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Site Report: Kake Power Plant

Site Name: Kake Power Plant
Address: 508 Eagle Street, Kake, AK 99830
File Number: 1514.38.005
Hazard ID: 2711
Status: Cleanup Complete
Staff: No Longer Assigned, 9074655229 dec.icunit@alaska.gov
Latitude: 56.963134
Longitude: -133.922857
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

In the first week of September 1997, the valve to bulk fuel tank #2 was left open during fuel transfer operations and the tank overfilled with diesel. In addition, the valve on the water drain line from the earthen containment area had an internal crack which caused it to fail. The faulty valve allowed oil to drain from the earthen containment area onto the ground at the northeast corner of the power plant, down a culvert to a roadside ditch, and eventually, to marine waters. Records indicate that between ten and thirty gallons of fuel reached marine waters; much of the oil was recovered from the containment area and roadside ditch by emergency spill responders using sorbent material. The investigation into petroleum soil contamination began in the second week of September 1997. Since the power plant is situated between the bulk fuel tank farm and the marine shoreline, five test pits were advanced on the west (town side) of the power plant building and three test pits were advanced on the north side (between the tank farm and building). Seven of the test pits investigated the oil spill and the eighth test pit was completed to investigate power plant breather tube exhaust contaminating soil at the northwest corner of the building. A volume of ten cubic yards of contaminated soil was from the eighth test pit and was placed in two stockpile/bioremediation cells next to the power plant. Fourteen soil samples were collected in the test pits and nine samples were collected from the contaminated soil stockpile/bioremediation cells. Breather tubes venting out onto the ground caused residual range petroleum contamination in a low area below the plant, and is likely leaching/migrating into the ditchline below the plant next to the road. The biocell at the Kake Power Plant was set up in July of 2007 to remediate petroleum contaminated soil generated from cleanup activities originating from the 1996 Organized Village of Kake bunker fuel cleanup and the 1997 cleanup of the Kake Power Plant. Approximately 75 cubic yards of contaminated soil is contained within the unlined biocell and its dimensions are roughly 39 by 17 feet across and 10 inches deep. The last time that the biocell was sampled according to ADEC records was in 2001. Sampling of the biocell occurred in 2015 and results indicated that the biocell had not yet remediated to satisfactory levels; the remaining petroleum contamination exceeded the ADEC cleanup level for migration to groundwater for DRO (230 mg/kg). The DRO concentrations detected within the biocell ranged from 240-2,000 mg/kg. RRO concentrations within the biocell ranged from 240-560 mg/kg, which are below the most stringent ADEC cleanup level for RRO of 8,300 mg/kg. Biocell remediation continues.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
8/28/1997 Interim Removal Action Approved RP placed boom and sorbant pads in drainage areas and in nearby Keku Straits where sheen was noted. Due to simultaneous activities contributing to sheening, source areas were multiple and difficult to determine. Drainage areas were continuously monitored. Some contribution from the power plant appears likely. Sally Schlichting
9/2/1997 Update or Other Action Site visit conducted with USCG. Sally Schlichting
9/11/1997 Update or Other Action (Old R:Base Action Code = RPL1 - Initiate Dialog with RP). Letter sent to RP requesting cleanup plan. Sally Schlichting
11/5/1997 Site Added to Database Residual range petroleum contamination. Sally Schlichting
1/5/1998 Update or Other Action Interception trench rerouting drainage on north side of the power plant building was installed in the contaminated area. Sally Schlichting
3/26/1998 Cleanup Plan Approved Approval letter this date for asphalt sub-base encapsulation of 90 of the total volume of 165 cubic yards of petroleum contaminated soil excavated from the power plant property during the site cleanup. Sally Schlichting
12/7/2000 Site Ranked Using the AHRM Initial ranking based on data available in database. Former Staff
