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Site Report: AT&T Alascom High Mountain Repeater

Site Name: AT&T Alascom High Mountain Repeater
Address: Peninsula Ridge; ~32 Miles SE of Metlakatla, 40 Miles SE of Ketchikan, Metlakatla, AK 99926
File Number: 1519.38.002
Hazard ID: 3140
Status: Cleanup Complete
Staff: No Longer Assigned, 9074655229 dec.icunit@alaska.gov
Latitude: 54.917668
Longitude: -130.842100
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

There have been multiple releases of diesel fuel from aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) at the AT&T High Mountain Repeater site. In 1982 there was reportedly a release of ~6,000 gallons of diesel due to a broken manifold (Spill#82119913801). In 2000 the fuel system was upgraded at the facility. During the winter of 2001-2002, an unknown quantity of fuel spilled at the generator building (Old Reckey #16119916804). Alternate soil cleanup levels were approved for diesel range organics and benzene using Method 3. Cleanup levels for residual range organics in soil were Method 2, and Table C for groundwater. Cleanup at the site was determined to be complete in November 2002. The site was reopened in 2016 due to a release of ~1,000 gallons of diesel fuel due to a broken fuel bracket on the main generator that caused a hole in the fuel filter casing (Spill #16119916804). Fuel leaked through the floor of the generator building and onto the ground. It migrated across the surface into an intermittent creek and was present ~0.75 mile downgradient from the source. The site currently has one 6,000-gallon AST, two 50-gallon ASTs (day tanks), a generator building with main and backup generators, a telecommunications tower, and helipad. Fuel is fed from the 6,000-gallon tank with secondary containment to the two day tanks located in the generator building. Remediation and contaminated soil removal activities have been completed to the extent practicable.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
6/26/2000 Update or Other Action Application to VCP accepted. This acceptance is later rescinded. Anne Marie Palmieri
6/27/2000 Site Ranked Using the AHRM Initial ranking. Anne Marie Palmieri
6/28/2000 Site Added to Database Diesel contamination from ASTs. Anne Marie Palmieri
4/25/2001 Update or Other Action Site terminated from VCP as RP wishes to use a method three cleanup level. Anne Marie Palmieri
4/25/2001 Interim Removal Action Approved Interim Removal Action Approved this date. Anne Marie Palmieri
2/1/2002 Update or Other Action Final report reviewed; additional work needed. Anne Marie Palmieri
8/11/2002 Cleanup Level(s) Approved Method 3 ACL approved. Anne Marie Palmieri
11/20/2002 Institutional Control Record Established No ICs required to be implemented but used for tracking purposes only. Jim Frechione
11/20/2002 Conditional Closure Approved Anne Marie Palmieri
2/24/2010 Institutional Control Record Removed ICs are removed as an administrative action. The current site conditions meet the 2009 site closure criteria. Evonne Reese
8/18/2016 Potentially Responsible Party/State Interest Letter Potentially Responsible Party / State Interest letter issued by PPR staff Allison Natcher to AT&T, Inc. Mitzi Read
9/12/2016 Spill Transferred from Prevention Preparedness and Response Program Spill transferred by PPR staff Allison Natcher. Spill no. 16119916804; spill date = 8/16/16; substance = diesel; quantity = ~1,000 gallons; source = broken fuel bracket on main generator caused hole in fuel filter casing. Mitzi Read
9/14/2016 Site Reopened Due to the discharge of diesel fuel in the generator building, DEC has reopened the site file 1519.38.002. A hole in a fuel filter casing allowed the generator to continue to operate during the release of an estimated 1,000gallons of fuel to the floor of the generator room and then to the ground outside. Initial reconnaissance was performed by NRC in late August observed diesel coming out of a culvert and intermittently surfacing in a drainage for three quarters of a mile from the Site. Pad and boom spill response was initiated in the drainage from the site and have been replaced. The source has been secured and is being serviced; USFS contacted. A work plan was submitted by AT&T Inc. consultant CB&I for DEC review. Bruce Wanstall
