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Site Report: Ogliuga Island

Site Name: Ogliuga Island
Address: Aleutian Islands, West of Adak, Adak, AK 99546
File Number: 2580.38.004
Hazard ID: 2620
Status: Active
Staff: Sarah Bernhardt, 9072697527 sarah.bernhardt@alaska.gov
Latitude: 51.601917
Longitude: -178.649051
Horizontal Datum:NAD27

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

The Ogliuga Island Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) is located in the Aleutian Islands chain and is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Facilities were constructed on the islands during World War II, to provide defense for Alaska and to assist in recapturing the islands of Attu and Kiska. The island was developed by the U.S Navy Seabees, and operated as an emergency and staging airfield for the Adak Navy Operations Base. The facilities were abandoned in place after the war, and the island has seen little human presence since. The subject site is being cleaned up by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) under the FUDS Program. The Corps has been working on the FUDS areas since the mid-1980’s. Site inspections in 1993 and 1998 documented ~ 91 full drums of what appeared to be Aviation Gasoline and hundreds of apparently empty drums. Contaminants of concern in soils, groundwater, and surface water include PCBs, petroleum, chlorinated solvents, metals, and munitions constituents.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
8/15/1995 Preliminary Assessment Approved PA action added by Shannon and Wilson, Inc., on 2/19/97. Based on FUDS Site Summary dated 2/21/96, PA started 8/95. S&W-Miner
11/20/1996 Site Added to Database Site added by Shannon and Wilson. S&W-Miner
5/4/1999 Update or Other Action DEC received a draft Site Investigation Report from the Corps of Engineers. It documents at least 91 galvanized steel drums (thought to be filled with aviation gas) and 434 empty drums in the East Fuel Drum Area along with DRO and RRO contaminated soil. The Runway Camp Area had several drums containing fuel and oil, cracked batteries, cases of ammunition, and soil contaminated with DRO, RRO, cadmium and lead. The West Camp Area had four drums of fuel, two drums of waste oil, PCB contaminated soil (less than 1 mg/kg), and a case of ammunition. Numerous pieces of construction equipment were located in the Runway Camp and West Camp areas. The report recommends removal of the drums of fuel and oil, batteries and contaminated soil John Halverson
8/27/2004 Update or Other Action File number issued 2580.38.004 Aggie Blandford
5/11/2005 Update or Other Action DEC reviewed and commented on a May 3, 2005 draft Site Visit Workplan and scope of work for pre-removal assessment for thousands of drums (CON/HTRW project) on Tanaga and Ogliuga Islands. DEC requested clarification and additional details on the historical records review to better identify data gaps that need to be investiated. Requested clarification on whether an Archive Search Report (ASR) has been done on military munitions at Tanaga and, if so, that a copy be provided to the department. Also asked that field work include checking fuel tanks to determine whether they contain product and investigating transformers to determine whether they contain PCBs. DEC has emphasized the focus of the investigation and removal should first and foremost be to remove containerized wastes (full and partially full drums, fuel from tanks, transformers) to prevent future releases. Then as budget and time allow, characterize prior releases and extent of contamination to evaluate risk and cleanup alternatives. If resources allow, removal of all the empty drums shoud ocurr. John Halverson
3/22/2007 Update or Other Action staff provided significant comment to the corps on the draft removal action plan for con/htrw Debra Caillouet
6/20/2007 Cleanup Plan Approved a con/htrw removal work plan was approved Debra Caillouet
2/28/2008 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC reciieved a copy of the Draft version of the 2007 CON HTRW Removal Action Report for our review. The report details the removal of a large number of barrels that still ocntained hazardous substances, mainly fuel products. Also batteries and several transformers were contained and removed from the island. Samples were collected in the areas where containerized waste was removed adn evidence of release was observed. Jonathan Schick
3/13/2008 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC issued a letter to the USACE after reviewing the 2007 CON/HTRW Removal Action Report. Overall the report required more detail concerning the locations of samples collected and a clear presentation of the area of concern from which the samples were collected. Also, the state is concerned about the reporting of several batteries as intact when it can be seen that several of these batteries were structurally compromised and therefore the surrounding soil was not sampled. Jonathan Schick
4/8/2009 Update or Other Action The ADEC Contaminated Site Program reviewed and commented on the Draft 2009 Remedial Investigation Work Plan for Tanaga and Ogliuga Island, Alaska. The ADEC stated that overall the plan needs more detail concerning the locations of samples to be collected and a narrative explaining how the field crews will share information and make decisions. Jonathan Schick
6/5/2009 Update or Other Action The Final Remedial Investigation Work Plan for Tanaga and Ogliuga Island, Alaska was received by ADEC. Jonathan Schick
9/21/2009 Update or Other Action ADEC management signed the Declaration of Project Closure and No Department of Defense Action Indicated document. WIthin the document the USACE states that all objsectives for the CON/HTRW project have been met. THe toxicity, volume, and mobility of contaminants have been reduced at the Ogliuga Island FUDS. The USACE is planning a 2009 HTRW Remedial Investigation to identify and delineate all remaining contamination resulting from the previously removed CON/HTRW. Any contamination that presents an unacceptable risk to human health, safety, and the environment will be addressed under the Ogliuga Island HTRW project of the FUDS program. Jonathan Schick
