes from the March 16, 2011 Scoping meeting. The package contains maps and figures of the site and details the areas that are to be visited and investigated. Jonathan Schick
5/18/2011 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Conatminated Sites Staff recieved the Final Site Visit Work Plan for the May 2011 site visit to Caton Island FUDS for the HTRW Remedial Investigation and CON/HTRW removal PRogram. The plan addresss health and safety concerns and the areas on the island that will be the target of the investigation. Jonathan Schick
5/24/2011 Site Visit ADEC Contaminated Sites Staff participated in a site visit to Caton Island Formerly Used Defense Site over three days. The visit included travelling from Anchorage to Cold Bay and then mobilizing by boat to Caton Island. Each of the three areas of concern were visited during the site visit including the Beach area, Powerline corridor, and the Antenna array. The sites were evaluated and number and rough location of the sampling work was discussed among the project stakeholders. Jonathan Schick
10/14/2011 Update or Other Action Contaminated Sites Staaff recieved a copy of the Remedial Investigation Scoping Meeting Read Ahead Package for the Caton Island FUDS HTRW Remedial Investigation and CON/HTRW Removal projects. The Read Ahead package is to be reviewed and will be discussed at the November 9, 2011 Scoping Meeting with the UISACE and contractor. Jonathan Schick
11/9/2011 Meeting or Teleconference Held Contaminated Sites Staff participated in a scoping meeting for the work to be performed at Caton Island in the summer of 2012. The meeting was attended by members of the USF&WS, USACE, and their contractors. The sampling regime was discussed and the scope of work was defined to the beach area, antenna area, and the power pole corridor. Samples will be collected at each feature of interest within these areas and soil, groundwater, surface water and sediment will be sampled and analyzed for a rnage of contaminants of potential concern. Additional removal action is also within the scope of work if it is identified and the extent determined. Jonathan Schick
12/5/2011 Update or Other Action Contaminated Sites Staff received the Final Scoping Meeting Read Ahead Package with the agreed upon amendments adding samples where necessary to augment the program in an effort to delineate any contamination that is observed during the 2012 site work. Jonathan Schick
2/2/2012 Update or Other Action Contaminated Sites Staff recieved a Draft version of the Work Plan and Quality Assurance Project Plan for Caton Island FUDS. The plan details the Remedial Investigation and limited Cotainerized waste removal planned for summer 2012 at the site. Jonathan Schick
2/24/2012 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Contatminated Sites Staff submitted comments to the US Army Corps of Engineers' project manager on the Caton Island Work Plan and Quality Assurance Project Plan for Remedial Investigation and Limited Removal Action. ADEC is concerned about PCB sampling where appropriate and clearing other wastes that are at the site but may not be FUDS eligible. Jonathan Schick
3/23/2012 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Contaminated Sites Staff recieved Responses to our comments on the Draft Work Plan and Quality Assurance Project Plan for the Caton Island FUDS Remedial Investigation. There are still outstanding issues regarding the PCB sampling that need to be resolved before the document can be finalized. Jonathan Schick
3/29/2012 Meeting or Teleconference Held Teleconference was held with the US Army Crops of Engineers project manager to resolve the outstanding comments on the Draft Work Plan and Quality Assurance Project Plan for the Caton Island FUDS Remedial Investigaiton planned for summer 2012. The comments were resolved during the course of the conversation and the document should be amended and finalized as discussed. Jonathan Schick
3/30/2012 Site Characterization Workplan Approved Contaminated Sites Staff submitted a letter to the Remedial Project Manager at the US Army Corps of Engineers approving the finalization of the Work Plan and Quality Assurance Project Plan for the Caton Island FUDS. Changes are to be made to the Draft based on the outcome of the 3/29 teleconference. Jonathan Schick
5/11/2012 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Contaminated Sites Staff received the Final Version of the Work Plan/Quality Assurance Project Plan for Remedial Investigation and Limited Con/HTRW Removal. Document will be checked to ensrure that the agreed upon changes have been incorporated into the Final. Jonathan Schick
6/15/2012 Meeting or Teleconference Held Contaminated Sites Staff met with the project manager with the USACE to discuss the progress and issues that have been encountered at the site during the Remedial Investigation work. Jonathan Schick
6/22/2012 Update or Other Action Remedial Investigation work has been completed at the Caton Island FUDS. Removal actions that were proposed in the work plan were inhibited by cultural resource concerns that conincided with the location of some of the impacts that were to be removed. A follow up meeting was proposed for July to discuss the preliminary results of the field work. Jonathan Schick
