Site Report: Fort Greely SMDC Nuclear Reactor SM1A

Site Name:	Fort Greely SMDC Nuclear Reactor SM1A
Address:	Building #606, Nuclear Reactor SM-1A, Fort Greely, AK 99731
File Number:	141.38.035
Hazard ID:	1706
Status:	Active
Staff:	Erica Blake, 9074512182 erica.blake@alaska.gov
Latitude:	63.973772
Longitude:	-145.716144
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.

Site Chronology
IC / Closure Details
Documents
Associated Sites

Problems/Comments

Cracked wall in building attached to entombed reactor. Cracks repaired in 1993. Waste line (1"dia. pipeline to Jarvis Creek) removal underway. Approximately 1,000 lineal feet and 500 cubic yards of soil removed in 1997. Project will continue in 1998. SM-1A Pipeline to Jarvis Creek used to dispose of radioactive process water removed in 1998-99. A nuclear waste injection well (at bldg. 606) used to inject purified wastewater into the ground water between 1967-1972. Recharge well was sampled in the 1970's, late 1990's and early 2000. All results were below detection limits and maximum contamination levels (MCL), except for Strontium-90, where the detection limit slightly exceeded the MCL. Site also has a dilution well, where ground water was pumped from the aquifer and used to dilute the waste before discharging into Jarvis Creek. The dilution well is not the same as the recharge well. The potential for contamination exists around the well casing, if the well was not completed properly, any spilled contamination at the dilution station could migrate between any gaps between the well casing and sealing/fill material. Removal and cleanup managed under BRAC and the DSMOA agreement for ADEC oversight. Cross reference file 141.25.001. Spent fuel was put into a "spent fuel pit". No nuclear wastes disposed of in disposal well. Repair underway as of 8/92 scheduled completion as of 10/2/92. Reactor is currently entombed on site. Disposal pipeline referenced in problem statement. Last staff assigned was Light. Update 12/14/04: Site is managed by the Army Reactor Office. SMDC