7/1/2010 Update or Other Action ADEC recieved a letter from the USACE requesting a 350 determination to eliminate the drinking water pathway at the impacted sites at Tanaga and Ogliuga Islands. Jonathan Schick
7/1/2010 Update or Other Action Contaminated Sites Staff recieved a formal application from the US Army Corps of Engineers for a groundwater use determination for Tanaga and Ogliuga Island FUDS. The request states that the groundwater is too shallow to provide a suitable potable water source. Jonathan Schick
10/8/2010 Update or Other Action Contaminated Sites submitted a letter to the US Army Corps of Engineers stating that the request for a groundwater use determination under 18 AAC 350 has been denied. The land manager, USFWS and ADEC Contaminated Sites staff did not find the characterization of the contaminants at the sites to be adquate to support this determination and so the groundwater at the sites will be compared to the drinking water cleanup levels. Jonathan Schick
11/12/2010 Update or Other Action The ADEC Contaminated Site Program reviewed and commented on the Risk Assessment Work Plan for Tanaga and Ogliuga Islands. ADEC's main concern was that the sites that were not adequately characterized should not be included in the risk assessment. ADEC provided a list of sites deemed inadequately characterized to the USACE. Jonathan Schick
12/6/2010 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Contaminated Sites staff issued a letter to the US Army Corps of Engineers with an attached comment response form detailing issues in the Draft-Final version of the Remedial Investigation Report for Tanaga and Ogliuga Islands FUDS. The majority of the comments were pointing out data gaps that ADEC found in the reporting. Other comments were editorial in nature. Jonathan Schick
6/27/2011 Update or Other Action The ADEC Contaminated Sites Program received the Final Remedial Investigation Report for Tanaga and Ogliuga Islands, Alaska. Jonathan Schick
7/22/2011 Update or Other Action The ADEC Contaminated Sites Program reviewed and submitted comments on the Draft Red-Line Strikeout Risk Assessment Report for Tanaga and Ogliuga Islands, Alaska. One of ADEC's main comments was that certain areas were not sufficiently characterized, and therefore data are not adequate for risk assessment. Jonathan Schick
10/15/2012 Update or Other Action The ADEC Contaminated Sites Program received the Final Risk Assessment Report for Tanaga and Ogliuga Island, Alaska. The report was not approved by ADEC. Jonathan Schick
6/18/2013 CERCLA FS The ADEC Contaminated Sites Program reviewed and provided comments on the draft Feasibility Study for Formerly Used Defense Sites Tanaga and Ogliuga Island, Alaska. The ADEC sent a letter requesting, amongst other points, that the assessment of ecological risk be included in the feasibility study document. Based on the fact that the site is located on a remote island in the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, potential ecological risks are the primary concern that needs to be addressed in the cleanup and management of contamination. Additional remedial investigation and risk assessment are necessary prior to ADEC concurrence on a decision document for the sites. Jessica Morris
9/7/2016 Meeting or Teleconference Held A meeting was held between ADEC and Shannon & Wilson, Inc. to discuss the Tanaga Ogliuga Islands FUDS Risk Assessment and Technical Support Contract. 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
5/10/2017 Update or Other Action The ADEC Contaminated Sites Program submitted comments on the draft Phase II HTRW Remedial Investigation and CON/HTRW Removal Action Work Plan, Phase II MMRP Remedial Investigation QAPP, and Risk Assessment Work Plan. Jessica Morris
8/22/2022 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC reviewed and submitted comments regarding the Draft Phase II Remedial Investigation and Risk Assessment Report Ogliuga Island Formerly Used Defense Site F10AK0180 Ogliuga Island, Alaska, dated July 2022. The report describes the field screening and analytical sampling completed at 181 features as part of a Phase II Remedial Investigation (RI) at Ogliuga Island, Alaska. The RI relied on discrete soil and groundwater samples for determining the nature and extent of contamination. In total, 1,116 soil samples (including 138 field duplicates), 29 primary and 13 duplicate groundwater samples, seven primary and five field duplicate surface water grab samples, along with 14 primary and five field duplicate sediment samples, were collected for analysis during the RI. The purpose of the Phase II RI was to ascertain the presence or absence of contamination and, where present, to delineate the extent of contamination at features related to historical military use of Ogliuga Island. The results of the CERCLA baseline risk assessment identified lead as a human health and ecological contaminant of concern at one feature (RNW-ISM-0002) and bulk hydrocarbons (diesel range organics, gasoline range organics, and residual range organics) above the alternative clean up levels (ACLs) remain on Ogliuga Island at 14 features. Based on the results of the CERCLA baseline risk assessment and presence of bulk hydrocarbons above ACLs, a Feasibility Study was recommended to develop, consider, and evaluate a range of cleanup alternatives, including a “no action” alternative. Ginna Quesada
1/30/2023 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC reviewed the responses to comments regarding the Draft Phase II Remedial Investigation and Risk Assessment Report Ogliuga Island Formerly Used Defense Site F10AK0180 Ogliuga Island, Alaska, dated July 2022 and provided comments. Petroleum alternative cleanup levels for soil were approved. Ginna Quesada
6/29/2023 DEC Non-Concur on Federal No Further Action Decision DEC submitted a letter of non-Concurrence for the Final Phase II Remedial Investigation and Risk Assessment Report Ogliuga Island Formerly Used Defense Site F10AK0180 Ogliuga Island, Alaska, dated May 2023. Ginna Quesada

Contaminant Information

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State of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation

P.O. Box 111800
Juneau, AK 99811-1800
Phone: 907-465-5066
Fax: 907-465-5245
TDD: 800-770-8973
Physical Location: 410 Willoughby