| Action Date |
Action |
Description |
DEC Staff |
| 1/1/1981 |
Preliminary Assessment Approved |
Captain Robles preliminary assessment found 500 gallons PCBs, 12 contaminated transformers, 1 drum sulfuric acid, 60 gallons battery acid, spray paint cans, radioactive tubes, klystron tubes (with beryllium dust). Vandalism reported. |
Former Staff |
| 7/25/1982 |
Interim Removal Action Approved |
(Old R:Base Action Code = REM - Removal / Excavation). PCBs removed from site and transported to Elmendorf AFB for storage prior to disposal. |
Former Staff |
| 6/8/1989 |
Update or Other Action |
(Old R:Base Action Code = FI - Field Inspection (General)). RCRA site inspection by J. Ingalls and R. Cormack. Spoke with site watchman G. Motschman. He reported that site was cleaned up, and that he was not aware of any wastes on site. |
Rich Cormack |
| 12/17/1990 |
Site Ranked Using the AHRM |
Initial ranking. |
Former Staff |
| 8/25/1993 |
Update or Other Action |
(Old R:Base Action Code = SI - Site Investigation). ADEC received "Chemical Data Report for Anvil Mountain White Alice Site, Nome, AK" Report summarizes PA/SI field work. Work was performed by Corps without an approved work plan. |
Laura Noland |
| 8/30/1993 |
Meeting or Teleconference Held |
Participated in teleconference with Air Force and Corps of Engineers to discuss site investigation results. |
Laura Noland |
| 9/15/1993 |
Update or Other Action |
(Old R:Base Action Code = SI - Site Investigation). Received Draft PA/SI for Anvil Mountain White Alice Sites dated August 1993. Report prepared by Army Corps of Engineers. |
Laura Noland |
| 9/29/1993 |
Update or Other Action |
(Old R:Base Action Code = SI - Site Investigation). Completed extensive comments and questions for the Draft PA/SI report conducted by the Corps of Engineers. |
Laura Noland |
| 12/6/1993 |
Preliminary Assessment Approved |
Received March 1986 Site Inventory Report conducted by Woodward-Clyde. Report notes miscellaneous metal and solid waste debris with low potential for hazard. 2 empty POL drums noted. |
Laura Noland |
| 12/16/1993 |
Site Characterization Report Approved |
(Old R:Base Action Code = SI - Site Investigation). Received final PA/SI conducted by Corps of Engineers. Report accompanied by correspondence addressing all questions and comments submitted by DEC. |
Laura Noland |
| 1/19/1994 |
Site Ranked Using the AHRM |
Initial ranking. |
Former Staff |
| 1/25/1994 |
Site Added to Database |
Possible contaminants include PCBs, petroleum products, acids, bases, solvents, inorganic chemicals, heavy metals. |
Former Staff |
| 3/5/1994 |
Interim Removal Action Approved |
Sent letter requesting either warning signs or interim removal action of PCB contaminated soils due to uncontrolled public use of site. Requested response within 30 days. |
Laura Noland |
| 5/27/1994 |
Update or Other Action |
(Old R:Base Action Code = RPL2 - Site Information Request Letter). Sent PRP-CS Database Notification Letter to RP requesting update and more environmental information concerning contaminated site. |
Jeff Peterson |
| 6/1/1996 |
Update or Other Action |
Site-Specific Safety and Health Plan for Anvil Mountain (Clean Sweep), Nome, Alaska, received 7/3/1996. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 6/14/1996 |
Update or Other Action |
Received Notice of Planned Demolition of Air Force Facilities at White Alice. Waste to be landfilled and soil with PCBs in excess of 10 mg/kg will be shipped off-site to a permitted waste facility. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 6/28/1996 |
Update or Other Action |
Field Sampling Plan, Anvil Mountain (Clean Sweep), Nome, Alaska, received 7/3/1996. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 11/6/1996 |
Update or Other Action |
Received report: "Final Chemical Data Report." Report presents data from site investigation. Identified DRO, RRO, PCBs as compounds of concern. PCBs up to 6.2 ppm in soil, found by composite building door, septic tank outfall, maintenance building floor drain outfall. Area of suspected lead contamination not confirmed. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 3/24/1997 |
Update or Other Action |
Site updated by Shannon and Wilson, based on the Air Force Relative Risk Evaluation Worksheet dated 9/5/95. There are several IRP sites at Anvil Mountain; however, these sites have not been assigned separate Reckey numbers due to the limited amount of investigation conducted to date. |
S&W |
| 5/27/1998 |
Update or Other Action |
Sent review comments of cleanup work plan. Serious deficiencies noted: workplan had outline of proposed cleanup, but no detail on how it would be implemented. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 6/23/1998 |
Update or Other Action |
Reviewed and approved Sampling and Analysis Plan and gave provisional approval of revised Cleanup work plan. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 7/28/1998 |
Cleanup Plan Approved |
Sent letter approving cleanup work plan after resolving final issues with Air Force. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 7/28/1998 |
Update or Other Action |
Conducted site visit and observed work in progress. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 9/4/1998 |
