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Site Report: Yakutat AFB Airport Runway 20 RSA

Site Name: Yakutat AFB Airport Runway 20 RSA
Address: Yakutat Airport, Runway 2-20, Yakutat, AK 99689
File Number: 1530.38.009
Hazard ID: 4066
Status: Cleanup Complete
Staff: No Longer Assigned, 9074655229 dec.icunit@alaska.gov
Latitude: 59.510486
Longitude: -139.658925
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

The Runway Safety Area 20 is located at the former Yakutat Army Landing Field, currently known as the Yakutat Airport. The RSA20 site is located northwest of a Glide Path Indicator and the edge of the runway, near the intersection of the southwest-northeast and northwest-southeast runways. On July 17, 2004, the ADOT&PF encountered a leaking 55-gallon drum and remnants of crushed drums during airport expansion activities at the RSA20 site. A historic drawing from June 1942 and an aerial photograph from October 1943 show a gas station (Building 138A),hangar warehouse (Building 138), temporary cement shed (Building 137), and a large drum storage area in the vicinity of RSA20. Historical military documents indicate that the area had been used for petroleum storage and fueling during World War II-era operations; however, no information has been found regarding the type of fuel dispensed at the site. Diesel Range Organics (DRO), naphthalene, and benzene were detected in site soil samples at concentrations less than the site-specific calculated alternative migration to groundwater cleanup levels approved by ADEC. Groundwater samples collected at the site indicate that contaminants have migrated to the groundwater, but are not present at concentrations exceeding the ADEC cleanup levels. Surface water and sediment samples were collected from the adjacent ditch, and were below the applicable cleanup levels.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
8/12/2004 Site Added to Database Petroleum contamination case transferred from PERP. Bruce Wanstall
8/18/2004 Meeting or Teleconference Held Site inspection of surface conditions with ADOT&PF project managers; meeting held to discuss additional site investigation. GPS location recorded in NAD 27, the CS database standard. Bruce Wanstall
8/18/2004 GIS Position Updated The geodetic reference is the North American On-site GPS data collected for latitude and longitude of the site. Datum 1927 (NAD27) survey which is based on the Clarke 1866 spheroid. Bruce Wanstall
8/25/2004 Site Ranked Using the AHRM Preliminary ranking establishing low density commercial area with intensive seasonal use with lead as the primary contaminant of concern follwed by petroleum; high ecological value; drinking water wells are near but not adjacent to the site; hydrology and contaminant plume are getting additional study. Bruce Wanstall
1/5/2005 Update or Other Action Phase II Site Assessment Report recieved from consultant conducting multiple site investigations at the Yakutat Airport for the landowner ADOT&PF. Bruce Wanstall
3/25/2005 Update or Other Action Site Assessment Report QA/QC reviewed. Valid data and field screening supports estimate of 7,000 cubic yards of petroleum contaminated soil; soil characterization data appears adequate. PRPs and groundwater monitoring was discussed with the land manager environmental consultant. Bruce Wanstall
10/11/2005 Update or Other Action Monitoring well installation, sampling and analysis workplan reviewed; approval letter sent. Bruce Wanstall
12/12/2005 Update or Other Action 2005 Monitoring Well Sampling Report received; lab report reviewed and approved; water samples from all wells exceeded applicable Table C groundwater cleanup levels for residual range hydrocarbons. Eight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were detected in the parts per billion (ppb) range and diesel range hydrocarbons were detected below cleanup levels in the water samples. Bruce Wanstall
9/24/2007 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking The buried drum source area was given initial ranking based on shallow soil boring and water well sample analysis at the Yakutat Airport remote site. Minor amounts of lubricating oil staining was observed in the surrounding soil, but the drums were empty and without a label or markings. The empty drums and the associated stained soil was all removed from the R20SA site; no confirmation soil samples were collected. Current exposure is present for human and ecological exposure pathways. Additional water sampling of the on-site wells is needed but remains unfunded. Bruce Wanstall
5/9/2008 Update or Other Action The ADEC revceived a Letter Report regarding Runway Safety Area 20 which describes the site history and investigates the previous owners and caretakers of the facility since the construction of the gas station facility as early as 1942. The Department of Defense contests that no evidence exists that definitively identifies the DOD facilities as the culprit for the DRO contaminated soil, neither does evidence exist to identify another source for the contamination and it is being recommended that a further investigation under the FUDS program be conducted to define the nature and extent of contamination at the site. Jonathan Schick
7/19/2010 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 78259 Historical Petroleum Plume. Airport area residents and the Mayor of Yakutat expressed concern about impacts to drinking water wells. Updated exposure modeling recognizes ground water ingestion as the controlling exposure pathway with surface and subsurface soil, ground and surface water as media of concern with high potential exposure for human and ecological receptors. Surface water at the site has not been characterized for the RRO source contamination at R20SA. Surface water used for subsistence or recreation must be evaluated as a completed ingestion pathway. An estimated 7,000 cubic yards of this residual contaminated material trapping noxious fumes below the water table has been delineated north of the R20SA. Investigation and cleanup is requested of the USACE under FUDS Program. Bruce Wanstall