Action Information

Action Date	Action	Description	DEC Staff
5/27/1992	Update or Other Action	(Old R:Base Action Code = FI - Field Inspection (General)). Tour by DEH and contractors .	Ronan Short
6/16/1992	Update or Other Action	(Old R:Base Action Code = RAPR - Remedial Action Plan Review (CS)). Pre - job conf. at Fort Greely.	Ronan Short
11/7/1992	Site Added to Database		Ronan Short
5/16/1994	Update or Other Action	(Old R:Base Action Code = RPL2 - Site Information Request Letter). Sent PRP-CS Database Notification Letter to Cristal Fosbrook requesting update/confirmation of information concerning the contaminated site.	Jeff Peterson
1/4/1995	Site Ranked Using the AHRM	Initial ranking.	Jeff Peterson
10/7/1995	Update or Other Action	(Old R:Base Action Code = FI - Field Inspection (General)). Site observation to check on repaired building at SM1-A entombed reactor. The building appears in excellent condition with no visible deterioration. Photos taken.	Ronan Short
9/13/1996	Update or Other Action	Funding source is BRAC, please add to list. 3/4 inch line to dilution well planned for removal in 1997. Approximately 3,000 feet of pipe with low level radiation. Community concern voiced at RAB meeting 9/12/96. Probable TERC contract.	Ronan Short
12/1/2000	Update or Other Action	Pipeline and associated removal was completed Summer 2000. Army has proposed NFA for site.	Greg Light
3/2/2001	Update or Other Action	File number corrected from 140.25.001 to 141.38.035.	Mitzi Read
11/7/2002	Update or Other Action	Proposed Plan from SMDC pending.	Greg Light
12/14/2004	Update or Other Action	SMDC ensures that the Administrative Controls establish for this site to minimize risk to human health and the environment are maintained, however the Army Reactor Office is responsible for this site. SMDC is proposing No Further Remedial Action Planned with Institutional Controls for all SM1A associated sites. SMDC anticipates removal of entombed equipment around 2020. SMDC references the Hays (1997) Report and 2000/2001 ground-water sampling data showing no impact ground water from the injection well. ADEC recommends an "interim decision document" for the reactor site and will not issue NFRAP until site is clean. The other sites associated with SM-1A (pipeline, injection well, dilution station) will be looked at on a case-by-case basis.	Emily Youcha
12/20/2004	Update or Other Action	ADEC reviewed a report titled "Comprehensive evaluation of groundwater monitoring program Fort Greely, Alaska". The report discussed the existing monitoring network at Fort Greely and the parameters evaluated in ground-water sampling events. ADEC recommended additional investigation into infiltration and vertical hydraulic gradients. ADEC also recommended additional monitoring wells in the Old Post area and more ground-water monitoring at certain specific sites.	Emily Youcha
2/3/2005	Update or Other Action	ADEC is having an environmental consultant review the SM1A Waste Pipeline Verification Survey Report and Residual Risk Assessement and the Laydown Yard Verification Survey Report. These reports are associated with the closure of the SM1A Radioactive pipeline during the 1990s. SMDC is requesting No Further Remedial Action Planned on the waste pipeline, injection well, dilution station, and reactor. ADEC is also having the consultant review reports and data to examine any impact to the ground water as a result of SM1A activities.	Emily Youcha
5/25/2005	Meeting or Teleconference Held	Staff conducted a site visit of Fort Greely. Summer fieldwork is underway and includes soil gas surveys, drilling and sampling several deep boreholes, and installation of at least two new monitoring wells. Staff also attended a RAB meeting where the general public recieved an update on site work for this and upcoming seasons.	Emily Youcha
9/30/2005	Meeting or Teleconference Held	Staff particpiated in a Restoration Advisory Board Meeting for Fort Greely on September 28.	Emily Youcha
9/30/2005	Update or Other Action	Staff discussed the possiblity of site closure for the waste pipeline, recharge well, and dilution well. The ADEC consultant reviewed the risk assessment and determined that the risk is below our cleanup standards for any remaining radionuclide contamination in the soil at the pipeline. Additionally, the consultant reviewed any impacts to ground water from the recharge well and dilution well and the conclusion that the assessment of ground-water contamination was adequate and levels of contaminants in the ground water were and would be below ground-water standards if tested today is supported by ADEC. Additional data collected in 2001 further supports the conclusion. SMDC staff stated that the entombed reactor and associated equipment will not be removed for at least 15 years (although the rods were removed during the decommisioning). SMDC and the Corps will present a proposed plan of closure for the pipeline, recharge well, and dilution well.	Emily Youcha
12/5/2006	Meeting or Teleconference Held	Ft. Greely interagency meeting held in Anchorage. The SMDC remedial project manager summarized the 2006 field activities, stating that suspected petroleum contamination along the pipeline (station 21+25) was investigated and found to be below cleanup levels. However, DEC has not yet received the report documenting this site investigation.	Colin Craven
12/6/2006	Meeting or Teleconference Held	RAB meeting held in Delta Junction. Topics covered are discussed above in the database action for Dec. 5, 2006.	Colin Craven
5/22/2007	Meeting or Teleconference Held	Staff attended Interagency Coordination Meeting in Fairbanks. A summary of the past years and future remedial efforts was provided.	Zachary Richter
5/23/2007	Meeting or Teleconference Held	ADEC Staff attended a RAB meeting held in Delta Junction. The past years work at Fort Greely was summerized and future work projects were presented. Work at the North and South Tank Farms was highlighted.	Zachary Richter
