Site Report: City of Koyukuk Generator Day Tank
| Site Name: | City of Koyukuk Generator Day Tank |
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| Address: | Koyukuk Power Plant; 30 Miles West of Galena, Koyukuk, AK 99754 |
| File Number: | 830.38.002 |
| Hazard ID: | 3945 |
| Status: | Active |
| Staff: | Nick Waldo, 9074655270 nick.waldo@alaska.gov |
| Latitude: | 64.881409 |
| Longitude: | -157.703226 |
| 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 day tank automatic shut-off switch failed and caused an overfill. The volume estimate was 500 gallons. Fuel came out of the vent onto the roof and ran down onto the ground next to the building. The ground under the building is saturated. The city operator (Frank Dayton Jr.) agreed that no unmanned fuel transfers would take place until a better system could be installed. A month later or so the same system was operated by the backup generator operator who believed that Mr. Dayton was out of town. He left the system running unattended and it overfilled again. The volume estimate for this event was also given as 500 gallons. In neither case does anyone know how long the overfilling occurred or the rate of product loss. ADEC Prevention and Emergency Response Program (PERP) traveled to the site in May to conduct a site inspection. There was a large pond adjacent to the contaminated area. The pond had a slight sheen, and the mud smelled lightly of fuel. The City of Koyukuk had applied sorbents on the pond, but had not recovered any measurable fuel. The City of Koyukuk has been unresponsive in providing additional information regarding these two events. PERP was unable to get the City of Koyukuk to excavate any contaminated soil. Parts of the building are reportedly saturated with fuel. The ground beneath the building would be difficult to excavate without undermining the pilings that hold up the building. The surrounding contamination would be easy to remove, but no excavation equipment is available in the village. A worker started digging with a shovel, but complained that it smelled too bad and made him ill so he quit. The village claims to have severely limited financial resources. The local tribal environmental tech was very concerned about getting the spill cleaned up. Her name is Leona Kriska. This site was transferred from PERP.
Action Information
| Action Date | Action | Description | DEC Staff |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12/10/2003 | Spill Transferred from Prevention Preparedness and Response Program | This site was transferred from PERP staff Toivo Luick. Two separate spills in early 2002: Spill Number 02309902601; Spill Date approximately 1/26/2002; Substance = Diesel; Quantity = ~500 gallons. Generator day tank overfill. Spill Number 02309906001; Spill Date 3/1/2002; Substance = Diesel; Quantity unknown, ~55 gallons. Second generator day tank overfill. PERP File No. 830.02.002. (Action entered 11/1/07 to reflect the administrative file.) | Sonja Benson |
| 12/10/2003 | Site Added to Database | DRO contamination exists, extent of contamination unknown. | Deborah Williams |
| 12/10/2003 | Site Ranked Using the AHRM | Preliminary ranking. | Deborah Williams |
| 7/27/2007 | Update or Other Action | Site transferred from Oelkers to Frechione. | Shannon Oelkers |
| 10/15/2007 | Update or Other Action | Brownfield staff was approached by a resident of Koyukuk at the Alaska Tribal Conference on Environmental Management in Anchorage to ask about this site as a potential brownfield. Site also featured in the Brownfield DVD produced by the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council. Community members would like to use for playground area. Site is close to school and drinking water well, and unresolved fuel contamination in soil. | Sonja Benson |
| 11/1/2007 | Exposure Tracking Model Ranking | Initial ranking completed. | Sonja Benson |
| 2/19/2008 | Update or Other Action | Site transferred from Frechione to S. Benson. | John Carnahan |
| 12/29/2008 | Update or Other Action | ADEC received a Phase I and Limited Phase II Environmental Site Assessment for the Former Generator Building in Koyukuk, Alaska. During the site assessment, hand borings were advanced in the vicinity of the former generator building, drum spill area, and in the low-lying area to the south of the former generator building. Screening and confirmation samples were collected from all the locations; in addition the route of the pipeline was investigated. Sample results collected from the borings advanced to the south and east of the generator building exceeded ADEC cleanup levels. No evidence of staining or contamination via visual or olfactory was identified in association with the pipeline. Contamination to the south of the generator building appeared to extend nearly to the depth of the permafrost that was encountered at 6 feet below grade. The extent of contamination was estimated to extend a minimum of 30 feet to the south and 25 feet to the east of the building to a depth of 6 feet below grade. A minimum of 200 cubic yards of soil was estimated to be impacted. Impacted soil was also identified in the near-surface soils associated with the drum releases. The COCs identified for the southern portion of the building are RRO, GRO, BTEX and napthalene and the COCs associated with the drum releases were DRO and RRO. | Deborah Williams |
| 12/30/2008 | Brownfields Award | Received EPA approval for project. FY 2009 State of Alaska Capital Improvement Project (CIP) funds $11,985 awarded to Koyukuk Tribal Council for an Environmental Management Plan at the City of Koyukuk Old Power Plant. NTP # 18902815028. Current status: EMP project complete. Recommended excavation and landfarming of soil. | John Carnahan |
| 7/20/2009 | Update or Other Action | DEC hired the consultant, SLR, to complete an Environmental Management Plan for the City of Koyukuk Generator Day Tank site in order to identify the steps necessary to complete cleanup in order to use the site for its proposed reuse. According to the report, there are several exposure pathways that are considered complete because of the soil contamination that exists between 0 and 15 feet below ground surface (bgs). For the potential reuse of this property, the consultant recommends that at least the top five feet of contaminated soil be excavated from the Former Generator Building site. The consultant estimates the total volume of contaminated soil that is required to be excavated would be approximately 850 cubic yards. | Deborah Williams |
| 2/5/2014 | Update or Other Action | Staff changed to Dieffenbacher and files forwarded to Juneau. | John Carnahan |
| 7/31/2014 | Update or Other Action | Staff changed from Dieffenbacher to Debenham. | John Carnahan |
| 7/15/2015 | Meeting or Teleconference Held | Met with TCC to discuss the status of this site and determine whether this site is a fit for further brownfield assistance. Reviewed site history and some of the elements of previous work that relied on community action through IGAP. Recommended that they coordinate with the DEC brownfield staff to further their interest in grant funding. | John Carnahan |
| 9/4/2015 | Update or Other Action | Staff changed from Debenham to Carnahan. | John Carnahan |
| 9/9/2015 | Potentially Responsible Party/State Interest Letter | Potentially Responsible Party (PRP) letter sent to City of Koyukuk per standard DEC policy. | Joy Whitsel |
| 8/29/2016 | Update or Other Action | Review of site conducted. No further action has been completed at the site. | John Carnahan |
| 12/27/2018 | Exposure Tracking Model Ranking | A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 74920 Generator day tank. | John Carnahan |
| 3/18/2020 | Update or Other Action | Brownfield site 830.57.001 reassigned to Contaminated Site file 830.38.002 on this date. | Cascade Galasso-Irish |
Contaminant Information
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Requirements
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No associated sites were found.