4/1/2012 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 78259 Historical Petroleum Plume. Bruce Wanstall
5/31/2013 Update or Other Action DEC reviewed and commented on a draft Remedial Investigation Workplan, prepared by the Army Corps of Engineers under the Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) Program, calling for determining the vertical and horizontal extent of contamination in soil and groundwater and verifying whether surface waters have been impacted. The site will be investigated using Lazer Induced Fluoresence (LIF)/ UVOST on a grid pattern, followed by additional soil borings and monitoring well installation at selected locations. The draft plans called for sampling and analysis for petroleum and petrolum constituents; DEC requested additional analyses for PCBs, pesticides and VOCs since the area was used by the military for storing large numbers of drums, which may have included a range of products. The plan is scheduled to be finalized and fieldwork conducted during July 2013. John Halverson
6/23/2014 Update or Other Action DEC site file was sent certified return receipt today to new project manager Jessica Morris in the Anchorage DEC office on Cordova Street. Notice of transfer and request to change PM on the CS Database was sent to Unit Manager John Halverson today copied to ADOT Regional Manager Aviation Division Lyn Campbell, and Unit Manager Sally Schlicting to inform them that this site cleanup is being investigated by the USACE under the Formerly Used Defense Sites Program. Bruce Wanstall
6/23/2014 Site Characterization Workplan Approved The ADEC Contaminated Sites Program approved the Final Remedial Investigation Work Plan, Runway Safety Area 20, Yakutat Air Force Base, Formerly Used Defense Site, Yakutat, Alaska. Jessica Morris
9/29/2014 Site Visit The ADEC contaminated Sites staff participated in a Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting, a tribal meeting, and site inspections in Yakutat with the Army Corps of Engineers to share information on the status of Formerly Used Defense Site investigation and cleanup activities around Yakutat. The USACE presented the field activities that were conducted during the summer at RSA20; however the lab data from the investigation has not been received yet. Jessica Morris
10/14/2015 Site Visit The ADEC contaminated Sites staff participated in a Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting and site inspections in Yakutat with the Army Corps of Engineers to share information on the status of Formerly Used Defense Site investigation and cleanup activities around Yakutat. Jessica Morris
10/23/2015 Update or Other Action Note: After further review of ADEC and DOT files, the 9/24/2007 database entry is incorrect and pertains to ADOT Borrow Site A, ADEC File No. 1530.38.015, HI 3987. Jessica Morris
1/21/2016 CERCLA RI Report Approved The ADEC Contaminated Sites Program approved the Final Remedial Investigation Report, Runway Safety Area 20, Yakutat Air Force Base, Formerly Used Defense Site, Yakutat, Alaska. Jessica Morris
1/21/2016 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 78259 Historical Petroleum Plume. Jessica Morris
6/30/2016 Site Characterization Workplan Approved The ADEC Contaminated Sites Program approved the Final Remedial Investigation Work Plan Addendum, Runway Safety Area 20, Yakutat Air Force Base, Formerly Used Defense Site, Yakutat, Alaska. Jessica Morris
8/23/2017 Update or Other Action The ADEC Contaminated Sites Program submitted comments on the draft Remedial Investigation Report for the Runway Safety Area 20. Jessica Morris
10/4/2017 Update or Other Action The ADEC Contaminated Sites Program sent a letter to the USACE documenting the State's non-concurrence with the Revised Property Survey Summary Sheet for DERP-FUDS Property No. F10AK0606, Inventory Project Report (INPR) for the Yakutat Air Base, Yakutat Alaska. ADEC does not have sufficient information to concur with the reduction of the overall Yakutat Air Base FUDS eligible projects, as described in the INPR. ADEC requested more information regarding the overall site reduction and a meeting with the USACE. Jessica Morris
12/8/2017 Update or Other Action Site name was changed from ADOT&PF Airport Runway 20 RSA to Yakutat AFB Airport Runway 20 RSA. The USACE FUDS program has taken over characterization and cleanup of this site, due to military presence from WWII. Jessica Morris
1/22/2018 Site Characterization Report Approved The ADEC Contaminated Sites Program approved the Final Remedial Investigation Report for Ocean Cape Radio Relay Site and Runway Safety Area 20, Yakutat Alaska. Results indicate that contaminants detected were below applicable site cleanup levels and do not pose a risk to human health or the environment. Site closure was recommended. Jessica Morris
9/6/2018 Cleanup Complete Determination Issued The ADEC Contaminated Sites Program approved the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's Declaration of Project Closeout Decision for the Yakutat Air Base Formerly Used Defense Site CON/HTRW Project F10AK0606-04 Runway Safety Area 20, Yakutat Alaska Jessica Morris

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments
DRO Other Soil DRO, PAHs, and BETX are present in soil below the site-specific calculated alternative migration to groundwater cleanup level. DRO is present in groundwater below the ADEC groundwater cleanup level.

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