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Contaminated Sites FAQ

What does the Contaminated Sites Program do?
The mission of the Contaminated Sites Program is to protect public safety, human health and the environment by identifying, overseeing and conducting the cleanup and management at contaminated sites in Alaska and by preventing releases from underground storage tank systems and unregulated aboveground storage tanks.
What is a contaminated site?
A contaminated site is a location where hazardous substances, including petroleum products, have been improperly disposed, spilled or leaked from their containers. Many of these sites result from failed containment equipment and improper storage measures or disposal methods considered standard practices before we became aware of the problems or hazards they can cause. Contaminated sites often threaten public health or the environment and can cause economic hardship to people and communities.
Where are they located?
Contaminated sites may be associated with military, commercial or industrial activities, including oil production and storage operations, mining, and a wide variety of smaller enterprises where hazardous materials are used. In some instances, groundwater and surface waters have become so polluted that human health or the environment have been impaired or placed at risk. Some of these pollutants are known to cause increased incidences of cancer while others may contribute to health problems. The Contaminated Sites Database is available through this search page and the Contaminated Sites web map.
What does each contaminated site status mean?
Each contaminated site is assigned one of four statuses:
  • Active: Active sites have confirmed contamination above action levels and require additional characterization, monitoring, or cleanup before a closure decision can be made.
  • Cleanup Complete: The Cleanup Complete status generally includes sites where remediation efforts are complete and any remaining contamination is below the levels that would pose a threat to human health or the environment.
  • Cleanup Complete - Institutional Controls: The Cleanup Complete – Institutional Controls status generally includes sites where no further remediation is planned and the potential for future exposure to residual contamination warrants the use of institutional controls.
  • Informational: The Informational status is used to identify:
  • a site record entered to track area-wide, site-wide, or facility-wide information that does not represent a distinct site;
  • a site that has received EPA or DEC Brownfields services and cannot be classified as “active”; or
  • a property that has an Environmental Covenant (EC) or Notice of Activity and Use Limitation (NAUL) and is not considered a source contributor.
What is found at these sites?
Many different types of hazardous substances are found at contaminated sites in Alaska. Sites contaminated by petroleum products are by far the most common. The toxic nature of petroleum products can be quite high for "light" products such as gasoline or aviation fuel, which contain high levels of the most harmful "aromatic" constituents such as benzene. Benzene is a known cancer-causing agent (carcinogen). Aromatic compounds also tend to be the most easily dissolved in water and are responsible for making many drinking water sources in the state unfit for human use. Diesel fuels and the heavier petroleum products, although hazardous, have a much lower content of the most harmful constituents.

Other contaminated sites can have chlorinated solvents, heavy metals, synthetic organic pesticides, non-chlorinated solvents, and inorganic acids and bases. The most toxic of these tend to be the chlorinated compounds, including: chlorinated solvents, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and herbicides, including dioxin-containing herbicides. The banned chlorinated pesticide DDT has also been found at several sites. Heavy metal contamination can also pose a serious threat to public health. Sites where improper disposal of lead acid batteries has occurred, or where mercury was once used in mining retort operations, typify sites where heavy metals are a concern. Chromium and arsenic also show up as heavy metal contaminants.

Threats to human health posed by these hazardous substances cover a wide range. Many of the chlorinated hydrocarbons and some of the heavy metals are known to be carcinogenic. A wide range of acute and chronic health effects may result from exposure to other compounds. Some compounds present both a carcinogenic and chronic health risk. In some cases the most important factors to consider in weighing the effects of contaminants may be ecological rather than human health based. This may be particularly true in remote locations where exposure to humans is less likely.