5/23/2007	Update or Other Action	The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) received the Groundwater Monitoring and Data Analysis Work Plan Fort Greely, Alaska on April 27, 2007. This work plan abides by the 2005 Final Work Plan with modifications to the wells and analytical parameters to be monitored particularly the addition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon analysis at monitoring wells MW-12, MW-13, and MW-14. Additionally, the pump type used in sampling the monitoring wells will be changed by replacing the Grundfos Ready Flow pump with a QED Sample Pro 1.75 inch bladder pump and QED MP10 controller, or equivalent. All other sampling methodology will remain the same as the 2005 Final Plan. The final modification to the 2007 Work Plan is the addition of Volatile Organic Analysis/1,2-dibromoethane monitoring at drinking water wells ECP2 and ISFAC at the missile field. An updated list of wells to be monitored, and the parameter for analysis from each well, for upcoming sampling events has been provided to replace Table 5 of the 2005 Final Work Plan. ADEC has completed its review of this document and has found that the Groundwater Monitoring and Data Analysis Work Plan Fort Greely, Alaska for 2007 adequately meets the requirements set forth in 18AAC75.355, and with the addition of the previously agreed upon amendment, this work plan is approved.	Zachary Richter
7/2/2007	Update or Other Action	The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) has completed its assessment of the environmental laboratory data and quality assurance requirements as set forth in ADEC Technical Memorandum 06-002 for the Groundwater Monitoring 2006 Analytical Data Report Fort Greely, Alaska, February 2007. The report adequately addresses the requirements set forth by ADEC for both laboratory data packages and Quality Assurance (QA) Summaries, therefore the report is approved.	Zachary Richter
3/19/2008	Exposure Tracking Model Ranking	Initial ranking with ETM completed.	Deborah Williams
11/5/2008	Meeting or Teleconference Held	ADEC staff participated in the Restoration Advisory Board meeting for Fort Greely in Delta Junction. During the meeting, Glen Shonkwiler with the United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command presented the fieldwork that was completed during the 2008 field season at Fort Greely. The 2008 fieldwork included remediating the soil in the biocell at the South Tank Farm (STF); conducting further delineation of the subsurface soils at the STF; installing four groundwater monitoring wells in the Old Post area and downgradient of the STF; completing the investigation at the MOGAS fuel line in the Old Post area; conducting additional survey of the Jarvis Creek Munitions Burial site; and conducting additional investigation of the Building 675 vault. He also presented the work that was planned to be completed during 2009.	Deborah Williams
10/21/2009	Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other	ADEC staff reviewed the document titled Draft 2008 Groundwater Monitoring and Data Analysis Report, Fort Greely, Alaska, dated March 2009. The Fort Greely groundwater monitoring program consists of monitoring wells that were installed during investigation activities on FGA from 1997 to the present. DEC approved a comprehensive groundwater monitoring approach in the 2005 Work Plan. Yearly modifications to the 2005 workplan are incorporated as needed to address environmental program objectives. Monitoring well locations and sampling frequency have been chosen to provide site specific monitoring where necessary, and comprehensive coverage for the old post and main cantonment areas of Fort Greely. Currently, a total of 30 wells are included in the groundwater monitoring program: 11 of these are sampled during the spring and fall on even numbered years, two drinking water wells are sampled quarterly, and 17 monitoring wells are sampled semi–annually. This report summarizes the 2008 groundwater monitoring efforts. A letter detailing staff comments has been provided to the Army.	Tana Robert
9/4/2013	Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other	Approved the final groundwater sampling work plan for Ft. Greely. As part of the multi-year, post-wide groundwater monitoring program, groundwater samples will be collected from 35 wells.	Melody Debenham
4/29/2015	Meeting or Teleconference Held	Attended Restoration Advisory Board Meeting. Proposed work in 2015 includes post-wide groundwater monitoring, decommissioning unused monitoring wells, developing a Land Use Control and Long Term Maintenance Plan, and completing propose plans/no further action documents for 51 sites.	Melody Debenham
8/28/2015	Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other	Approved the Final 2015 Groundwater Monitoring and Data Analysis Work Plan Addendum for long-term post-wide groundwater monitoring at Fort Greely. Groundwater samples will be collected from 25 monitoring wells and 5 supply wells.	Melody Debenham
8/28/2015	Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other	Approved the Final 2014 Groundwater Monitoring and Data Analysis Report documenting the 2014 post-wide groundwater monitoring activities at Fort Greely. Analytical results from four monitoring wells at the BRAC 94 site were above cleanup levels for diesel range organics, gasoline range organics, and/or benzene. Results from one monitoring well at the South Tank Farm site were above the cleanup level for ethylene dibromide. All other results were either non-detect or below the cleanup level, including all supply well results.	Melody Debenham
6/14/2022	Site Visit	ADEC conducted a site inspection at Fort Greely, Alaska (FGA) on June 14, 2022. Areas visited were: the SM-1A Nuclear Reactor pre-construction of the reactor decommissioning project, the sprung structure where two supersacks are being stored awaiting sample results for determining proper treatment and disposal, a moose well near Landfill #7 that is planned for decommissioning this 2022 field season, the Former Scrapyard site, and the area just south of the runway to view monitoring wells and the purge water disposal area near MW-5 which is located in Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Site 94.	Erica Blake