9/15/2016 Cleanup Level(s) Approved DEC reviewed and approves AT&T Diesel Fuel Work Plan – High Mountain Microwave Repeater Facility by CB&I Environmental & Infrastructure to respond with spill response efforts. DEC requested field screening samples be warmed to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The photoionization data has not been correlated to laboratory data; suggested using 15 parts per million to select soil for removal and 10 ppm in wet conditions. The most conservative of the soil cleanup levels in 18 AAC 75.341 Method Two for all exposure pathways in the over 40-inch precipitation zone apply to the Site. Groundwater cleanup levels are those listed in 18 AAC 75.345 Table C and surface water cleanup levels are listed in 18 AAC 70. Bruce Wanstall
2/17/2017 Update or Other Action Tim McDougall with ERM requested that DEC provide an electronic copy of the New Horizons Telecom Final Report dated January 2002. Project manager found the report in the hard file and scanned in what was available (everything but the laboratory report) and sent the electronic copy to him. Bruce Wanstall
4/12/2017 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC has reviewed and approved by letter sent to AT&T Alascom today: Diesel Spill Response Report, August – November 2016, AT&T Alascom High Mountain Repeater, dated March 28, 2017. CB&I Inc. completed the report for AT&T Alascom documenting 2016 spill response activity at the Site. Visual and olfactory sign of a diesel release were evident by observation in the vicinity of the Generator Building and the former AST containment areas and in the upper drainage to the muskeg. After application of the bio-stimulants, a noticeable reduction in emulsified diesel and odor was observed. Diesel in the muskeg was mobilized with an increased accumulation and subsequently absorbed into the booms placed in the pools of water located directly down slope. Bruce Wanstall
9/8/2017 Meeting or Teleconference Held Teleconference held with AT&T, consultant Aptim Environment and USFS staff Petersburg to discuss the progress report submitted 9/1 and next steps. High levels of contamination are present in the vicinity of the generator shed and potentially beneath the liner in the fuel containment area. Other impacted areas of the site show distressed vegetation. DEC requested targeted source area removal and characterization in highest impacted areas for fall of 2017, prior to additional application of bio-stimulant in spring 2018. A revised proposal will be forth coming. Sally Schlichting
9/15/2017 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Approved the July 2017 Progress Report this date. A 1,000-gallon diesel spill occurred in August of 2016 and since then, booms have been replaced repeatedly, bio-stimulants have been applied to the site, and samples of soil and surface water have been collected to determine the extent and nature of contamination. The concentrations of petroleum fractions have decreased in soil, surface water, and groundwater on site, but the degradation of DRO in soil following the bio-stimulant application has been less effective. Although a boom change in early fall 2017 is proposed in addition to a work plan to address residual DRO in soil is proposed for the future, the ADEC requests a targeted source area removal at the generator shack and underneath the fuel storage liner occur during fall 2017 to prevent long-term damage to the area. Trenches and other methods may also be employed to capture petroleum and/or apply bio-stimulant when weather conditions are warmer. Danielle Duncan
10/20/2017 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Approved a work plan to do some excavation at the AST containment cell, sample, and more activities are planned for the spring when the weather is more amenable. Danielle Duncan
10/27/2017 Update or Other Action Some cleanup work at the AST cell has been completed. The liner has been removed revealing a second liner. Petroleum polluted cobbles were encountered and excavated. There is a native clay layer which is nearly impermeable overly bedrock. They have run out of room to store SuperSacks and will return in the spring to helicopter them out and remove the contaminated clay and address the contamination below the generator building. All of the booms etc. were also checked and replaced if needed. Danielle Duncan
4/23/2018 Update or Other Action Tentative work schedule for May 14-20. Danielle Duncan