4/27/2015 Interim Removal Action Approved The ADEC Contaminated Sites Program approved the April 2015 Final Caton Island Remedial Investigation and CON/HTRW Removal Report for the Caton Island FUDS. Removal of debris and incidental soil contamination was conducted across the Caton Island FUDS at the Beach Area, Antenna Field, Power Pole Corridor, and North Landfill. Petroleum and metals contamination remains in soil, groundwater, surface water and sediment at the sites. A feasibility study will be prepared under the FUDS program to address contamination related to former military operations on Caton Island. A remedial investigation was be conducted under FUDS to further investigate the North Landfill. A widespread area of surface soil is impacted with lead contamination, and appears to be attributed to peeling of lead-based paint from dilapidated structures. Jessica Morris
4/7/2016 Update or Other Action The ADEC Contaminated Sites Program approved the February 2016 Final Caton Island Remedial Investigation and CON/HTRW Summary Report for the Caton Island FUDS. Jessica Morris
12/1/2016 Meeting or Teleconference Held CS managers participate in the annual FUDS site management action plan meeting. The purpose of the is to collaborate with FUDS management on site progress and prioritization for all of the formerly used defense sites. FUDS prioritization is based on risk, congressional interest, state input and proximity to other sites on the prioritization list. FUDS has increased environmental restoration funding in Alaska for the 2017 and 2018 field seasons to meet National goals for site progress. Darren Mulkey
5/2/2017 CERCLA Proposed Plan The ADEC Contaminated Sites Program submitted comments on the draft proposed plan. Jessica Morris
12/7/2017 Meeting or Teleconference Held Over the last few months, several meetings have been held between ADEC and USACE to resolve the comments on the Caton Island Proposed Plan. Jessica Morris
12/17/2018 Meeting or Teleconference Held The ADEC Contaminated Sites Program participated in a project scoping meeting with the FAA, USFWS, and Brice Environmental Services Corporation. During the meeting, the team agreed to an approach for calculating risk-based soil cleanup levels at Caton Island that will be protective for ecological receptors. FAA will present a work plan for a removal action with these proposed cleanup level calculations included. A work plan should be ready for ADEC and USFWS review during spring of 2019. Jessica Morris
3/1/2019 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 73592 drums and surface stains. Jessica Morris
5/22/2019 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other On 5/22/2019, A Draft Demolition, Remedial Action (RA), and Remedial Investigation (RI) Work Plan (WP) was submitted for the Former Radio Range Facility at Caton Island on behalf of FAA. Demolition and RA work was proposed for 7 sites within 3 areas of concern (AOC) including the Beach Area (BA), the Power Pole Corridor (PPC), and the Antennae Field (AF) to address petroleum contamination at PPC-08 site and lead contamination at all areas. A RI was proposed for a new AOC; a suspected landfill (LF) area to the north of the island. Supplemental information, comments, and WP revisions were supplied between ADEC and FAA/Consultant from 6/19/2019 to 7/11/2019. A Final WP was submitted on 7/16/2019. Jamie Grant
7/19/2019 Site Characterization Workplan Approved Final Demolition, Remedial Action (RA), and Remedial Investigation(RI) Work Plan (WP) for the Former Radio Range Facility at Caton Island was approved. Several sites within the following 4 areas of concern (AOC) are addressed in the WP: Beach Area (BA), Power Pole Corridor (PPC), Antennae Field (AF), and Landfill (LF). The WP RA's include: demolition/removal of selected existing structures and excavation/removal of lead contamination at 8 sites (BA-06, BA-07, AF-06, PPC-01, PPC-04, PPC-07, PPC-08, and LF-01); excavation and removal of petroleum contamination at PPC-08; and analytical sampling (ISM) to confirm removal of COCs at all at all AOCs. The WP RI's include: one monitoring well, 10+ soil borings, test pits and analytical sampling (discrete/grab) for LF-01; additional analytical samples (discrete/grab) collected along any section of a contaminant plume that has not been horizontally defined (specifically PPC-08 and BA-07); a minimum of 4 samples collected from 2 borings at the PPC/AF to supplement TOC data for ACL calculations at these AOCs; a minimum of 8 samples collected from 4 borings at the LF to provide TOC data for ACL calculations; additional background metals sampling around LF AOC. Jamie Grant
5/18/2022 Cleanup Complete Determination Issued FAA assumed responsibility for the remaining contamination at this site in June 2019 after FUDS administratively closed the site. Refer to Hazard ID 26781 for on-going cleanup activities. Shonda Oderkirk

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments
Lead - Total Other Soil Lead contamination cleanup will be completed by the FAA.

Control Type

Type Details
No ICs Required

Requirements

Description Details
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)

There are no documents for this site report.

Hazard ID Site Name File Number
26781 Caton Island Sitewide Lead 2568.38.004

Missing Location Data

Because the GIS location data for this site has not been entered, we cannot direct you to its position on the map. Click "Continue" to proceed to the Contaminated Sites Web Map or "Close" to return to the site report.
Continue     Close