Who is responsible for cleanup?
In Alaska, about one-third of the sites in the DEC inventory are on federal lands, with most of these on military bases. Another one-third are privately owned and can include commercial and/or industrial properties. The rest are owned by the state and local governments. DEC participates with other local, state and federal agencies in cooperative cleanup operations. In most cases, the responsible parties contract with environmental consulting firms to clean up sites, with oversight provided by DEC staff. However, when a responsible party cannot be identified and a site is a serious threat to public health or the environment, the state may bear the cost of site investigation and/or cleanup. Although Alaska law requires that state funds be recovered from responsible parties, the responsible party is not always able to pay.
How are Alaskans affected?
Contamination of groundwater is the most serious problem in Alaska and the most costly to solve. Many sites currently listed on the inventory have drinking water which exceeds state and EPA health standards for contamination. Populations of fish and other wildlife, on which many Alaskans depend for subsistence, sport, and commercial harvest may be impaired. Contamination may also result in significant economic losses. For example, property transfers can be delayed or may not occur if a site is suspected or known to be contaminated.
What are the requirements for investigating and cleaning up Leaking Underground Storage Tank sites?
DEC has specific regulations that govern the identification, assessment, cleanup and closure of leaking UST sites. Refer to Articles 2 and 3 of the UST regulations, 18 AAC 78, the UST Procedures Manual, and this fact sheet on the cleanup of leaking UST sites.
What is Cost Recovery?
The State of Alaska is authorized, under Federal regulation 42 U.S.C. 699 1 b(h), to recover State funds used during oversight of a petroleum cleanup from a leaking underground storage tank (LUST). The State is also authorized by Alaska Statute 46.08.070 to recover money expended by the Department to contain or cleanup the release of oil or a hazardous substance, including petroleum. "Oversight" costs can include Department staff salaries, travel, equipment, supplies, contracts and services, and general program management. Typical cost expenditures for staff time can include, but are not limited to: performing plan reviews; drafting approval letters; attending site meetings; offering technical assistance via phone; and doing site visits or inspections.

If you have questions about Cost Recovery, please email dec.spar.cr@alaska.gov.

Who can I contact for more information about the Contaminated Sites Program?

Brownfields

What is a brownfield?
Brownfields are abandoned, unused, or underused properties that are hindered from desired reuse or redevelopment by real or perceived environmental contamination. A brownfield can be anything from a 200-acre industrial property, to an old lumber mill, or a small abandoned corner gas station. Due to changes in technologies, economic forces, local priorities, among other localized forces, brownfields can be found in many corners of Alaska, in both urban and rural communities alike.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines a brownfield as “real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contamination.” Meeting this definition is important when applying for EPA’s grants and services. Although Alaska does not have its own definition for the term “brownfield,” the EPA definition is generally accepted by DEC’s Brownfields Program.

