SWMU 13, Metals Landfill CERCLA Landfill Site

Background
SWMU 13, Metals Landfill, is located immediately adjacent to Kuluk Bay and southeast of the central community of Adak. Metals Landfill operated from the 1940s to 1989 and received a variety of waste materials. Samples were collected from the site from 1989 through 1993. One small area of the landfill was considered a hazardous waste pile under Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) in 1990 and was closed under RCRA guidelines. Although no remedial investigation or risk assessment was performed, the Federal Facilities Agreement (FFA) parties concluded that performing an interim remedial action was the best option. Therefore, an interim action Record of Decision (ROD) was signed in 1995. The interim action included covering the landfill and monitoring rock sole and blue mussel tissue in Kuluk Bay. The landfill was covered in 1996. Institutional controls (ICs) were implemented after they were established in the 2000 OU A ROD to ensure that the remedy remains protective of human health and the environment. In 2000, the Navy removed scrapped equipment and miscellaneous metal debris that littered approximately 1,500 feet of the shoreline along the landfill and installed a protective riprap cover over the shoreline.

Identified Contaminants
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semivolatile organics compounds(SVOCs), pesticides, Aroclors, metals, and petroleum hydrocarbons

Current Actions
The Navy maintains and inspects ICs annually. The Navy conducts groundwater monitoring at 8 wells annually for closure monitoring. The Navy monitors rock sole and blue mussel tissue in Kuluk Bay on an every other year basis.

Landfill Institutional Controls

ICs at the landfills complement previous actions taken, such as installation of groundwater monitoring systems, and the placement of soil cover. The ICs will minimize potential human exposure to site chemicals by implementing land use restrictions and imposing restrictions on soil excavations.

To ensure the integrity of the landfill covers, containment, and monitoring systems currently in place, the future landowner(s) and/or user(s) will be prohibited from performing activities that will disturb the soil cover or monitoring systems or impact the drainage and erosion controls developed to protect the soil cover.

Equitable Servitude

Groundwater Restrictions
Domestic use of groundwater in the Downtown Area is restricted because of the potential presence of petroleum compounds and other chemicals in the groundwater. Domestic groundwater use is defined as that used by households or transients for human and animal consumption, cooking, bathing, showering, gardening, irrigation, or use on consumable food products, watering animals and any other domestic use. The excavation notification program at individual sites provides one barrier to drilling; enforcement of the prohibition will also occur through periodic visual inspections. The visual inspections will focus on unauthorized wells in the restricted area. Groundwater use restrictions are included in the equitable servitude.

Inspections and Reporting
The ICs identified in this plan will be inspected and reported on an annual basis, or as necessary. Signs will be inspected for wear and tear, and replaced as necessary. The annual reports will assess the need for more or less inspection requirements, as well as determine whether the ICs in place are effective. The annual reporting requirements will be included in CERCLA 5-year reviews.

Land Use Restrictions
The landfills may be used for recreational use or any other activity that does not adversely impact the integrity of the landfill covers, containment, or monitoring systems. Examples of acceptable recreational uses include hiking, bird watching, hunting, nature watching, or any other short-term, non-intrusive activity.

Soil Excavation Restrictions
Landfill excavation by non-Navy personnel is absolutely prohibited. Excavation for the purpose of digging a domestic groundwater use well is also prohibited. Recreational land uses that add additional cover (e.g. ball fields, golf course) may be permissible. Navy personnel will be allowed to excavate for the purposes of repairing caps, etc.

Landfills Engineering Controls

The following engineering control, as stipulated in the OU A ROD, is required at landfill sites.

Sign and Soil Cover Maintenance
Signs and soil cover are in place at the landfills. The signs and soil cover will be inspected annually, or as necessary, to ensure that the signs are legible, and that the soil cover remains in place.

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