Update or Other Action |
Air Force reported that the site was vandalized, including spreading contaminated soil around the site. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 9/14/1998 |
Update or Other Action |
Air Force reported that site work is back on track, and that they still expect to complete before winter. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 10/13/1998 |
Update or Other Action |
Sent letter to Air Force to clarify regulatory status of soil to be thermally treated off-site. Data shows that petroleum is major contaminant, metals are not a significant contaminant, and that one sample with low PCBs (2.2 mg/kg) can be thermally treated, but upon ultimate disposal in Nome landfill, soil can be used for daily, but not final cover. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 10/21/1998 |
Update or Other Action |
Sent letter to clarify regulatory requirements regarding disposal of concrete slab in Nome landfill. Slab has low levels of PCB contamination: core samples show maximum of under 10 mg/kg, thus concrete can be disposed of in Nome Landfill. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 10/26/1998 |
Update or Other Action |
Approved revision of work plan to treat petroleum contaminated soil off site in a thermal treatment facility. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 8/30/1999 |
Update or Other Action |
Sent letter to clarify disposal requirements for petroleum-contaminated soil that was thermally treated at off-site facility. One pre-treatment sample had low level of PCBs (2.2 mg/kg), therefore soil may be disposed of at Nome landfill and can be used for daily cover, but not final cover. Letter was sent for benefit of contractor, which has no prior experience with contaminated site remediation. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 11/15/1999 |
Update or Other Action |
Current status of site: Air Force and contractor are in dispute about the contract. Thus, cleanup report is still pending, and probably won't be released until dispute is resolved. Verbal information is that all petroleum contaminated soil exceeding cleanup levels has been removed from the site, and thermally treated. Buildings have been demolished. One remaining task on site is to demolish and dispose of a concrete slab that has low levels of PCB contamination. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 7/17/2000 |
Interim Removal Action Approved |
Approved work plan for interim removal action to remove PCB-contaminated concrete for off-site disposal. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 1/10/2001 |
Update or Other Action |
Approved draft final report: "Demolition of Concrete Foundation." |
Tamar Stephens |
| 1/23/2002 |
Update or Other Action |
Reviewed report: "Final Technical Report - Anvil Mountain Long Range Radar Station Clean Sweep." Evaluated site for closure and determined that additional information needs to be provided to document cleanup of petroleum-contaminated soil, and that the Air Force needs to either do risk evaluation or do further removals of low-level PCB-contaminated soil (between 1 and 10 ppm). |
Tamar Stephens |
| 12/6/2002 |
Meeting or Teleconference Held |
Tamar Stephens (DEC) met with Doug Wootten (Air Force) to identify remaining work to reach closure. Agreed that petroleum is adequately cleaned up. Air Force will do targeted sampling to identify soil with low levels of PCBs for off-site disposal. Will do additional sampling in area of suspected lead contamination. Goal is to meet residential cleanup levels, no institutional controls. Timing depends on when funding is available. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 3/9/2004 |
Update or Other Action |
Received draft Anvil Mountain Radio Relay Station Site Investigation Work Plan. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 4/12/2004 |
Interim Removal Action Approved |
Approved draft Site Investigation Work Plan to sample and remove soil from four areas believed to have soil with low levels of PCBs: south east doorway of the former composite building, former equipment maintenance building floor drain outfall, septic tank outfall, and former temporary garage. Any soil greater than 1 mg/kg will be removed. PCBs were detected at these locations in the past in concentrations between 1 and 10 mg/kg. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 6/15/2004 |
Meeting or Teleconference Held |
Tamar Stephens attended public meeting in Nome. Purpose of meeting was to provide update to public on work at Anvil Mountain and Nome Tank Farm sites. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 6/15/2004 |
Update or Other Action |
Tamar Stephens conducted site visit while contractor was conducting field work. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 1/13/2005 |
Site Characterization Report Approved |
Reviewed and approved Anvil Mountain Radio Relay Station Focused Feasibility Study – Draft Report. This report describes soil sampling that was conducted in summer of 2004 to determine the extent of remaining polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination at five areas, to investigate whether lead contamination was present in the Former Above Ground Storage Tank (AST) containment ditch, and to determine whether there is contamination associated with two small ASTs and a former drum storage rack that were not previously investigated for petroleum. PCBs were found in excess of 1mg/kg in three areas, with maximum detection of 49.3 mg/kg. No lead contamination was found. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 9/20/2005 |
Update or Other Action |
Staff reviewed and send comments on final Anvil Mountain Radio Relay Station Focused Feasibility Study. This report estimates that the total volume of soil that exceeds 1 mg/kg PCBs ranges from a lower estimate of 1,174 cubic yards to an upper estimate of 5,663 cubic yards. PCBs have been dispersed through vehiclular traffic and site grading. The report evaluates four treatment and disposal options. DEC staff recommended using a combination of options, such as using soil under 10 mg/kg for daily cover at the Nome landfill and doing off-site disposal of soil over 10 mg/kg. Staff also recommended interim measures such as signs or fences to alert the public of areas with PCBs. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 5/4/2007 |
Exposure Tracking Model Ranking |
Intitial Ranking Complete for Source Area: 71823 (Autogenerated Action) |
|
| 8/28/2008 |
Site Characterization Workplan Approved |
Reviewed and sent approval letter for draft Follow-On Remedial Investigation Work Plan. The purpose of this work plan is to provide the procedures for delineating and characterizing remaining polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination in soil at the Anvil Mountain Radio Relay Station. The general approach will be to collect discrete samples from grids across the facility. The grid lines will be spaced at 15-foot intervals for sampling in three areas known to have PCB-contaminated soil, and will be spaced at 40-foot intervals for the remaining portion of the pad, with the grid spacing reduced to 15 feet in areas where additional PCB contamination is identified. An on-site lab will provide real-time data, allowing flexibility in selection of sampling locations. Samples will be sent to an off-site analytical laboratory to confirm the validity of the on-site laboratory results. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 1/15/2009 |
Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other |
Reviewed and sent comments on the draft Follow-on Remedial Investigation Report. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 4/3/2009 |
Site Characterization Report Approved |
Reviewed and sent approval letter for final Follow-on Remedial Investigation Report. The investigation involved the collection of 343 screening samples, analyzed in a field laboratory using a gas chromatograph, and 60 analytical samples. This investigation determined that approximately 3,854 cubic yards of soil are contaminated with PCBs at concentrations exceeding 1 milligram per kilogram (mg/kg). Approximate volumes of PCB-contaminated soil were further delineated as 2,689 cubic yards with PCB concentrations between 1 and 10 mg/kg, 619 cubic yards between 10 and 50 mg/kg, and 556 cubic yards over 50 mg/kg. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 4/6/2009 |
Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other |
Reviewed and sent comments on draft Feasibility Study. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 7/9/2009 |
Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other |
Approved Final Feasibility Study Report in letter on 7/9/2009. The FS report identifies and evaluates alternatives for cleanup of an estimated 3,864 cubic yards of soil containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at concentrations greater than 1 milligram per kilogram (mg/kg). The evaluation process resulted in selection of alternative 6, grain-size screening and off-site disposal of PCB-contaminated soil above 1 mg/kg. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 8/19/2009 |
Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other |
Sent approval letter for final work plan addendum to Feasibility Study for pilot study on particle size analysis. Field work for this project is scheduled for late August, 2009, and will consist of collecting 5-gallon buckets of soil from each of ten locations at the Anvil Mountain site. As detailed in the plan, soil will be sieved at the laboratory, larger sized particles will be crushed prior to analysis, and samples representative of a range of grain sizes, from 2 inches down to fine material, will be analyzed for PCBs. This study will determine whether fines can be effectively separated from oversize material, and which sieve size will produce material that can be used as clean fill. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 8/19/2009 |
Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other |
Sent approval letter for final work plan addendum to Feasibility Study for pilot study on particle size analysis. Field work for this project is scheduled for late August, 2009, and will consist of collecting 5-gallon buckets of soil from each of ten locations at the Anvil Mountain site. As detailed in the plan, soil will be sieved at the laboratory, larger sized particles will be crushed prior to analysis, and samples representative of a range of grain sizes, from 2 inches down to fine material, will be analyzed for PCBs. This study will determine whether fines can be effectively separated from oversize material, and which sieve size will produce material that can be used as clean fill. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 11/6/2009 |
Proposed Plan |
Reviewed and sent approval letter for final Proposed Plan. The Proposed Plan summarizes the evaluation and selection of a preferred alternative for cleanup of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination in soil at the former Anvil Mountain facility and elicits public comment on the preferred alternative. DEC previously reviewed draft and draft final versions of the Proposed Plan, and submitted comments by e-mail on May 13, and on August 12, 2009. DEC reviewed an electronic copy of the final version and sent an e-mail to the Air Force on September 23, 2009, confirming that all DEC comments were adequately incorporated. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 11/20/2009 |
Public Notice |
The Proposed Plan was presented at a public meeting in Nome, Alaska on October 28, 2009, with a public comment period extending from October 19 – November 20, 2009. DEC Environmental Program Specialist Tamar Stephens attended the public meeting. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 11/24/2009 |
Update or Other Action |
Received Particle Size Analysis Report for Anvil Mountain RRS. Report presents results of pilot study, and shows that particle size screening is most effective for PCBs between 1 - 10 mg/kg, and shows a potential 25% reduction in the total volume of Anvil Mountain soil requiring off-site disposal if the soil in the 1 - 10 mg/kg range undergoes particle size segregation. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 2/3/2010 |
Update or Other Action |
Reviewed and sent comment letter on the draft Anvil Mountain Radio Relay Station, Nome, Alaska, CERCLA Record of Decision. Air Force is planning to revise according to updated Air Force formatting guidelines; therefore DEC review was limited to review for technical accuracy and completeness. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 3/3/2010 |
Update or Other Action |
Received draft final Record of Decision. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 3/22/2010 |
Update or Other Action |
Sent comments on draft final Record of Decision by e-mail. Included review comments from John Halverson, Environmental Program Manager, and Jennifer Currie, Alaska Department of Law. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 4/8/2010 |
Update or Other Action |
Reviewed and sent comments on Draft Work Plan – Clean Sweep Antenna Demolition, Debris Removal, and Environmental Remediation at SS003, Anvil Mountain Radio Relay Station, Alaska. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 4/21/2010 |
Update or Other Action |
Reviewed request and sent approval letter of waiver for an impartial third party sampler. The Air Force requested this waiver for three people, Mr. Joseph Millhouse, Mr. Tim Plucinski, and Mr. D. Thomas Donley, for soil sampling at the Anvil Mountain White Alice Site, Alaska, from May through August, 2010. Review confirmed that Mr. Millhouse, Mr. Plucinski, and Mr. Donley meet the requirements of qualified persons as defined in 18 AAC 375.990(100); determined that sampling conducted by any of these three individuals will be protective of human health, safety, welfare, and of the environment. The waiver was approved for the duration of the project during the 2010 field season. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 4/27/2010 |
Cleanup Plan Approved |
Reviewed and sent approval letter for final Work Plan – Clean Sweep Antenna Demolition, Debris Removal, and Environmental Remediation at SS003, Anvil Mountain Radio Relay Station, Alaska. This work plan describes how the Air Force plans to clean up polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminated soil at the Anvil Mountain former Radio Relay Station. Work is planned for summer of 2010 and includes the following tasks.
1. Removal and off-site disposal of an estimated 1,175 cubic yards of soil with PCB concentrations greater than 10 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) and 2,689 cubic yards of soil with PCB concentrations between one and ten mg/kg.
2. Particle size separation of soil containing PCBs between 1 and 10 mg/kg. Particle size separation will remove oversize material consisting of rocks great than 2 inches in diameter, in order to reduce the total volume of material requiring off-site disposal.
3. Representative samples of oversize material will be crushed and analyzed to determine whether it meets the cleanup level of 1 mg/kg PCBs.
4. Mechanical separation of oversize material will be performed by one of two methods, both of which will be tried in the field, with a fall-back option of removing all soil including oversize if the particle size separation turns out to be either impractical or ineffective. The first method is with use of a trommel. The second method is to place soil in large screen-covered pans and to remove all the soil material under two inches in diameter with a Hurricane 500 HEPA soil vacuum.
5. Disposal of all soil removed from the site in a permitted facility.
6. Backfilling of the excavation areas with clean gravel.
According to the schedule presented in the work plan, field activities will begin in June, 2010, and will be completed 10 to 15 weeks after inception.
|
Tamar Stephens |
| 5/6/2010 |
Record of Decision |
Record of Decision was signed by DEC Environmental Program Manager John Halverson on May 6, 2010, and by Colonel Robyn Burk, USAF Commander, 611th Air Support Group on May 3, 2010.
Description of remedy:
Soil at Anvil Mountain containing PCBs shall be screened based on size and all soil material with PCBs above 1 mg/kg will be disposed of offsite.
Large rocky fill material of the soil containing PCB concentrations between 1 and 10 mg/kg will be screened out, tested, and if the soil contains PCBs below 1 mg/kg, soil will remain on site to be used as backfill.
Remaining sand, silt, and other fine material with PCBs above 1 mg/kg will be packaged and shipped offsite to an appropriate TSDF outside of Alaska.
The site will be returned to original grade using native backfill material.
All soil with PCBs 10-50 mg/kg will be shipped to a TSCA or non-TSCA regulated landfill for appropriate disposal.
All soil above 50 mg/kg will be shipped to a TSCA-regulated landfill. [The Record of Decision exceeds maximum file size for attachment to the CS database; an electronic copy can by supplied upon request.] |
Tamar Stephens |
| 8/10/2010 |
Site Visit |
Contaminated sites staff Tamar Stephens conducted a site visit at Anvil with the Air Force remedial project manager, to observe work in progress. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 10/11/2010 |
Update or Other Action |
Contaminated sites staff Tamar Stephens approved a request for a variance from the work plan for temporary storage of approximately 270 Super Sac bags of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminated soil at the Anvil Mountain Radio Relay Station over winter. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 7/15/2011 |
Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other |
Contaminated sites staff Tamar Stephens approved Interim Report and Work Plan Addendum. This document summarizes the soil excavation completed during summer 2010 and presents some modifications to the work plan approved on April 21, 2010, to continue the cleanup of PCB-contaminated soil during summer 2011. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 9/10/2012 |
Site Characterization Workplan Approved |
Approved Work Plan for sampling for data gaps at the locations of two former dish antennas at Anvil Mountain. The purpose of sampling is to evaluate whether there is contamination in the soil associated with diesel storage tanks at the locations of these two antennas. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 10/24/2012 |
Site Characterization Report Approved |
Stephens approved a letter report on sampling at the locations of the former dish antenna diesel fuel tanks. The report shows residual range organics were detected at a maximum of 42.7 mg/kg. Diesel range organics were non-detect at both sampling locations. Stephens concurred with the conclusions in this report that no significant evidence of fuel contamination was found, and that no additional environmental investigation is needed at the dish antenna locations. Sample coordinates are: LONG: 165°22'27.01"W, LAT: 64°33'46.692"N, and LONG: 165°22'24.579"W, LAT: 64°33'47.26"N. |
Tamar Stephens |
| 1/3/2014 |
Update or Other Action |
Site transferred from Shepard to Caillouet. |
Rebecca Bryan |
| 5/6/2014 |
CERCLA Remedial Action Completion Report |
The Draft Final Clean Sweep Antenna Demolition, Debris Removal and Environmental Remediation at SS003, Anvil Mountain RRS demonstrates that all PCB above the ROD requirement of 1mg/kg was removed. |
Debra Caillouet |
| 5/6/2014 |
Cleanup Complete Determination Issued |
Based on the Draft Final Clean Sweep Antenna Demolition, Debris Removal and Environmental Remediation at SS003, Anvil Mountain RRS a Cleanup Complete Determination is issued. |
Debra Caillouet |
| 9/26/2023 |
CERCLA PA |
On this date, DEC reviewed the DRAFT Preliminary Assessment Report for Aqueous Film-Forming Foam Areas Anvil Mountain Radio Relay Station, dated September 2023. The PA did not identify any AFFF sources (fire training areas or non fire training areas) at the Anvil Mountain RRS. |
Cascade Galasso-Irish |
| 10/24/2023 |
CERCLA PA |
DEC sent an Acknowledgement of Receipt letter for the redline Final Preliminary Assessment Report for Aqueous Film-Forming Foam Areas Anvil Mountain Radio Relay Station, dated September 2023. The PA did not identify any AFFF sources (fire training areas or non fire training areas) at the Anvil Mountain RRS and AFFF sources were recommended for NFRAP. Future investigation of non-AFFF PFAS sources will be evaluated under a separate contract. |
Cascade Galasso-Irish |