Why is brownfield reuse and redevelopment important and how can it benefit my community?
Communities can realize many environmental, social, and economic benefits through brownfield reuse and redevelopment, including: preserving open space that would otherwise be developed;
  • reusing valuable, existing infrastructure;
  • reducing vehicular miles traveled and associated air emissions;
  • revitalizing stressed and depressed neighborhoods;
  • increasing economic growth, employment opportunities, property values, and tax revenue; and
  • improving local safety and public health.
It is important to remember that brownfields are not only an urban problem, and reuse doesn’t have to mean new construction projects. Brownfields exist in rural Alaska as well, and often take up valuable space within a community and are harmful to subsistence resources and other traditional pursuits. Thus, recycling brownfields may have benefits to a community that are unique to it and important to its identify, but not easily quantifiable.
What is DEC’s involvement in Alaska’s brownfields?
The DEC Brownfields Program strongly supports and promotes the assessment, cleanup, and reuse of brownfields, working with local governments, tribes, and community stakeholders by providing information, funding, technical assistance, and other resources to facilitate brownfield redevelopment. In particular, DEC:
  • Provides technical assistance and services through DEC Brownfields Assessment and Cleanups (DBAC) Program
  • Provides regulatory guidance
  • Provides assistance in applying for additional grants
  • Provides community outreach and training
  • Conducts project oversight
  • Manages state database of contaminated sites
Who do I contact with questions about brownfields?
We invite you to contact us with any questions or concerns about brownfields. Lisa Griswold (907-269-2021) and Marc Thomas (907-465-5206) are available to help answer your questions about contaminated sites and potential brownfields, workshops and training, and funding opportunities. Please consider us your first stop for information.
What brownfield concerns are particular to Alaska?
Alaska’s urban areas have many of the same brownfield concerns as large urban centers in the rest of the country: former industrial sites, petroleum and chemical storage areas, abandoned commercial businesses, old gas stations, railroad yards, and many others. However, Alaskan rural communities have brownfields that are unique to their remote locations. Some of these sites include:
  • old canneries and fish processing facilities;
  • old fuel-storage tank farms
  • abandoned, inactive dump sites
  • logging camps
  • old civilian federal facilities such as schools and hospitals
  • and formerly used defense sites
Very often, these brownfields may directly affect a subsistence resource or recreational area.
If I assess a brownfield property, do I become liable for the contamination that is found?
Liability for contamination on a property is defined in Alaska Statute (AS) 46.03.822, which outlines those who are liable for the release of a hazardous substance. The general liability categories include:
  • those with an ownership interest in the property;
  • those in control of the substance at the time of the release; or
  • those who arrange for disposal or transport of the substance.
If you are not the owner of the property on which an assessment is completed, and you did not cause or contribute to the problem, conducting a non-invasive assessment (such as a historical search or walk-through) would not cause you to be considered liable.
What types of brownfield funding or services are available to Alaskans?
Anyone can contact DEC’s Brownfields Program to learn more about the program and what resources may be available to help assess whether contamination is present at the site and, if so, how to address the contamination so the property can be safely and productively reused.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA's) Brownfields Program can provide direct funding or services for brownfields assessment, cleanup, revolving loans, environmental job training, technical assistance, training, and research. EPA’s Brownfields Program provides support through competitive grants for assessments and cleanup, as well as through non-competitive means through its Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) Program, as well as through its team of Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) providers.

Through DEC Brownfields and Assessment and Cleanup (DBAC) services, the DEC Brownfields Program can help reduce the environmental uncertainties or conditions that hinder the reuse and/or redevelopment of an eligible property. DBAC services can include providing soil and groundwater assessments (Phase I and II), hazardous building materials (HBM) surveys, asbestos abatement and disposal, cleanup services, landfill permit assistance, et al. Generally, the application period for DBAC services runs from November through February.

In addition to providing DBACs, the DEC Brownfields Program also can provide direct, informal technical assistance to Alaskan communities and tribes, such as providing community outreach and training, researching site history and cleanup status, and facilitating collaboration with other state and federal agencies in an effort to leverage other additional resources.

Underground Storage Tanks

What is the definition of an underground storage tank?
An underground storage tank (UST) or underground storage tank system means one or more stationary devices, including underground pipes connected to the devices, that is designed to contain an accumulation of petroleum, the volume of which, including the volume of underground pipes, is 10% or more beneath the surface of the ground. DEC's UST program mirrors the EPA's regulatory requirements.  Alaska’s UST regulations do not include tanks that store Hazardous Waste. For more information on Alaska Regulations governing UST's, please see (18 AAC 78) for more information.
What types of underground tanks are not regulated by 18 AAC 78?
Under the definition of an underground storage tank under AS 46.03.450, the following tanks are not regulated as UST:
  • Farm or residential tank of 1,100 gallons or less capacity used for storing motor fuel for noncommercial purposes;
  • Tanks used for storing heating oil for consumptive use on the premises where stored. See the Prevention Preparedness and Response Program's Heating Oil Tank
  • Septic tanks
  • Pipeline facility. Prevention, Preparedness, and Response
  • Surface impoundment, pit, pond, or lagoon;
  • Storm water or waste water collection system;
  • Flow through process tanks.
  • Liquid trap or associated gathering lines directly related to oil or gas production and gathering operations;
  • Tanks in an underground area such as a basement, cellar, mineworking, drift, shaft, or tunnel, if the storage tank is situated upon or above the surface of the floor. 
  • Any tanks less than 110 gallons capacity.
  • Hazardous waste storage tanks. More information…
  • Tank systems that the department has exempted by regulations adopted under AS 46.03.365

Additional Questions? Contact DEC's UST Prevention Manager.

