Site Report: Indian River Gold Mine Camp
| Site Name: | Indian River Gold Mine Camp |
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| Address: | 8 Miles Upstream of Indian Mountain LRRS, Hughes, AK 99745 |
| File Number: | 775.38.002 |
| Hazard ID: | 4035 |
| Status: | Active |
| Staff: | Brittani Mack, 9072697558 brittani.mack@alaska.gov |
| Latitude: | 66.076668 |
| Longitude: | -153.813405 |
| 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
During 2002 and 2003 work at an Air Force (USAF) Long Range Radar Site (LRRS) 7 miles down river from the Indian River Gold Mine the USAF also removed 350 drums and sampled soil beneath drums at the mine. Collected samples were analyzed for diesel range organics (DRO), residual range organics (RRO) and semi volatile organic compounds (SVOCs). DRO up to 5,810 mg/kg (above migration to groundwater cleanup levels) and RRO up to 11,900 mg/kg (above human health ingestion and migration to groundwater cleanup levels) was present in the soil. The Air Force reported flasks with traces of mercury were found during their work.
Action Information
| Action Date | Action | Description | DEC Staff |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/24/2003 | Site Added to Database | Mercury, DRO and RRO contamination. Evidence of flasks that had mercury in them and mercury found in the river while gold panning. | Deborah Williams |
| 11/24/2003 | Site Ranked Using the AHRM | Preliminary ranking. | Deborah Williams |
| 11/25/2003 | Update or Other Action | Surface soil samples were collected by the military during the summer of 2003. DRO levels were up to 5,810 ppm and RRO levels were up to 11,900 ppm. The site appears to be approximately 200 feet from the Indian River. | Deborah Williams |
| 11/26/2004 | Interim Removal Action Approved | Staff reviewed a report pertaining to a time critical drum removal. The removal was conducted by the Air Force because Air Force drums were found in the vicinity of the Gold Mine Camp. The report is titled Indian Mountain LRRS Drum Removal and Soil Investigation at LF05, SS02, SS11, Upper Camp, and Gold Camp Report Draft 2002/2003. In 2002, surface soil samples had DRO levels up to 12,400 mg/kg and RRO up to 1,320 mg/kg. In 2003, the Air Force removed 350 drums from the Gold Camp. Soil samples collected from beneath the drums contained DRO up to 5,810 mg/kg and RRO up to 11,900 mg/kg. SVOCs were detected but did not exceed the ADEC Method Two cleanup levels. | Emily Youcha |
| 4/17/2008 | Exposure Tracking Model Ranking | Initial ranking with ETM completed. | Tamara Cardona-Marek |
| 1/30/2013 | Update or Other Action | Site transferred to Janice Wiegers. | Janice Wiegers |
| 2/12/2013 | Potentially Responsible Party/State Interest Letter | PRP letters sent to Doyon Utilities as the landowner and to Strandberg and Sons as the former operator. The letters request that a questionnair be completed by March 31, 2013, and that the PRPs contact DEC regarding intentions within 30 days. | Janice Wiegers |
| 4/4/2013 | Update or Other Action | Site symbol visually adjusted using ArcGIS.com and Bing satellite imagery. 4/04/13; LAG. | Laurel Gale |
| 4/25/2013 | Update or Other Action | Sig Strandberg responded to the PRP letter. According to Mr. Strandberg, his company is not the same as the Strandberg & Sons that operated near Indian River in the 50's. Strandberg & Sons was run by his Uncle and no longer exists. | Janice Wiegers |
| 1/15/2016 | Update or Other Action | Doyon, Limited's lawyer has been asked to re-engage with funding sources to provide a site assessment. | Laura Jacobs |
| 1/15/2016 | Update or Other Action | RP has agreed to re-engage with funding sources to achieve a site assessment. | Laura Jacobs |
| 1/25/2016 | Update or Other Action | Letter sent to Guess & Rudd documenting our phone conversation of 1/15/16 and to establish a deadline for their submittal of the PRP questionnaire. | Laura Jacobs |
| 2/16/2016 | Update or Other Action | Received call from RP's lawyer with an update on negotiations for funding for site cleanup. Will call in another month - March 15. | Laura Jacobs |
| 3/24/2016 | Update or Other Action | RP's lawyer sent a letter in response to our continued request that they initiate site assessment and cleanup efforts. The legal counsel's letter suggests that the RP is not responsible for the cleanup efforts based upon state and congressional representatives' initiatives. These documents were introduced to get the federal government to pay for contaminated site costs at conveyed ANCSA lands. One was from the U.S. Congress in 1998 and the second from the 2015 Alaska State Legislature. | Laura Jacobs |
| 6/15/2016 | Potentially Responsible Party/State Interest Letter | PRP letter and Site Information Request sent to Bureau of Land Management. | Laura Jacobs |
| 9/8/2016 | Update or Other Action | Received a reply from BLM regarding the potential responsible party letter sent in June 2016. Their reply is an argument against their being responsible for hazardous materials left on site, case documents to support that, and a documents search for entities mining in the area. | Laura Jacobs |
| 10/19/2017 | Update or Other Action | Department of Law staff sent a reply to the Bureau of Land Management's September 8, 2016 letter to counter BLM's claim of "bare legal title" and that BLM had no responsibility as an owner of the facility at the time of disposal of a hazardous substance. DOL cited a case within the jurisdiction of the 9th Circuit Court, which would apply in this instance. | Laura Jacobs |
| 11/30/2017 | Update or Other Action | DEC staff sent work plan request to PRP BLM with a deadline of January 15, 2018. | Laura Jacobs |
Contaminant Information
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Requirements
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There are no documents for this site report.
No associated sites were found.