1/11/2006 Update or Other Action Review file for site cleanup oversight --> Site Assessment/ Cleanup Report states petroleum contamination remained near the road, access gate and along the power plant building foundation on the northwest side. Contamination was consistently found at a hardpan gravel layer at 4 to 5 feet below ground surface; a french drain on the west side of the building foundation diverts surface drainage toward the south side and away from the north side of the power plant where residual soil contamination is not accessible but is stabilized. Bruce Wanstall
7/31/2007 Update or Other Action ETM ranking found that surface soil and subsurface soil are the controlling exposure pathways at the site. The site cleanup remedy to move the contaminated material from the site to a biocell at a controlled site is effective. Controlling subsurface excavation and accessing ground water on the property is an integral part of the cleanup remedy. Bruce Wanstall
7/31/2007 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Intitial Ranking Complete for Source Area: 73687 (Autogenerated Action)
8/1/2007 Update or Other Action Contacted the former Tlingit-Haida Regional Electrical Authority office in Auke Bay; is now the Inside Passage Electrical Authority; to obtain information on the power plant landowner and operator in Kake. The biocell has been maintained since 1997, awaiting remedial disposal options for incorporation into road construction; 2001 soil sample data indicated minor concentrations of diesel remained. Bruce Wanstall
6/1/2009 Update or Other Action Contact message left with T-HREA and CIty of Kake to try and resolve what remains to be done and where. Bruce Wanstall
9/11/2013 Update or Other Action Staff changed from Erik Norberg to Denise Elston. Kristin Thompson
3/25/2014 Update or Other Action Spoke to B. Shaw @ Inside Passage Electric Co-op and he is going to contact an environmental consultant and submit a workplan to sample the biocell. The last data we have is from 2001. Depending on results, we may continue bioremediation or close the site out. Another possibility is entrenching the contaminated soil into concrete for a new powerhouse building in 2-3 years. Danielle Duncan
3/27/2014 Potentially Responsible Party/State Interest Letter Sent a PRP letter to Inside Passage Electric Co-op. Danielle Duncan
4/28/2014 Update or Other Action Spoke with IPEC; they said CDI would be doing work there in August. I reminded him that a workplan would need to be submitted and approved before any work was done. Danielle Duncan
5/6/2014 Update or Other Action Spoke to CDI and they plan to go out and sample biocell in August. RP took soil samples of the biocell (8) on their own and had analyzed. Only 1 sample (~600) was > migration to groundwater cleanup. Although DEC cannot use this data, will likely close site out once a workplan and new data are approved. Danielle Duncan
7/23/2014 Update or Other Action Spoke to CDI and they have been contacted by the RP to sample the biocell. CDI will submit a work plan via email soon. Danielle Duncan
11/7/2014 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 73687 Oil Transfer Spill Event. Danielle Duncan
11/10/2014 Update or Other Action Per CDI, the RP is planning to till and fertilize the biocell and then be in touch with them. Danielle Duncan
1/7/2015 Update or Other Action Spoke to RP and the biocell has been tilled prior to the ground freezing for winter and they plan on contacting their consultant this spring to sample it. Danielle Duncan
2/9/2015 Update or Other Action No work plan in the works yet per RP - waiting for ground to thaw. Danielle Duncan
3/16/2015 Update or Other Action The RP is planning on tilling the biocell and should have the consultant draft a work plan soon. Danielle Duncan
3/27/2015 Site Characterization Workplan Approved Approved the work plan submitted via email communication by CDI to sample the biocell next Monday while they are in town on other business. They will collect five soil samples (plus one duplicate) to be analyzed for DRO and RRO by Alaska Methods 102/103. The samples will be collected from the mid-to-bottom of the biocell as it was tilled this last week. Samples to be submitted for laboratory analysis will be determined by field screening with a PID (highest PID readings). Danielle Duncan
6/24/2015 Update or Other Action Should be receiving a report from CDI on sampling activities by the end of August. Danielle Duncan
7/16/2015 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Rec'd CDI's report "Re: Kake Power Company Soil Biocell Sampling" this date. Danielle Duncan
8/4/2015 Site Characterization Report Approved Approved CDI's report on the sampling of the biocell. The analytical results indicate that the biocell has not yet remediated to levels below ADEC cleanup criteria. Remaining DRO concentrations range from 240-2,000 mg/kg. It was recommended that the biocell continue to be fertilized and tilled before sampling in the fall of 2016. Danielle Duncan