Action Date

Action

Description

DEC Staff

5/27/1992

Update or Other Action

(Old R:Base Action Code = FI - Field Inspection (General)). Tour by DEH and contractors .

Ronan Short

6/16/1992

Update or Other Action

(Old R:Base Action Code = RAPR - Remedial Action Plan Review (CS)). Pre - job conf. at Fort Greely.

Ronan Short

11/7/1992

Site Added to Database

Ronan Short

5/16/1994

Update or Other Action

(Old R:Base Action Code = RPL2 - Site Information Request Letter). Sent PRP-CS Database Notification Letter to Cristal Fosbrook requesting update/confirmation of information concerning the contaminated site.

Jeff Peterson

1/4/1995

Site Ranked Using the AHRM

Initial ranking.

Jeff Peterson

10/7/1995

Update or Other Action

(Old R:Base Action Code = FI - Field Inspection (General)). Site observation to check on repaired building at SM1-A entombed reactor. The building appears in excellent condition with no visible deterioration. Photos taken.

Ronan Short

9/13/1996

Update or Other Action

Funding source is BRAC, please add to list. 3/4 inch line to dilution well planned for removal in 1997. Approximately 3,000 feet of pipe with low level radiation. Community concern voiced at RAB meeting 9/12/96. Probable TERC contract.

Ronan Short

12/1/2000

Update or Other Action

Pipeline and associated removal was completed Summer 2000. Army has proposed NFA for site.

Greg Light

3/2/2001

Update or Other Action

File number corrected from 140.25.001 to 141.38.035.

Mitzi Read

11/7/2002

Update or Other Action

Proposed Plan from SMDC pending.

Greg Light

12/14/2004

Update or Other Action

SMDC ensures that the Administrative Controls establish for this site to minimize risk to human health and the environment are maintained, however the Army Reactor Office is responsible for this site. SMDC is proposing No Further Remedial Action Planned with Institutional Controls for all SM1A associated sites. SMDC anticipates removal of entombed equipment around 2020. SMDC references the Hays (1997) Report and 2000/2001 ground-water sampling data showing no impact ground water from the injection well. ADEC recommends an "interim decision document" for the reactor site and will not issue NFRAP until site is clean. The other sites associated with SM-1A (pipeline, injection well, dilution station) will be looked at on a case-by-case basis.

Emily Youcha

12/20/2004

Update or Other Action

ADEC reviewed a report titled "Comprehensive evaluation of groundwater monitoring program Fort Greely, Alaska". The report discussed the existing monitoring network at Fort Greely and the parameters evaluated in ground-water sampling events. ADEC recommended additional investigation into infiltration and vertical hydraulic gradients. ADEC also recommended additional monitoring wells in the Old Post area and more ground-water monitoring at certain specific sites.

Emily Youcha

2/3/2005

Update or Other Action

ADEC is having an environmental consultant review the SM1A Waste Pipeline Verification Survey Report and Residual Risk Assessement and the Laydown Yard Verification Survey Report. These reports are associated with the closure of the SM1A Radioactive pipeline during the 1990s. SMDC is requesting No Further Remedial Action Planned on the waste pipeline, injection well, dilution station, and reactor. ADEC is also having the consultant review reports and data to examine any impact to the ground water as a result of SM1A activities.

Emily Youcha

5/25/2005

Meeting or Teleconference Held

Staff conducted a site visit of Fort Greely. Summer fieldwork is underway and includes soil gas surveys, drilling and sampling several deep boreholes, and installation of at least two new monitoring wells. Staff also attended a RAB meeting where the general public recieved an update on site work for this and upcoming seasons.

