Site Report: NOAA Yakutat Office
| Site Name: | NOAA Yakutat Office |
|---|---|
| Address: | Lot 3A, Block 1, Yakutat Airport, Yakutat, AK 99689 |
| File Number: | 1530.38.006 |
| Hazard ID: | 2972 |
| Status: | Active |
| Staff: | Kelly Walker, 9074512166 kelly.walker@alaska.gov |
| Latitude: | 59.509003 |
| Longitude: | -139.669734 |
| 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 site was used for launching weather balloons and consist of 0.868 acres of property, a slab on grade building, a 675 gallon diesel underground storage tank (UST), and a 1,000 gallon diesel above ground storage tank (AST). No water, sewer or septic is present on site. There is electricity. The UST was used to store diesel for heat and powered the hydrogen gas generator up until 1998 when it was decommissioned and replaced by the AST. The UST was emptied, dried with sorbent pads, and filled with sand. Soil samples were collected around the UST and adjacent to the fill pipe. Samples exceeded ADEC DRO cleanup levels. In 2000 soil was excavated from around the UST and disposed of at Alaska Pollution Control. Three soil borings were advanced and tested for DRO, BTEX, and PAH. Samples reported 710 mg/kg DRO. Monitoring wells were installed at the soil boring locations. Wells were developed and sampled for groundwater contamination. DRO and BTEX were detected below the ADEC water quality standard.
Action Information
| Action Date | Action | Description | DEC Staff |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/25/1999 | Update or Other Action | Received Site Assessment Underground Storage Tank Decommissioning National Weather Service Upper Air Building prepared for NOAA by Harding Lawson Associates. | David Pikul |
| 6/4/1999 | Update or Other Action | ADEC completed review of Report: Site Assessment, UST Decommissioning, National Weather Service Upper Air Building Yakutat and issued a comment letter. NFA request denied. Characterization incomplete. | David Pikul |
| 7/1/1999 | Update or Other Action | ADEC completed workplan review and issued a comment letter. Several deficiencies were noted in the letter. Workplan was not approved. | David Pikul |
| 11/18/1999 | Site Added to Database | Petroleum. | David Pikul |
| 8/7/2000 | Update or Other Action | Received Site Characterization Work Plan prepared for NOAA by Tetra Tech EM Inc. | David Pikul |
| 8/22/2000 | Update or Other Action | Changes to work plan requested via telephone call to Jerry Shuster of Tetra Tech. | David Pikul |
| 9/5/2000 | Update or Other Action | Received revised Final Site Characterization Work Plan prepared by Tetra Tech. | David Pikul |
| 9/18/2000 | Site Characterization Workplan Approved | Letter sent to Minh Trinh of NOAA with approval of revised site characterization work plan dated September 1, 2000 prepared by Tetra Tech EM Inc. | David Pikul |
| 1/19/2001 | Update or Other Action | Received Site Characterization Report dated December 27, 2000 prepared by Tetra Tech EM Inc. | Scott Pexton |
| 7/31/2001 | Update or Other Action | Geographic data added using copy of 1998 HLA UST decommission SA report. | Bruce Wanstall |
| 10/29/2001 | Site Ranked Using the AHRM | Reranked based on information in the December 27, 2000 Site Characterization Report prepared by Tetra Tech EM Inc. Groundwater Usage Value changed from 0.4 to 1.0. | Scott Pexton |
| 10/27/2004 | Update or Other Action | Petroleum contamination of soil on adjacent property has prompted assessment of groundwater quality at the Yakutat Airport because it is used as a drinking water source by year round residents. HOT closed-in-place. | Bruce Wanstall |
| 11/8/2007 | Exposure Tracking Model Ranking | Intitial Ranking Complete for Source Area: 73947 (Autogenerated Action) | |
| 10/30/2015 | Update or Other Action | Project management re-assigned to Wanstall in 2015; file location unknown. | Bruce Wanstall |
| 3/8/2017 | Meeting or Teleconference Held | Made contact with Mark George at NOAA. NOAA provided site summary and historic reports. Electronic file established. | Erin Gleason |
| 4/18/2017 | Update or Other Action | Sent out Potentially Responsible Party letters to the past and current landowners/lessees of this site. | Sammi Castle |
| 10/21/2022 | Update or Other Action | File review completed of the 1998 and 2000 characterization efforts. As of 2000, concentrations of diesel range organics (DRO) and ethylbenzene remain in the soil above migration to groundwater cleanup levels. Groundwater concentrations of DRO and BTEX were all below cleanup levels. The site location was also updated on this date on the database. | Naomi Mason |
| 4/27/2023 | Update or Other Action | In October 2022, a meeting was held between NOAA and ADEC to update them on the status of the contaminated site. Subsequently, ADOT in Yakutat was contacted to get a status update on the groundwater monitoring well that existed on the site at one time. ADOT is interested in demolishing the building on the site, but will need abatement for asbestos and potentially lead paint. Once the snow melts in Yakutat, ADOT will go out and look for the monitoring well. If the well still exists, they will start with sampling it. NOAA is working on getting funding together to address the site. | Naomi Mason |
| 7/31/2023 | Update or Other Action | Correspondence with Mark George from NOAA on this date: NOAA is working with the National Weather Service (NWS) to procure funding for groundwater sampling. They plan to scope the groundwater sampling project and award with the sampling event occurring in spring 2024. NOAA has verified that the previous groundwater monitoring wells no longer exist and they will propose to install new temporary well points. They will be contracting Ahtna in conjunction with other field work happening in Yakutat next spring. | Naomi Mason |
Contaminant Information
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Control Type
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Requirements
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No associated sites were found.