3/31/2016 Update or Other Action AEA is planning on building a new tank farm to replace the failing one in Kake. The location for the new tank farm is adjacent to the IPEC power plant and the biocell that is currently in that location will be capped with an impermeable cap. I am working with Owen Means at HDL on this. Danielle Duncan
5/20/2016 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Rec'd the work plan: Contaminated Materials Work Plan Kake Bulk Fuel Upgrades dated May 2016 submitted by HDL Engineering Consultants on behalf of Alaska Energy Authority. Danielle Duncan
6/2/2016 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Approved the work plan titled: Contaminated Materials Work Plan Kake Bulk Fuel Upgrades dated May 2016 submitted by HDL Engineering Consultants on behalf of Alaska Energy Authority. The biocell will capped and any new contaminated soil to be left in place according to the ADEC Technical Memorandum: Managing Petroleum-Contaminated Soil, Water, or Free Product during Public Utility and Right of-Way Construction and Maintenance Projects dated March 2014. However, if contaminated soil or water is encountered the ADEC will be notified immediately as stated in the work plan. The letter does not serve as an approval for the tank farm design itself as that is beyond the scope of the Contaminated Sites Program. The biocell will be placed beneath the new tank farm soil liner and an impermeable liner will be placed over top. There will also be a secondary containment dike containment liner and these liners will overlap one another. The liners will be a nominal thickness of no less than 36 mil and a minimum of 18 inches of structural fill will be placed over top to ensure that the liner is not damaged from trucks driving on top of it. No soils will be moved off site. Once the new tank farm is built, the Kake Power Plant Contaminated Site will be closed on the ADEC database. Danielle Duncan
6/21/2016 Update or Other Action Sent a letter requesting that the biocell be relocated and placed on a liner this date. Danielle Duncan
7/5/2016 Update or Other Action Spoke to the RP and they are looking into a place to put the c-soil and need a liner. They will get back with me. Danielle Duncan
7/7/2016 Update or Other Action RP provided me with pictures from 1998 showing the original location of the biocell which is currently on City property and has cars parked on top. I sent a letter to all interested parties indicating that the biocell does not need to be moved and the original HDL plan for the tank farm is still valid. Danielle Duncan
4/6/2017 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 73687 Oil Transfer Spill Event. Danielle Duncan
12/4/2017 Update or Other Action IPEC has worked with HDL and AEA to move forward with the “Contaminated Materials Work Plan Kake Bulk Fuel Upgrades” as indicated in the June 2nd, 2016 letter from DEC. As indicated in the work plan, a new Bulk Fuel Tank Farm and Power Generation Facility have been constructed in Kake. The 1997 biocell was capped with an impermeable 36 mil liner as indicated in the work plan. Structural fill was placed atop the liner to a depth of 18 inches. The tank farm was then constructed atop the capped biocell. No soils were moved off site. Danielle Duncan
12/4/2017 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 73687 Oil Transfer Spill Event. Danielle Duncan
12/13/2017 Cleanup Complete Determination Issued During the summer of 2016, the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA) began planning to build a new tank farm at the City of Kake storage yard where the biocell was located. The ADEC coordinated with AEA and HDL Engineering Consultants to use the biocell soil as fill below the new tank farm. AEA submitted a work plan to ADEC outlining this proposed action and the work plan was approved on June 2, 2016. The fill material was then capped with an impermeable liner and the tank farm construction has been completed as documented in the November 15, 2017 letter to ADEC from the Inside Passage Electric Cooperative. Danielle Duncan

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments
DRO Between Method 2 Migration to Groundwater and Human Health/Ingestion/Inhalation Soil The DRO contaminated soil at a concentration of 2,000 mg/kg was used as fill below the new tank farm liner.

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.

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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