Site Report: FAA North Dutch Island Station
| Site Name: | FAA North Dutch Island Station |
|---|---|
| Address: | North Dutch Island; Prince William Sound; ~32 Miles E of Whittier, Whittier, AK 99693 |
| File Number: | 2114.38.021 |
| Hazard ID: | 26530 |
| Status: | Active |
| Staff: | Sarah Durand, 9072628223 sarah.durand@alaska.gov |
| Latitude: | 60.765167 |
| Longitude: | -147.803765 |
| Horizontal Datum: | WGS84 |
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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
North Dutch Island is located within the Chugach National Forest and is ~32 miles east of Whittier in Prince William Sound and northeast of Perry Island. The island is approximately 35 acres in size and is heavily wooded. The North Dutch Island Very High Frequency (VHF) communication station was operated by the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) in the late 1940s and 1950s. Former CAA infrastructure is located near the center and west side of the island. Site visits were performed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in May 2006 and May 2015. At the west side of the island, infrastructure currently onsite includes two former powerhouses; fuel storage area (drums); construction camp area; three collapsed buildings, each approximately 15-feet by 15-feet in size; a wooden utilidor, measuring approximately 2-feet by 2-feet in size with an unknown length; two pressure tanks; and several wooden posts. A pond measuring approximately 10 feet wide and 30 feet long is located near the primary powerhouse building. One rusted drum has been observed in the pond, and several other rusted drums have been observed around the vicinity of the pond. At the center of the island, infrastructure currently onsite includes a two-story combination quarters/communications building. The building footprint measures approximately 25-feet by 52-feet in size and is mostly collapsed. Adjacent and to the north of the house are a tank cradle, wooden septic crib, cistern, catch basin, water pumphouse, electrical transformer, two large fuel above ground storage tanks (ASTs), an electrical transformer, and a possible former transformer area. The electrical transformer has a capacity of 10 gallons. It is tipped over on its side and is empty. The ASTs are approximately 12-feet in diameter and 20-feet tall. AST #1 formerly rested on a concrete pad about 12-feet by 12-feet in size and 1-foot thick. AST #1 has fallen over onto its side and some staining was observed at the end of the tank. AST #2 rests on a foundation of 1-foot diameter creosoted logs laid down in a corduroy fashion. No staining has been observed at this tank. During the May 2006 site visit, one soil sample was collected from beneath AST #1 and submitted for diesel range organics (DRO) analysis. DRO was detected at a concentration of 189,000 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg). A mostly buried four-inch fuel pipeline runs approximately 1,100 feet in the vicinity of the primary powerhouse building, ASTs, and the quarters/communications building.
Action Information
| Action Date | Action | Description | DEC Staff |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/11/2016 | Site Added to Database | A new site has been added to the database | Mitzi Read |
| 4/7/2016 | Site Characterization Workplan Approved | DEC Approved the 2016 Work Plan, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) North Dutch Island VHF Station, Release Investigation, North Dutch Island, Alaska. This work plan proposes to: 1.Remove and dispose of approximately 1,100 feet of fuel pipeline, a utilidor, aboveground storage tanks (ASTs), abandoned drums, a septic crib, a transformer, and creosote posts; 2.Collect analytical soil and/or surface water samples to confirm residual concentrations of potential contaminants of concern associated with the removed infrastructure; 3.Advance Ultra-Violet Optical Screening Tool (UVOST) probes and soil borings across areas of concern (AOCs) related to potential petroleum contamination to delineate and characterize the potentially impacted soils. | Monte Garroutte |
| 7/26/2016 | Interim Removal Action Approved | DEC Approved the 2016 Interim Removal Action Work Plan. The proposed work includes the excavation of petroleum-impacted soil from three Areas of Concern (AOCs); excavating lead-impacted soil from three AOCs; collecting field screening and confirmation soil samples from the limits of the excavations; collecting subsurface water (groundwater) samples downgradient of impacted areas; and collecting surface water samples downgradient of impacted areas with adjacent surface water. | Monte Garroutte |
| 1/11/2019 | Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other | DEC Comments - Draft Report North Dutch Island VHF Communication Station Groundwater and Surface Water Monitoring. DRO, RRO, and lead are in excess of cleanup levels in groundwater. Lead may be background, however DEC will require further demonstration of this before that determination can be made. Contamination in surface water has attenuated to below CULS. | Gretchen Caudill |
| 6/24/2019 | Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other | DEC Approval - Final North Dutch Groundwater and Surface Water Monitoring Report | Gretchen Caudill |
| 8/7/2020 | Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other | DEC provided comments for the 2020 Groundwater Monitoring Work Plan. FAA is planning on installing 6 temporary well points, two to measure background levels of lead in groundwater, and the other four each at separate AOCs to determine petroleum contaminant attenuation. | Tim Sharp |
| 8/19/2020 | Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other | DEC Approved 2020 Final Groundwater Monitoring Work Plan. FAA will install and sample temporary well points and conduct surface water sampling to determine POL and lead contamination levels. | Tim Sharp |
| 12/14/2020 | Exposure Tracking Model Ranking | Initial ranking with ETM completed for source area id: 79892 name: FAA North Dutch Island Station | Tim Sharp |
| 4/19/2021 | Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other | DEC sent comments on the 2020 Draft Report. The FAA installed temporary well points, sampled and decommissioned. Four groundwater samples were analyzed for DRO, RRO, and lead. The report requested a cleanup complete w/out ICs for the Four-Inch Pipeline AOC, but the only groundwater information collected at NDI has been from temporary monitoring points, as it is considered a "study/wildlife area" by the USFS. This information is not defensible for a closure determination. All other AOCs also require continued groundwater monitoring, preferably with longer-term monitoring wells if possible. | Tim Sharp |
| 6/8/2021 | Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other | DEC Approved the 2020 Final Report, but notes that before the site can be closed, continued groundwater monitoring will be needed to establish trends and concentrations. Repeated use of temporary well points has resulted in data that are not of sufficient quality to determine these trends. DEC recommends installation of longer-term monitoring wells for more repeatable data, which could result in earlier site closure, lower costs, less impact overall, and better tailoring of recommended actions to take. | Tim Sharp |
Contaminant Information
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There are no documents for this site report.
No associated sites were found.