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Site Report: Adak SWMU 67 White Alice Radar Site

Site Name: Adak SWMU 67 White Alice Radar Site
Address: OU A, Adak Naval Air Facility, Adak, AK 99546
File Number: 2501.38.002.02
Hazard ID: 71
Status: Cleanup Complete - Institutional Controls
Staff: Jamie McKellar, 9074515175 jamie.mckellar@alaska.gov
Latitude: 51.871836
Longitude: -176.705464
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

SWMU 67, the White Alice Radar PCB spill site, is a former military communications complex located approximately 2 miles west of downtown Adak. The site consists of the remains of three building foundations, abandoned concrete pads, and eight DEWLine Radar Nets. The complex was built in 1956 and consisted of large transmitting and receiving dish antennae. The complex was dismantled between 1980 and 1982. During the demolition, the contractor drained fluids containing PCBs from 51 transformers into 55-gallon drums prior to removing electrical equipment. An unknown volume of PCBs were spilled during this process. The empty transformers were moved to another storage area, but the drums may have been dumped near the White Alice complex at SWMU's 20 and 21 (A, B, and C). Two JP-5 tanks used to store heating fuel were removed as part of the clean-up process. Human and ecological risks were both considered unacceptable. A multilayered impermeable cap was placed over the contaminated areas. Implementation of institutional controls is the only selected environmental cleanup remedy. No sampling is necessary. Institutional controls selected in OU A ROD. Future land use is restricted and deed restriction or restrictive covenants have been implemented. Visual site inspections are conducted annually to ensure the effectiveness of institutional controls and ensure that the cover at the site remains intact. Site conditions are assessed at least every five years for the need to take additional action or reduce controls, as appropriate. Draft Close Out Report for Partial Delisting submitted for Department review on June 16. Comments were submitted to the Navy on August 16.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
7/23/1987 Preliminary Assessment Approved Jack Gusmano identified potential hazardous waste disposal sites. Priority for inspection is high(inspection required promptly) to medium(inspection required). Recommended that site should be submitted for scoring on National Priorities List. Former Staff
5/7/1990 Site Added to Database Suspected PCBs, asbestos, waste oil, jet fuel, lube oils, lead, mercury, silver, pesticides and other chlorinated halogens. Former Staff
9/29/1992 Site Number Identifier Changed Region portion of Reckey number changed to consolidate district 26 into 25. Former Staff
6/16/1995 Site Ranked Using the AHRM Initial ranking. Action code added because it wasn't when the site was originally ranked. Former Staff
10/18/1995 Update or Other Action (Old R:Base Action Code = RIFS - Remedial Investigation / Feasibility Study). RIFS action added by Shannon and Wilson on 3/14/97, based on Relative Risk Evaluation Worksheet dated 10/18/95. Ecological pathway: ingestion of soils, contact with contaminated surface water and sediments downgradient from the site. Receptors: primarily ecological exposure of terrestrial receptors on site as well as downgradient habitats. Exposures to recreational human receptors could also be of concern based on high concentrations of PCBs in soil. S&W-Miner
4/16/1996 Site Number Identifier Changed All table information for Reckey 199425X118134 was consolidated into this Reckey. Scott Pexton
1/1/1997 Update or Other Action Navy placed cover and impermeable geotextile membrane over the PCB-contaminated area in 1997 (date is estimated). Former Staff
5/1/1998 Proposed Plan Site included in Proposed Plan for OU-A ROD. Christina Goff
9/1/1999 Update or Other Action Site included in the ROD for OU-A and recommended for institutional controls and site inspections due to unacceptable human and ecological health risk. Kevin Oates
4/15/2000 Record of Decision The Record of Decision for this site was signed this date. Elim Yoon
1/10/2001 Site Ranked Using the AHRM Reranked. Changed SW Exposure Index Value from 0.4 to 0 because SW is not used as a DW source. Former Staff
12/28/2001 Institutional Control Record Established Institutional Control Established. Includes Equitable Servitude for: Commercial/Industrial Land Use Restrictions, Excavation Absolutely Prohibited for areas with Soil Excavation Restrictions, requirements for Inspections and Reporting, and requirements for Soil Cover Inspections. See document “Adak Island Institutional Control Management Plan, Final Edition, December 2001, Prepared by: Engineering Field Activity, Northwest.” Elim Yoon
9/1/2004 Conditional Closure Approved RAC; site is currently in IC inspection program Jason Weigle
10/19/2004 GIS Position Updated Latitude and Longitude was derived using ArcGIS with either High Resolution Aerial Photography from the Navy with an up to 3 meters error, or line maps used in investigations combined with road layers, +/-25 feet accuracy.  Metadata is as follows: Updated NAD 1983 State Plane Alaska 10 FIPS 5010 Feet; Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic; False Easting: 3280833.333333; False Northing: 0.000000; Central Meridian: -176.000000; Standard Parallel 1: 51.833333; Standard Parallel 2: 53.833333; Latitude of Origin: 51.000000; GCS North American 1983. Jason Weigle
3/7/2005 Update or Other Action Added MRTS data, derived from ADNR and USGS range, township, and section data overlaid on lat/lon coordinates derived previously. Accuracy is equivalent to the lat/lon coordinates. MRTS information depicts the center point of range fans and target areas; actual target areas or fans may overlap several sections. Jason Weigle