Emily Youcha

9/30/2005

Meeting or Teleconference Held

Staff particpiated in a Restoration Advisory Board Meeting for Fort Greely on September 28.

Emily Youcha

9/30/2005

Update or Other Action

Staff discussed the possiblity of site closure for the waste pipeline, recharge well, and dilution well. The ADEC consultant reviewed the risk assessment and determined that the risk is below our cleanup standards for any remaining radionuclide contamination in the soil at the pipeline. Additionally, the consultant reviewed any impacts to ground water from the recharge well and dilution well and the conclusion that the assessment of ground-water contamination was adequate and levels of contaminants in the ground water were and would be below ground-water standards if tested today is supported by ADEC. Additional data collected in 2001 further supports the conclusion. SMDC staff stated that the entombed reactor and associated equipment will not be removed for at least 15 years (although the rods were removed during the decommisioning). SMDC and the Corps will present a proposed plan of closure for the pipeline, recharge well, and dilution well.

Emily Youcha

12/5/2006

Meeting or Teleconference Held

Ft. Greely interagency meeting held in Anchorage. The SMDC remedial project manager summarized the 2006 field activities, stating that suspected petroleum contamination along the pipeline (station 21+25) was investigated and found to be below cleanup levels. However, DEC has not yet received the report documenting this site investigation.

Colin Craven

12/6/2006

Meeting or Teleconference Held

RAB meeting held in Delta Junction. Topics covered are discussed above in the database action for Dec. 5, 2006.

Colin Craven

5/22/2007

Meeting or Teleconference Held

Staff attended Interagency Coordination Meeting in Fairbanks. A summary of the past years and future remedial efforts was provided.

Zachary Richter

5/23/2007

Meeting or Teleconference Held

ADEC Staff attended a RAB meeting held in Delta Junction. The past years work at Fort Greely was summerized and future work projects were presented. Work at the North and South Tank Farms was highlighted.

Zachary Richter

5/23/2007

Update or Other Action

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) received the Groundwater Monitoring and Data Analysis Work Plan Fort Greely, Alaska on April 27, 2007. This work plan abides by the 2005 Final Work Plan with modifications to the wells and analytical parameters to be monitored particularly the addition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon analysis at monitoring wells MW-12, MW-13, and MW-14. Additionally, the pump type used in sampling the monitoring wells will be changed by replacing the Grundfos Ready Flow pump with a QED Sample Pro 1.75 inch bladder pump and QED MP10 controller, or equivalent. All other sampling methodology will remain the same as the 2005 Final Plan. The final modification to the 2007 Work Plan is the addition of Volatile Organic Analysis/1,2-dibromoethane monitoring at drinking water wells ECP2 and ISFAC at the missile field. An updated list of wells to be monitored, and the parameter for analysis from each well, for upcoming sampling events has been provided to replace Table 5 of the 2005 Final Work Plan. ADEC has completed its review of this document and has found that the Groundwater Monitoring and Data Analysis Work Plan Fort Greely, Alaska for 2007 adequately meets the requirements set forth in 18AAC75.355, and with the addition of the previously agreed upon amendment, this work plan is approved.

Zachary Richter

7/2/2007

Update or Other Action

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) has completed its assessment of the environmental laboratory data and quality assurance requirements as set forth in ADEC Technical Memorandum 06-002 for the Groundwater Monitoring 2006 Analytical Data Report Fort Greely, Alaska, February 2007. The report adequately addresses the requirements set forth by ADEC for both laboratory data packages and Quality Assurance (QA) Summaries, therefore the report is approved.

Zachary Richter

3/19/2008

Exposure Tracking Model Ranking

Initial ranking with ETM completed.