5/1/2018 Site Characterization Report Approved The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) Juneau Office has reviewed and approved the report titled: Diesel Spill Response, October 2017 Progress Report AT&T Alascom High Mountain Microwave Repeater, dated April 18, 2018. The cleanup levels for all other compounds in soil and groundwater are the most stringent of 18 AAC 75.340 Tables B1, B2, and C. Surface water on site must meet the requirements of 18 AAC 70.020 and the Alaska Water Quality Criteria Manual for Toxic and Other Deleterious Organic and Inorganic Substances, dated May 15, 2003. Site activities included boom replacement and petroleum impacted soil was excavated from the former aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) containment cell. Eighteen Packtek sacks and 34 SuperSacks are currently staged for transportation and disposal via helicopter. Danielle Duncan
5/10/2018 Site Characterization Workplan Approved Approved the Diesel Spill Work Plan Addendum No. 2 this date. Activities include: Removal of the drain pipe below the generator building, Petroleum contaminated soil will be removed to the extent practicable under the generator building. Note that the aboveground storage tank containment cell previously excavated requires confirmation sampling prior to site closure. Danielle Duncan
9/7/2018 Site Characterization Workplan Approved Reviewed and approved the Diesel Spill Response, May 2018 Progress Report and the Diesel Spill Work Plan Addendum No. 3. The current work targets areas that exceeded the maximum allowable and other cleanup level exceedances. Danielle Duncan
9/14/2018 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Initial ranking with ETM completed for source area id: 79961 name: 2016 1,000-Gallon Diesel Release Danielle Duncan
12/24/2018 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 79961 2016 1,000-Gallon Diesel Release. Danielle Duncan
12/26/2018 Site Characterization Report Approved Approved the Diesel Spill Response, September 2018 Progress Report (Rev 1.0) this date. A total of 120 super sacks containing waste generated during the October 2017, May 2018, and September 2018 efforts has been generated and removed from the site and sent to Full Cycle for disposal. The ADEC concurs that the petroleum impacted soil has been excavated to the extent practicable and anticipates site closure with institutional controls, in the form of a deed Notice of Environmental Contamination restricting excavation and use of perched-on-groundwater use. The USFS had been notified and is agreeable to these conditions. Once the contaminated soil and other waste is removed from the site and the ADEC receives documentation of the disposal, the site will be closed with institutional controls. Danielle Duncan
7/15/2019 Update or Other Action Per the environmental consultant: "The closure activities on June 20, 2019 went well. Everything associated with the RA activities have been removed from High Mountain." Danielle Duncan
8/14/2019 Update or Other Action Rec'd and approved (via email) the June 2019 Closure Report which detailed the final disposal activities as all remediation activities were already completed and documented elsewhere. Danielle Duncan
6/6/2022 Update or Other Action The ADEC requested an updated Conceptual Site Model and a Cumulative Risk Calculation for contamination remaining at the site. Flannery Ballard
10/28/2022 Meeting or Teleconference Held Teleconference with RP and consultant to discuss submittal of technical memo that includes 95 UCL, cumulative risk, and updated CSM. Flannery Ballard
7/30/2024 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 79961 2016 1,000-Gallon Diesel Release. Dawn Wilburn
7/31/2024 Cleanup Complete Determination Issued A cleanup complete determination was issued. Dawn Wilburn
7/31/2024 Institutional Control Record Removed Institutional Controls have been removed. Dawn Wilburn

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments
1-Methylnaphthalene < Method 2 Most Stringent Soil
2-Methylnaphthalene < Method 2 Most Stringent Soil
DRO Between Method 2 Migration to Groundwater and Human Health/Ingestion/Inhalation Soil
Ethylbenzene < Method 2 Most Stringent Soil
GRO < Method 2 Most Stringent Soil
Toluene < Method 2 Most Stringent Soil
Xylenes (total) < Method 2 Most Stringent Soil

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.

Missing Location Data

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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