Adak Update

A view of Downtown Adak, overlooking Sweeper Cove

Throughout 55 years of military history on Adak, a number of ordnance items have been recovered. Most of the items were considered souvenirs or abandoned ordnance that originated from other sources and were brought to the "downtown area" by hikers. In 1996, the Navy initiated an ordnance investigation of the downtown area in order to facilitate leasing of the primary reuse area of the island (FWEC 1997). The investigation of the Downtown Areas included review of historical records and archives, surface clearance with a metal detector, a geophysical investigation using electro-magnetic equipment, and excavation of selected geophysical anomalies to a depth of 4 feet bgs. Within the approximately 2200 acres that were investigated, 7116 geophysical anomalies were excavated. Only three unexploded ordnance (UXO) items were found from the surface clearance and three OE/UXO items were found during subsurface investigations.

The ordnance institutional control is to maintain the existing unexploded ordnance (UXO) safety awareness program. The UXO Awareness training is recommended on an annual basis. Adak School has agreed to show the UXO Awareness DVD annually (especially to new students). A written training plan has been developed for use, which covers key topics to discuss, materials to have available, etc. All developed materials will be available at the aforementioned locations. These materials present information through the following means: DVDs (captioned and uncaptioned); written brochures; laminated safety cards clipped with a carabineer for hiking in the field; child and adult-focused posters; children’s coloring book; logo-inprinted magnets (with the new Aleut design and 1-866-239-1219 number - recently changed to 911), coffee mugs, sports balls, and tri-color markers (to be distributed in 2004). The UXO Awareness training is intended to familiarize on-island residents and visitors with the history of ordnance use, storage, handling and disposal on Adak Island; basic characteristics of ordnance items on Adak; and the procedures that should be followed if a suspected ordnance item is encountered. In addition to maintaining this program, legal instruments (such as Past After Action Reports, available in the information repositories) will also be used to inform future users of information related to past investigations and clearance activities for ordnance hazards.

The Navy has provided a copy of the OU B-1 ROD, the Hazardous Waste/Hazardous Substances Deed Notification, Land Transfer Parcels 1A and 1B, and the FOST to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that is to be maintained as part of the permanent file of conveyance documentation. The Hazardous Waste/Hazardous Substance Deed Notification, Land Transfer Parcels 1A and 1B (U.S. Navy 2003b) contains a full legal description of the properties, while the FOST contains the associated ICs and a legal description of covenants. Reference to these documents, including a brief summary of their contents, and their availability in the BLM permanent conveyance file, has been included in the Interim Conveyance. This BLM permanent file of interim conveyance documents will be available to current and future owners of the real estate seeking information about past land uses, including the potential for OE/UXO items. This measure will provide the current and future landowners with a source for information about ordnance and the type of remedial actions that have been taken. Otherwise, no site-specific institutional controls and no land use restrictions have been selected in a ROD for ordnance sites.

The Navy has implemented ICs and engineering controls at the following ordnance areas on Navy Retained Lands (Figure 1-2), referred to as Parcel 4 on site maps and UXO training materials. These have been done to protect human health and the environment until final actions are selected and implemented in a CERCLA OU B-2 ROD for these areas.

Andrew Lake Disposal Area - Landfill Area (ALDA-01)
Andrew Lake Disposal Area - Beach Crater Area (ALDA-02)
Andrew Lake Disposal Area - Andrew Lake East Minefield (MF-01)
Andrew Lake Disposal Area - Andrew Lake Seawall Minefield (MF-02)
Andrew Lake Disposal Area - Andrew Lake West Minefield (MF-03)
Andrew Lake Disposal Area - Andrew Lake Pistol Range (SA-02)
Andrew Lake Disposal Area - Andrew Lake Seawall Pistol Range (SA-03)
Andrew Lake Disposal Area - Andrew Lake Seawall Rifle Range (SA-04)
Andrew Lake Disposal Area - Black Powder Sportsmans Club (SA-05)
Andrew Lake Hand Grenade Range (HG-01)
Andrew Lake Mortar Impact Area - Rocket Disposal Site (MI-01)
Andrew Lake Mortar Impact Area - 40mm Projectile Impact Area (MI-02)
Andrew Lake Mortar Impact Area - Mortar Impact Area (MI-03)
Andrew Lake Open Burn/Open Detonation Disposal Range (OB/OD-01)
Andrew Lake Range Remainder - Hand Grenade/4-mm Area (RR-01)
Andrew Lake Range Remainder - Mortar Impact Area (RR-02)
Andrew Lake Range Remainder - Flare Disposal Site (RR-03)
Andrew Lake Range Remainder - Remainder (RR-04)
Andrew Lake 40mm Rifle Grenade Range (RG-01)
Andrew Lake Seawall (ALSW-01)
Andrew Lake Subcaliper Training Range (SA-01)
Blind Cove/Camper’s Cove - Firing Point #1 (BC-03)
Combat Range #1 - Mortar Target Area (C1-01)
Mt. Moffett Impact Area - Central Impact Area Lone 81mm Mortar (MM-10D)
SA 93, World War II Mortar Impact Area
Source Area #93 - Multiple Ordnance Impact Area (SA93-01)
Source Area #93 - Eastern Impact Area (SA93-02)
Source Area #93 - Firing Point (SA93-03)
Source Area #93 - Eastern Disposal Site (SA93-04)
Southeast of Lake Jean - OB/OD and Burial Site (JM-01)
SWMU 1, Andrew Lake Waste Ordnance Demolition Range
SWMU 8, Andrew Lake Landfill and Shoreline
WWII Magazine - Andrew Lake Seawall (MAG-01)

Access restrictions including fences, gates and warning signs, a layered UXO awareness educational program, and excavation prohibitions are the engineering and ICs that have been put in place by the Navy to protect the public from exposure to ordnance. ICs are inspected annually. Trailhead signs are only informational and the Navy plans to remove them in the fall of 2003. In addition to maintaining the UXO awareness training program, equitable servitude notices or other legal instruments will also be used to inform future users of information related to past investigations for ordnance hazards. The final ICs, if any, will be determined upon completion of the OU B-2 ROD.