3/8/2005 Update or Other Action Added legal description for site. Jason Weigle
6/16/2005 Update or Other Action Draft Close Out Report for Partial Delisting submitted for review on this date. Jason Weigle
8/16/2005 Update or Other Action Comments on Draft Close Out Report for Partial Delisting submitted to Navy on this date. Jason Weigle
3/20/2006 Update or Other Action Final 2005 Institutional Control Primary Site Inspection Report received on this date. No IC problems noted at this site. Jason Weigle
4/5/2006 Update or Other Action File number 2501.38.002.02 assigned on this date. Jason Weigle
12/18/2006 Update or Other Action Received Draft 2006 Institutional Control Primary Site Inspection Report that details the results of annual Institutional Control (IC) inspections to determine the effectiveness of IC's selected in the OUA Record of Decision. Guy Warren
12/27/2006 Update or Other Action Submitted comment letter to the Navy on the Draft Institutional Control Primary Site Inspection Report. Comments focused on the adequacy of the excavation notification program, the effectiveness of the ordnance awareness program, and visitor notification of ICs. Guy Warren
3/13/2007 Update or Other Action Received the Final 2006 Institutional Control Primary Site Inspection Report. Several Department comments will be addressed through revisions of the Institutional Control Management Plan planned for 2007. The remaining comments were addressed and additional recomendations to increase efforts to notify island visitors of ICs (including the ordnance awareness education program) were included in the final document. Guy Warren
2/16/2011 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other The draft 2010 IC Site Inspection Report was received on January 11, 2011 and DEC sent comments on February 16, 2011. There were no observed problems with ICs at this site. Meghan Dooley
5/12/2011 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other The Final 2010 Institutional Controls Site Inspection Report was received by ADEC. The ICs appear to be functioning as intended for this site. Meghan Dooley
6/4/2013 Institutional Control Periodic Reporting The 2012 Final Institutional Controls Site Inspection Report was received. There were no indications of groundwater use, changes in land use, or unauthorized excavations. Excavation restriction signs were clearly visible. A new cell tower was constructed on the concrete pads observed in 2011 but is consistent with intended reuse. ICs appear to be functioning as intended. Meghan Dooley
9/10/2014 Institutional Control Periodic Reporting The Final 2013 Institutional Control Site Inspection Report was received. There were no observed changes to land use and no indications of groundwater use or excavation activities. Signs were present. ICs appear to be functioning as intended. IC inspection frequency has been reduced to every odd year. Guy Warren
3/6/2020 Institutional Control Periodic Reporting The U.S. Navy (Navy) is the lead agency and responsible party for monitoring and ensuring the effectiveness of the institutional controls (ICs) selected in the Operable Unit (OU) A Record of Decision (ROD) and the OU B-1 ROD at the Former Naval Complex, Adak, Alaska. The Navy is required to conduct monitoring for as long as site conditions pose an unacceptable risk for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure to the community and the environment. The ICs will remain in place until those conditions are met. If any of the ICs are ineffective or if significant failures pose harmful risks to the community and the environment, the Navy is responsible for additional remedial actions. Repairs to ICs identified by periodic inspections will be conducted by the Navy approximately every 3 to 5 years, if needed. If severe or unusual failures of ICs are observed, the Navy will conduct additional emergency repairs at that time. Because it has been shown that ICs have generally remained effective since 2005, reductions to the monitoring program began in 2013. Currently, 28 sites are inspected biennially (including Parcel 4) with 39 sites (including 12 remote OU B-1 sites) inspected every 5 years. Darren Mulkey
3/11/2024 ANCSA Program Eligible This site meets the criteria for the EPA Contaminated ANCSA Lands program: the site is on ANCSA conveyed land, the contamination occurred pre-ANCSA conveyance, and there is documented proof of contamination that exceeds DEC’s cleanup values in 18 AAC 75. This site will be listed as “verified” on EPA’s contaminated lands inventory. Brittani Mack

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments
PCBs - Total > Human Health/Ingestion/Inhalation Soil

Control Type

Type Details
Equitable Servitude The Equitable Servitude to the Interim Conveyance Document restricts residential land use.
Institutional Control Management Plan The ICMP contains a excavation prohibition at this site due to the fact that the site is capped.

Requirements

Description Details
Restricted to Industrial / Commercial Land Use Equitable servitude restricts land uses to non-residential uses. Site is inspected and reported yearly to ensure there are no residential land uses taking place.
Excavation / Soil Movement Restrictions Soil disturbance of any kind is prohibited at this site without Navy approval. Cap is inspected annually to ensure that there has been no disturbance.

There are no documents for this site report.

Hazard ID Site Name File Number
27909 Adak Island OU A, B1, & B2 2501.38.007.01

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
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