Site Report: USCG Ocean Cape LORAN Station
| Site Name: | USCG Ocean Cape LORAN Station |
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| Address: | N of Beach Rd; SE of Coast Guard Rd & Beach Rd Intersection; ~3 Miles SSW of Yakutat, Yakutat, AK 99689 |
| File Number: | 1530.38.020 |
| Hazard ID: | 26911 |
| Status: | Active |
| Staff: | Livia Bracker, 9072697695 livia.bracker@alaska.gov |
| Latitude: | 59.510069 |
| Longitude: | -139.773222 |
| 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
The USCG Ocean Cape Loran (long range navigation) Station is located north of Beach Road, southeast of the intersection of Ophir Creek Road and Beach Road in Yakutat, Alaska. The Ocean Cape Loran Station was established in 1951 and ceased operation in 1979. The facility consisted of a transmitting tower; two receiving antennas; two interconnected Quonset hut used for offices, living quarters, galley, LORAN equipment and machinery; a third Quonset hut for storage; and three additional dwellings for married quarters. Structures have been since been removed. During community meetings as part of the Former Yakutat Air Base Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) project, verbal reports indicated that drums and debris may have been disposed in the Ankau Slough and lakes southeast of the Ocean Cape. During the FUDS 2000 Remedial Investigation, two dumps were observed between the south edge of Aka Lake and Coast Guard Road (Ophir Creek Road). One dump was found on the north side of Beach Road between Aka Lake and Coast Guard Road. The other dump was found approximately 0.5 miles north of Coast Guard Road and Beach Road. Drums and buried debris were observed. Another community member reported that one of his relatives had been a contractor at the Coast Guard station and said they dumped equipment and trash into Summit Lake (also referred to as “Coast Guard Lake”). In 2005, visual inspections and geophysical surveys were conducted by the US Army Corps of Engineers on the shorelines of Summit, Aka, and Kardy Lakes next to Beach Road and Ophir Creek Road. A 0.5 to 1-acre formerly cleared area was observed between the drum at Aka Lake and Beach Road, which is suspected to be a disposal area. One partially submerged barrel/drum of unknown origin was identified along the shoreline of Aka Lake. Sediment and surface water samples were collected around this drum. Lead and bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate in surface water were detected at concentrations exceeding applicable cleanup levels. One 12-inch diameter metal cylinder, protruding vertically from the ground about 6 inches, was also found in the formerly cleared area One transformer was found to the southwest of Summit Lake.
Action Information
| Action Date | Action | Description | DEC Staff |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/1/1951 | Update or Other Action | The Ocean Cape LORAN-A Station, also known as the Yakutat LORAN Station (YAK-089), was located at 59°29'N, 139°44 'W on the Cape Phipps Peninsula, southeast of Yakutat, approximately 200 miles northwest of Juneau and 300 miles southeast of Anchorage. The site consisted of 520 acres which the Coast Guard used via permit from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). The LORAN station was a double-A primary site, paired with the LORAN stations at both Biorka and Spruce Cape. The facilities initially consisted of a 109' guyed transmitting tower; two receiving antennas; two interconnected quonset huts that provided space for the offices, living quarters, galley, LORAN equipment, and machinery; a third quonset hut for storage; and a 16' by 50' mobile home for married quarters. Two additional dwellings were later built for more married quarters. The Coast Guard disestablished this site and cancelled its permit with the USFS in 1979. As per the terms of the permit, the Coast Guard removed all structures and restored the site. All that was left was the concrete slab of the storage quonset hut and the buried utility lines. | Louis Howard |
| 9/10/2018 | Site Added to Database | A new site has been added to the database | Mitzi Read |
| 10/11/2018 | Potentially Responsible Party/State Interest Letter | The ADEC Contaminated Sites Program sent a notification of hazardous substance liability letter to the U.S. Coast Guard identifying them as a potentially responsible party (PRP) for contamination at the site. | Jessica Morris |
| 12/6/2018 | Meeting or Teleconference Held | The ADEC Contaminated Sites Program received a response letter from the U.S. Coast Guard providing information for the Ocean Cape Loran Station. A brief meeting was held with the ADEC and U.S. Coast Guard to discuss plans for a preliminary site assessment and site investigation work plan for 2019 field season. | Jessica Morris |
| 3/14/2019 | Exposure Tracking Model Ranking | Initial ranking with ETM completed for source area id: 80280 name: USCG Ocean Cape Loran Station | Jessica Morris |
| 6/17/2019 | Update or Other Action | ANNEX C (one of a multi-part submittal): Draft Site-Specific Environmental Objectives & Approach at Ocean Cape Long Range Aid to Navigation Station, AK received for review & comment. An assessment will be conducted to evaluate the environmental liabilities (ELs) at the Coast Guard LORSTA & adjacent parcels in 2020. The assessment will be performed to locate & collect information regarding wastes from historical disposal practices & hazardous substance releases. If signs of contamination are observed, samples will be collected for laboratory analysis from the appropriate media, such as where soil staining is observed in addition to downgradient locations to roughly delineate the lateral extents of contamination. Limited sampling will also be conducted to document the absence of visually observed contamination. Media may include surface soil, subsurface soil, sediment, surface water, & groundwater. See site file for more information. | Louis Howard |
| 7/31/2019 | Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other | Staff commented on the ANNEXES A, B & C: Draft Site-Specific Environmental Objectives and Approach at Ocean Cape Long Range Aid to Navigation Station, AK. Main comments were to remind USCG that environmental staff collecting samples, analyzing data, interpreting the data meet 18 AAC 75.333 requirements. Gasoline tanks require analysis for lead, EDB, and DCA. Unknown above ground storage tanks require analyses for: DRO, GRO, RRO, Petroleum related VOCs, metals (full suite plus vanadium and nickel), PCBs, PAHs (includes 1-Methylnaphthalene and 2-methylnaphthalene), EDB and 1,2-DCA. Finally, Comments for the sampling groundwater downgradient of the former power and signal building & Quonset Hut (within the LORSTA) for perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) & perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) due to "...foam, that should be racked and located near potential fire hazard." documented in an inspection record of other materials at the LORSTA. See site file for additional information. | Louis Howard |
Contaminant Information
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Control Type
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Requirements
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No associated sites were found.