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Site Report: Barwell Island Base End Station

Site Name: Barwell Island Base End Station
Address: Barwell Island, South of Cape Resurrection, Seward, AK 99664
File Number: 2332.38.037
Hazard ID: 4608
Status: Cleanup Complete
Staff: No Longer Assigned, 9074655229 dec.icunit@alaska.gov
Latitude: 59.859741
Longitude: -149.277082
Horizontal Datum:NAD83

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

Updated June 5, 2018: The Barwell Island Base End Station Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) is located 18 miles southeast of Seward, at the confluence of the Eldorado Narrows and Blying Sound, just outside of Resurrection Bay near Seward, Alaska. In 1925, Barwell Island was withdrawn by the Department of Commerce (DOC) for construction of a lighthouse. In 1941, it was withdrawn for military purposes as part of the harbor defenses of Seward. The site was declared surplus in 1945 and accountability was assumed by the Bureau of Land Management in 1946. There is no indication the DOC ever built a lighthouse and in 1980, Barwell Island became part of Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, overseen by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Department of the Interior (DOI). The site remedy (conducted 2010 to 2014) consisted of in-place closure of a former 600-gallon oil UST, removal and disposal of a 600-gallon former gasoline UST, removal and disposal of a 1,500-gallon former water UST, removal and disposal of 20 batteries and approximately 237 feet of lead sheathed cable. After consultation between USACE and US Fish and Wildlife Service, no buried segments of cable would be removed to minimize damage to nesting bird habitat. Following the removal of the gasoline UST and water UST, the excavations were backfilled with native material on-site and re-graded to a grade deemed suitable for the entry and exit of walking birds, as determined by the USFWS representative. No fill was brought to the island. On September 23, 2015, ADEC and USACE signed a Declaration of Project and Property Closure Decision and No Department of Defense Action Indicated for the Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) CON-HTRW Project (-01), Barwell Island Base End Station (F10AK0058) in Seward, Alaska.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
1/1/1986 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Inventory Report for Barwell Island dated January 1986. Includes an inventory of debris. Sammi Castle
6/26/2007 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Preliminary Assessment dated June 26, 2007. Evidence of past military use includes the remaining empty concrete structures. A pile of lead-acid batteries (approximately 20) is present in one searchlight bunker. At least one battery is upside down and one has a crack in the casing. A UST is located at the site. UST partially exposed and vent pipe disconnected. No groundwater migration pathway present. Any releases could travel downgradient to the ocean. Soil layer on Barwell Island is very thin, given the rock outcropping and exposed cliffs. Sammi Castle
3/17/2008 Site Added to Database Site added to the database. Mitzi Read
4/10/2008 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Initial ranking with ETM completed. Debra Caillouet
10/1/2010 Update or Other Action WORK PLAN: Final Work Plan, CON/HTRW Removal Action, Barwell Island Base End Station, Formerly Used Defense Site F10AK0058-01. Prepared by BSI-Oasis Joint Venture, Dated October 2010. (CS Database Entry on 3/23/2018) Jamie McKellar
1/31/2011 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other LETTER: ADEC to USACE, Approval of October 2010 Final Barwell Island Base End Station CON/HTRW Removal Action Plan (CS Database Entry on 3/23/2018) Jamie McKellar
6/10/2011 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other LETTER: ADEC to USACE, Approval of SI work plan and waiver for ACOE to Conduct Work (CS Database Entry on 3/23/2018) Jamie McKellar
7/21/2011 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Final Removal Action Report dated May 2011 and received by ADEC on this date. Removal action activities included the in-place closure of a 600-gallon UST, securing the trap door on Building C-1, and removal of a lead-sheathed communication cable and batteries at the Barwell Island Base End Station. Sammi Castle
8/10/2011 Update or Other Action LETTER: ADEC TO USACE, Approval of May 2011 Final Barwell Island Base End Station Removal Action Report (CS Database Entry on 3/23/2018) Jamie McKellar
12/29/2011 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other LETTER: ADEC to USACE, Review and Approval of Final May 2011 Removal Action Report for the Barwell Island Base End Station (CS Database Entry on 3/23/2018) Jamie McKellar
4/9/2015 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other LETTER: ADEC to USACE, ADEC Approval of Final 2014 Barwell Island Removal Action Work Plan (CS Database Entry on 3/23/2018) Jamie McKellar
4/9/2015 Update or Other Action LETTER: ADEC to USACE, Approval of USACE August 2014 Impartial Third Party Waiver Request for the Barwell Island Investigation/Removal Action (SI/RA) Work Plan Addendum (CS Database Entry on 3/23/2018) Jamie McKellar
4/14/2015 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Final CON/HTRW Removal Action Underground Storage Tank Removal Work Plan dated September 2014 and received by ADEC on this date. The objective of this work is to safely remove, transport, and dispose of a600-gallon UST formerly containing gasoline, and determine clean closure by collecting confirmation samples from the UST excavation. Sammi Castle
9/11/2015 Update or Other Action No Department of Defense Action Indicated Report for FUDS Barwell Island Property and CON/HTRW Project F10AK0058-01, dated August 2015. Signed by DEC on 9/23/2015. (CS Database Entry on 3/23/2018) Jamie McKellar
3/22/2018 Update or Other Action New Project Manager assigned. Jamie McKellar
6/6/2018 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 75656 lead acid batteries. Jamie McKellar
6/8/2018 Cleanup Complete Determination Issued On September 23, 2015, DEC signed a Declaration of Project and Property Closure Decision and No Department of Defense Action Indicated for Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) CON-HTRW Project (-01), Barwell Island Base End Station (F10AK0058) in Seward, Alaska. That document was signed by USACE on September 11, 2015. USACE concluded that all known DoD-related impacts have been adequately remediated and that no further action is required at this property. DEC concurred that the property closeout determination for the Barwell Island Base End Station FUDS property is consistent with Alaska Cleanup Requirements. Jamie McKellar

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments
Lead - Total Other Soil Some sections of buried lead cable remain on Barwell Island. These sections were not removed in order to protect critical bird nesting habitat.

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)

There are no documents for this site report.

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