Damaged and leaking containers, distressed vegetation, and animal carcasses were observed at the site, which also includes a church. In addition to items visible at the ground surface, debris and containers may have also been buried throughout the site. The property was deemed an imminent and substantial risk to human health and the environment, triggering a time-critical site characterization to include soil, groundwater, and indoor-air sampling.

Since off-site migration of contaminants in groundwater could adversely affect drinking water wells in the area, and we prioritized an initial groundwater assessment task. We worked closely with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation to meet the accelerated schedule and manage changes due to on site conditions and seasonal weather conditions.

Obtaining notice to proceed right before the onset of winter conditions, Shannon & Wilson quickly developed a work plan to address the most urgent data needs, and installed and sampled 44 groundwater well points and sampled soil at several drum-storage and apparent spill areas. We performed these activities in snow and sub-freezing temperatures. Following this initial phase, we prepared a second work plan to address additional tasks, including sampling an additional 50 temporary well-points, indoor-air sampling to evaluate the potential for vapor intrusion into the church, and drilling and soil sampling.