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Site Report: FAA Wrangell Airport RCO Building

Site Name: FAA Wrangell Airport RCO Building
Address: Wrangell Airport, NE of Runway, Wrangell, AK 99929
File Number: 1529.38.025
Hazard ID: 26366
Status: Cleanup Complete
Staff: No Longer Assigned, 9074655229 dec.icunit@alaska.gov
Latitude: 56.484507
Longitude: -132.361924
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

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Wrangell Remote Communications Outlet (RCO) Building is a stand-alone 20 foot by 20 foot painted aluminum building constructed in the late 1940s. The building sides and the roof are both painted with lead-based paint. The paint is badly flaking and chips are visible on the soil surface along the east and north sides of the building; paint chips are also visible in the subsurface soil at areas overgrown with vegetation. The south and west sides are paved and paint chips are also visible on top of the asphalt. Analytical soil samples collected from the north and east sides of the building demonstrated a lead in soil concentration as high as 3,100 ppm at the base of the building and as high as 1,700 ppm approximately 7 feet from the base of the building. Paint chips were not observed more than 10 feet from the building. The site is located northeast of the runway at the Wrangell airport and is within the fenced airport secure zone. Access to the site is controlled via access gates on the opposite site of the runway and is accessible only to personnel with airport security clearance and radio permission from the FAA control tower. The RCO building and adjacent buildings are actively used by FAA personnel for maintenance of electronics equipment. The FAA plans to demolish the RCO building in 2015 and excavate contaminated soil surrounding the building prior to demolition. Loose paint chips on the asphalt and surface soil will be collected with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) vacuum and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) will be used as a field screening tool to delineate contaminated soil. Analytical samples will also be collected from the contaminated soil to correlate results to the XRF screening results. Areas of contamination (identified as exceeding 400 mg/kg for total lead) will be excavated to a depth of approximately 6 inches below ground or where paint chips are no longer visible in the soil. Waste soil will be characterized for hazardous waste disposal and final confirmation sampling from the excavated areas will be collected with composite analytical samples.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
3/19/2015 Site Added to Database A new site has been added to the database Mitzi Read
3/19/2015 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Initial ranking with ETM completed for source area id: 79750 name: RCO Building Lead Paint Mitzi Read
10/16/2015 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC reviewed and approves by letter dated today sent by regular and electronic mail the following cleanup workplan: Draft Work Plan FAA Wrangell RCO Demolition and Contaminated Soil Cleanup Project, dated October 1, 2015. SAYBR Contractors Inc. completed the Workplan for contaminated soil cleanup at the FAA RCO Building located within the secure area of the Wrangell Airport. Bruce Wanstall
2/9/2016 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC found the revised version of the work plan acceptable without any additional change requests except to suggest moving the mobilization schedule sooner in the year. October is commonly the wettest month of the year and excess moisture has a low bias on XRF soil screening. Bruce Wanstall
8/19/2016 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC reviewed the draft report Federal Aviation Administration Wrangell RCO Building Remedial Action (Report), dated July, 2016. Saybr Contractors Inc., (Saybr) from Tacoma, WA, completed the Report documenting remedial actions (RA) taken at the Site in March 14-18 and on April 2, 2016 by Saybr, Brice Environmental Services Corporation, and Elm Solutions. The objective of the RA was to restore the Site to conditions that are protective of human health and the environment by removing and properly disposing of lead contaminated soil located around the RCO building and demolishing the building. DEC sent a letter approving the Report with a request for certificates of disposal for the soil and building debris. Bruce Wanstall
1/17/2017 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 79750 RCO Building Lead Paint. Bruce Wanstall
2/21/2017 Cleanup Complete Determination Issued Soil contamination at the site has been cleaned up to concentrations below the approved cleanup levels suitable for residential land use. This site will receive a “Cleanup Complete” designation on the Contaminated Sites Database, subject to the closure standard conditions. This determination is in accordance with 18 AAC 75.380 and does not preclude DEC from requiring additional assessment and/or cleanup action if future information indicates that contaminants at this site may pose an unacceptable risk to human health, safety, or welfare or to the environment. Bruce Wanstall

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments
Lead - Total < Method 2 Most Stringent Soil Soil sampling results were below residential cleanup standard.

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)

No associated sites were found.

Missing Location Data

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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