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Site Report: Gruening Park Apartments

Site Name: Gruening Park Apartments
Address: 1800 Northwood Drive, Juneau, AK 99801
File Number: 1513.38.107
Hazard ID: 26844
Status: Active
Staff: Alena Voigt, 9072697556 alena.voigt@alaska.gov
Latitude: 58.361004
Longitude: -134.511555
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 Gruening Park Apartments complex is comprised of 15 buildings: an office and residential buildings A through M. On June 23, 2011 a leaking underground heating oil tank was discovered outside Building L. On June 29, 2011, the tank along with 9.6 tons of petroleum-contaminated soil were removed. The soil was taken to an off-site treatment facility. In July, 2011 during a site assessment for the entire facility eleven more underground heating oil tanks were identified and contaminated soil was confirmed at nine of them. It was decided that all of the underground tanks would be removed and replaced with aboveground tanks. During tank removal groundwater was encountered between 3 and 5 feet below ground surface and groundwater was expected to be impacted. Diesel range organics was confirmed above DEC cleanup levels at Buildings A, B, C, D, E, H, I, J, AND K. Buildings G, M, and N already used aboveground storage tanks, and Building F had no detectable contaminated soil. Nutrient addition ports were installed at each of the contaminated areas to initiate in situ remediation. Follow up assessments in December 2012 and June 2015 indicated that the fertilizer treatment had a limited effect at some locations. The levels of diesel range organics in soil at Buildings A, B, and J are still above DEC cleanup levels. Site is approximately 650 feet northwest and upgradient of Switzer Creek.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
9/6/2011 Potentially Responsible Party/State Interest Letter Potentially Responsible Party / State Interest Letter sent to Alaska Housing Development Corporation by PPRP staff Crystal Smith. Mitzi Read
3/8/2018 Site Added to Database A new site has been added to the database Mitzi Read
3/8/2018 Spill Transferred from Prevention Preparedness and Response Program Spill transferred by PPRP staff Galen Heffern. Spill no. 11119917402; spill date = 6/23/11; substance = diesel; quantity = ~150 gallons; source = multiple residential heating oil tanks. Mitzi Read
4/23/2018 Potentially Responsible Party/State Interest Letter Potentially responsible party and work plan request letter mailed to RP. Work plan to address remaining contamination due on May 31, 2018. Amy Rodman
4/23/2018 Workplan Requested Potentially responsible party and work plan request letter mailed to RP. Work plan to address remaining contamination due on May 31, 2018. Amy Rodman
6/13/2018 Institutional Control Record Established Institutional Controls established and entered into the database. Amy Rodman
6/14/2018 Site Characterization Workplan Approved Work plan approved. Proposed field work generally consists of field-screening with a photo-ionization detector (PID), advancing soil borings by hand for field-screening and soil sample collection purposes, and laboratory analysis of soil samples. Amy Rodman
2/20/2019 Site Characterization Report Approved ADEC Contaminated Sites Program staff reviewed and approved the “Site Assessment Report: 1800 Northwood Drive” (report) dated January 4, 2019 NORTECH for the Gruening Park Apartments site in Juneau, Alaska. This Report was submitted to ADEC’s Contaminated Sites Program via email on January 4, 2019. Field work conducted on October 9, 2018 and generally consisted of manually advancing soil borings, field-screening soil using the hot-water sheen test, and collecting soil samples for laboratory analysis of diesel range organics (DRO), gasoline range organics (GRO), volatile organic carbons (VOC), and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). This report was approved with comments. A work plan to delineate horizontal and vertical extent of remaining soil and groundwater contamination is due March 29. Amy Rodman
4/17/2019 Site Characterization Workplan Approved ADEC Contaminated Sites Program staff reviewed and approved a “Sampling and Analysis Plan, 1800 Northwood Drive” (Work Plan) dated March 27, 2019 from NORTECH for the Gruening Park Apartments site in Juneau, Alaska. This Work Plan was submitted to ADEC via email on March 27, 2019. Proposed field work generally consists of field-screening soil with a photo-ionization detector (PID), manually-advancing soil borings, and soil sample collection at the confining till layer for laboratory analysis at Building’s A, B, and J. If groundwater is present in soil borings, a groundwater sample will then be collected for laboratory analysis. Amy Rodman
2/10/2020 Site Characterization Report Approved The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) Contaminated Sites Program staff reviewed and approved a “Site Assessment Report and Corrective Action Plan: 1800 Northwood Drive – Buildings A, B, and J” (Work Plan) dated January 16, 2020 from NORTECH for the Gruening Park Apartments site in Juneau, Alaska. This Work Plan was submitted to ADEC via email on January 16, 2020. Proposed field work generally consists of field-screening soil with a photo-ionization detector (PID), manually advancing soil borings, soil sample collection at the confining till layer for laboratory analysis at Building’s A, B, and J, and groundwater sampling. Amy Rodman
8/5/2020 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other A report was submitted on May 21, 2020 documenting field work conducted in April 2020 to remove 68 cubic yards of contaminated material near the Building B source area. Contaminated material was transported to Bicknell. Contaminated soil exceeding migration to groundwater cleanup levels remain where infrastructure prevented further excavation (under Building B, near the walkway, and sewer line). Contaminants of concern that remain in excess of cleanup levels include DRO, 1,2,4 Trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5 Trimethylbenzene, Ethylbenzene, Napthalene, Total Xylenes, 1-Methylnapthalene, and 2-Methynapthalene. The report included a proposal for additional groundwater monitoring near the Building B source area. A letter with comments was sent by the department requesting more extensive groundwater characterization and further investigation of the inhalation of indoor air pathway (vapor intrusion) at the source areas. Lisa Krebs-Barsis
2/2/2021 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Second draft of work plan and response to comments, received December 2, 2020 reviewed. Letter sent to describe outstanding issues and request for updates to the work plan. Lisa Krebs-Barsis
7/21/2021 Update or Other Action New Project Manager, J. Fix, assigned. Julie Fix

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments
DRO Between Method 2 Migration to Groundwater and Human Health/Ingestion/Inhalation Soil

Control Type

Type Details

Requirements

Description Details
Document name File Size Document Date
2020 Site Assessment Report and Corrective Action Plan 29 MB

No associated sites were found.

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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