What are the requirements to operate a regulated underground petroleum tank system in Alaska?
What about Registration Fees and Late Fees?
Under AS 46.03.385 the following registration fees apply to underground storage tanks:
  • Active underground storage tanks owned or operated by commercial, private and local government must pay an annual registration fee.
  • Fees are due on December 1 of the year preceding the registration year. UST registration expires on December 31 each year.
  • Fees received after the December 31 are considered late. There is a $10 per day late fee for each day fees are overdue. There are no exceptions.
  • Fee amounts:
    • Annual Fees for Upgraded Tank: $50 per tank, regardless of size
      • Tank and piping must have leak detection, spill and overflow protection, and corrosion protection. No exceptions.
    • Annual Fees for Non-Upgraded Tank:
      • Less than 1,000 gallons: $150
      • 1,000 - 5,000 gallons: $300
      • Over 5,000 gallons: $500
What are the Leak Detection requirements?
Diagram of UST.

Release detection methods for Tanks include the following:

  • Automatic Tank Gauging
  • Interstitial Monitoring
  • Statistical Inventory Reconciliation (SIR)
  • Tank Tightness Testing (TTT) and Inventory Control (only allowed until December 22, 1998, or up to 10 years after installation or upgrade, whichever is later)
  • Manual Tank Gauging (only allowed for tanks 2000 gallons or less)

Release detection methods for Piping: 

  • Automatic line leak detectors (ALLD) either flow restrictor, flow shut-off or continuous alarm capable of detecting a 3 gallon-per-hour leak in one hour.

and

  • Annual line tightness testing or
  • Monthly monitoring (Interstitial monitoring, SIR, or an ALLD capable of detecting a 0.2 gph leak monthly).

For Suction Piping:

  • Line tightness testing every three years, however,
  • No Leak Detection required for Suction Piping if piping system: operates at less than atmospheric pressure; slopes back to tank; and has check valve below suction pump.

*If you need a reference manual showing various release detection systems and their operating specs, find Automatic Tank Gauging Systems for Release Detection: Reference Manual for Underground Storage Tank Inspectors at EPA.gov.

Leak Detection Probation: For regulated underground storage tanks (USTs) required to be inspected, owners/operators must maintain one year of leak detection records for their UST system and provide them during inspection. Twelve consecutive months of leak detection records are required. If these requirements are not met, then the UST system will be placed on Leak Detection Probation. The terms of LD Probation are described in the fact sheet below.

What is required for spill and overfill devices?
  • All USTs must have a spill prevention equipment, such as a spill catchment basin, that will prevent a release of petroleum to the environment when the transfer hose is detached from the fill pipe; and
  • All USTs must have overfill prevention equipment that will,
    • Automatically shut-off flow into the tank when the tank is no more than 95% full; or
    • Alert the transfer operator when the tank is no more than 90% full by restricting the flow into the tank or trigger a high-level alarm.
What must be done to meet corrosion protection requirements?
  • All existing tanks and piping must have corrosion protection.
  • Cathodically protected UST systems must be tested every 3 years by a state certified tester or inspector.
  • Impressed current systems must be inspected every 60 days and the results logged.
What is involved in installing or upgrading a UST system?
How do I properly close an underground tank?
What forms do I fill out and when?
Please see the UST Forms links on our Guidance page.
Who can I contact for more information about Underground Storage Tanks ?
Contact DEC's UST Prevention Manager.

Fact Sheets and Publications for the Contaminated Sites Program

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Department of Environmental Conservation

Mailing Address:  P.O. Box 111800
Juneau, Alaska 99811
Location:  410 Willoughby Avenue, Juneau