Deborah Williams

11/5/2008

Meeting or Teleconference Held

ADEC staff participated in the Restoration Advisory Board meeting for Fort Greely in Delta Junction. During the meeting, Glen Shonkwiler with the United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command presented the fieldwork that was completed during the 2008 field season at Fort Greely. The 2008 fieldwork included remediating the soil in the biocell at the South Tank Farm (STF); conducting further delineation of the subsurface soils at the STF; installing four groundwater monitoring wells in the Old Post area and downgradient of the STF; completing the investigation at the MOGAS fuel line in the Old Post area; conducting additional survey of the Jarvis Creek Munitions Burial site; and conducting additional investigation of the Building 675 vault. He also presented the work that was planned to be completed during 2009.

Deborah Williams

10/21/2009

Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other

ADEC staff reviewed the document titled Draft 2008 Groundwater Monitoring and Data Analysis Report, Fort Greely, Alaska, dated March 2009. The Fort Greely groundwater monitoring program consists of monitoring wells that were installed during investigation activities on FGA from 1997 to the present. DEC approved a comprehensive groundwater monitoring approach in the 2005 Work Plan. Yearly modifications to the 2005 workplan are incorporated as needed to address environmental program objectives. Monitoring well locations and sampling frequency have been chosen to provide site specific monitoring where necessary, and comprehensive coverage for the old post and main cantonment areas of Fort Greely. Currently, a total of 30 wells are included in the groundwater monitoring program: 11 of these are sampled during the spring and fall on even numbered years, two drinking water wells are sampled quarterly, and 17 monitoring wells are sampled semi–annually. This report summarizes the 2008 groundwater monitoring efforts. A letter detailing staff comments has been provided to the Army.

Tana Robert

9/4/2013

Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other

Approved the final groundwater sampling work plan for Ft. Greely. As part of the multi-year, post-wide groundwater monitoring program, groundwater samples will be collected from 35 wells.

Melody Debenham

4/29/2015

Meeting or Teleconference Held

Attended Restoration Advisory Board Meeting. Proposed work in 2015 includes post-wide groundwater monitoring, decommissioning unused monitoring wells, developing a Land Use Control and Long Term Maintenance Plan, and completing propose plans/no further action documents for 51 sites.

Melody Debenham

8/28/2015

Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other

Approved the Final 2015 Groundwater Monitoring and Data Analysis Work Plan Addendum for long-term post-wide groundwater monitoring at Fort Greely. Groundwater samples will be collected from 25 monitoring wells and 5 supply wells.

Melody Debenham

8/28/2015

Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other

Approved the Final 2014 Groundwater Monitoring and Data Analysis Report documenting the 2014 post-wide groundwater monitoring activities at Fort Greely. Analytical results from four monitoring wells at the BRAC 94 site were above cleanup levels for diesel range organics, gasoline range organics, and/or benzene. Results from one monitoring well at the South Tank Farm site were above the cleanup level for ethylene dibromide. All other results were either non-detect or below the cleanup level, including all supply well results.

Melody Debenham

6/14/2022

Site Visit

ADEC conducted a site inspection at Fort Greely, Alaska (FGA) on June 14, 2022. Areas visited were: the SM-1A Nuclear Reactor pre-construction of the reactor decommissioning project, the sprung structure where two supersacks are being stored awaiting sample results for determining proper treatment and disposal, a moose well near Landfill #7 that is planned for decommissioning this 2022 field season, the Former Scrapyard site, and the area just south of the runway to view monitoring wells and the purge water disposal area near MW-5 which is located in Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Site 94.

Erica Blake

Contaminant Information

Name

Level Description

Media

Comments

Control Type

Type

Details

Requirements

Description

Details

There are no documents for this site report.

Hazard ID	Site Name	File Number
1711	Fort Greely SMDC Bldg. 606 PP	141.38.012
27219	Doyon Utilities at Fort Greely Bldg 606 USTs 1 & 2	141.26.020

Missing Location Data

Because the GIS location data for this site has not been entered, we cannot direct you to its position on the map. Click "Continue" to proceed to the Contaminated Sites Web Map or "Close" to return to the site report.

Continue Close

Site Report: Fort Greely SMDC Nuclear Reactor SM1A

Site Chronology

IC / Closure Details

Documents

Associated Sites

Problems/Comments

Action Information

Contaminant Information

Control Type

Requirements

Missing Location Data

State of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation