| Action Date |
Action |
Description |
DEC Staff |
| 4/21/1987 |
Update or Other Action |
Environmental Assessment/Findings of No Significant Impact. Sampling has identified the presence of PCB-contaminated soils in close proximity to the White Alice composite structure.
PCB soils with PCB levels above 10 ppm will require excavation per RCRA rulings, and must be disposed of as hazardous waste. |
Louis Howard |
| 12/8/1987 |
Update or Other Action |
Soil Sample Results Cleanup Design: The following areas will require excavation for PCBs: Along the concrete slab at the Composite building at Port Heiden. The corresponding sample locations are 92, 94, 98, and 102. The area to be excavated includes the 20 foot section along the concrete slab, out 5 feet and down to the clay layer at 1 foot, for a total area of 100 cubic
feet. The remaining 50 feet along the concrete slab is also suspected of being contaminated above 50 ppm and will likely require excavation. Additional sampling and analysis per paragraph 6.3 will be required to determine the total area of contamination. The total area suspected of
requiring cleanup is 350 cubic feet.
The procedures and requirements for excavating the soil are as follows. Remove soil of known contamination greater than 50 ppm. Care must be taken to avoid bulking contaminated soil with non-contaminated soil (less than 50 ppm) as mixing of the two soils types in an attempt to
reduce the final concentration of bulked soil will not be allowed. Care must also be taken to avoid contaminating excavation equipment with soil suspected of being contaminated with PCB's. Level C protection, as identified by EPA protocol for safety at hazardous waste sites, will be
required by workers who are exposed to airborne dust. Disposable booties will be worn at all times within areas of suspected or known PCB contamination. Contaminated clothing and tools will be cleaned or disposed of in accordance with proper EPA procedures. Cleanup will be
performed in accordance with EPA protocols for excavation of toxic and hazardous wastes. |
Louis Howard |
| 1/28/1994 |
CERCLA PA |
Preliminary Assessment received. total of 821 drums of PCB-contaminated soil were removed
from the gravel pad outside of the WACS composite building from 1984 to 1986. No US'AF records are available to indicate how the soils were identified, what PCB concentrations were removed, what remained, or the method of disposal upon reaching Elmendorf AFB. June 1986, August 1987, and June 1988, the COE collected samples of soil, surface water, groundwater, fluids from drums and transformers, and miscellaneous building materials Fort Morrow and the WACS site. The analytical results and field observations identified the following sources of contaminants at the WACS site: PCB-contaminated sludge in floor trench, PCB-Contaminated soils (200 ppm) to the west and north of the composite building in the upper 2 feet of soil.
Soil cleanup levels were negotiated with the ADEC as follows:
25-ppm of PCBs at the WACS site composite building
10-ppm of PCBs at the FAA site (because of the proximity of a residence)
100-ppm of TPH at all sources
Landfill permits allowed POL-contaminated soil to be placed in a 6-inch lift of the final 24 inches of the cap. Negotiations between the COE and ADEC resulted in soils of up to 5,000-ppm of TPH being added to the 6-inch lift. Soils exceeding TPH concentration of 5,000 ppm were
either incinerated onsite (1991-1992) or disposed of offsite. Because the amount of POL-contaminated soils far exceeded the capacity allowed in the landfill cap, most of the soils
between 100 and 5,000 ppm were also incinerated onsite or left in place.
Soil contaminated with PCB was removed from the WACS and FAA sites to below the negotiated cleanup levels (25 and 10 ppm, respectively). Sludge containing PCB was removed from the concrete floor trench in the WACS site composite building to a final level of 1.4 ppm. About 170 cubic yards of PCB-contaminated soil were shipped to a licensed PCB-incinerator in Kansas. Records of receipt and disposal of the soils are on file with the COE (APTUS Environmental Services, 1991). |
Louis Howard |
| 5/3/2004 |
Update or Other Action |
Management plan received. RRS Pad Site: The PCB-Contaminated Soil Removal Areas will be reassessed and the extent of any remaining PCB contamination will be determined. The potential impact to groundwater will also be investigated. Previous work detected fuel, PCB, and chlorinated solvent-contaminated soil around the perimeter of the foundations. Much of this soil was reportedly excavated and shipped off-site. Although not documented, the foundations of the composite building were apparently covered with soil after contaminated soil removal phases. The 2004 RI/FS will determine the nature and extent of contamination in the cover soil, the concrete foundations themselves, and the native soil under and around the foundations.
Over 800 drums of PCB contaminated soil were excavated from several areas within the gravel
pad and shipped off site between 1984 and 1986 with another 170 cubic yards shipped between
1990 and 1991. These areas include soil immediately outside of the former composite building
(which will be investigated as part of the former composite building area), an area to the west of former Antenna No. 3, and two large areas south of the former composite building between
Antenna Nos. 1 and 2.
During the 2004 RI/FS, these areas will be reassessed and the extent of any remaining PCB contamination will be determined. The potential impact to groundwater will also be investigated. COPCs for this source area are primarily PCBs, but may include VOCs, SVOCs, GRO, DRO, RRO, pesticides, herbicides, and RCRA metals. |
Louis Howard |
| 11/14/2019 |
Site Added to Database |
A new site has been added to the database |
Mitzi Read |
| 8/25/2021 |
Exposure Tracking Model Ranking |
Initial ranking with ETM completed for source area id: 80510 name: Contaminated Soil Removal Areas |
Darren Mulkey |
| 3/4/2022 |
Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other |
ADEC approved the 2022 Work Plan PCB-Contaminated Soil Removal Action at Port Heiden Radio Relay Station, Alaska, Final, January 28, 2022. The work plan describes the further characterization of the North Landfill and the planned remedial actions to remove PCB contaminated soil at the Radio Relay Station in Port Heiden, Alaska. The sites included in this report are the Former Composite Building OT001, the Landfill LF007, the Black Lagoon WP002, Septic Tank Outfall SS004, the Contaminated Soil Removal Areas, the Focus Area, the Antenna Pads, and the Drum Storage Area. |
Ginna Quesada |
| 10/17/2023 |
Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other |
DEC reviewed the Draft Preliminary Assessment Report for Aqueous Film-Forming Foam Areas Port Heiden Radio Relay Station, Alaska, Dated October 2023. The preliminary assessment describes the document search and interviews to identify the potential presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) associated with aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) at the Port Heiden Radio Relay Station, Alaska. No evidence of AFFF use at the site was encountered. The assessment recommended no further remedial action planned for the site.
|
Ginna Quesada |
| 11/1/2024 |
CERCLA ROD Periodic Review |
The DEC reviewed and provided comments for the Third CERCLA Five-Year Review for Sites OT001, WP002, LF007, and Four Unnumbered Sites (Antenna Pads, Contaminated Soil Removal Areas, Focus Area, and Drum Storage Area) and Second Non-CERCLA Periodic Review Report for Site SS006 at the Former Port Heiden Radio Relay Station, Alaska. The comment matrix and response letter were sent to the PM on 11/1/2024. The DEC is in disagreement with the Air Force regarding the protectiveness statement. Not enough of the remedy has been implemented since the second FYR to achieve a Protectiveness Statement of Short Term Protective. Based on the provided information, evidence, and DEC’s interpretation of FYR guidance and expected answers to Questions A, B, and C, the DEC requests that the Protectiveness Determination remain Protectiveness Deferred. |
Matthew Fleetwood |
