List of Superfund sites in Alaska
Encyclopedia
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
(EPA) to create a list of polluted
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
locations requiring a long-term response to clean-up hazardous material contaminations. These locations are known as Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
sites, and are placed on the National Priorities List
National Priorities List
The National Priorities List is the list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for long-term remedial action financed under the federal Superfund program. Environmental Protection Agency regulations outline a formal process for assessing hazardous waste sites and placing them on...
(NPL). The NPL guides the EPA in "determining which sites warrant further investigation" for environmental remediation. As of March 26, 2010, there were six Superfund sites on the National Priorities List in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. No additional sites are currently proposed for entry on the list. Three sites have been cleaned up and removed from the list.
Superfund sites
| CERCLIS ID | Name | Borough or Census Area | Reason | Proposed | Listed | Constructioncompleted | Partiallydeleted | Deleted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AK4170024323 | Adak Naval Air Station | Aleutians West Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska Aleutians West Census Area is a census area located in the U.S. state of Alaska. It contains most of the Aleutian Islands, from Attu Island in the west to Unalaska Island in the east, as well as the Pribilof Islands, which lie north of the Aleutians in the Bering Sea. As of 2010, the population is... |
Groundwater, sediments, surface water, and soil in several locations on the island are contaminated with petroleum-related constituents, polychlorinated biphenyl Polychlorinated biphenyl Polychlorinated biphenyls are a class of organic compounds with 2 to 10 chlorine atoms attached to biphenyl, which is a molecule composed of two benzene rings. The chemical formula for PCBs is C12H10-xClx... s (PCBs), metals, chlorinated solvents, ordnance, explosives, and unexploded ordnance Unexploded ordnance Unexploded ordnance are explosive weapons that did not explode when they were employed and still pose a risk of detonation, potentially many decades after they were used or discarded.While "UXO" is widely and informally used, munitions and explosives of... . Groundwater contaminated with petroleum and organic chemicals. |
10/14/1992 | 05/31/1994 | |||
| AK8570028649 | Elmendorf Air Force Base Elmendorf Air Force Base Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is a United States military facility adjacent to Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska. It is an amalgamation of the former United States Air Force Elmendorf Air Force Base and the United States Army Fort Richardson, which were merged in 2010.-Overview:The... |
Anchorage | Soil and shallow groundwater beneath the various landfills, fuel storage facilities, training areas, and maintenance hangars located on base have been contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons and other fuel contaminants, volatile organic compound Volatile organic compound Volatile organic compounds are organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at ordinary, room-temperature conditions. Their high vapor pressure results from a low boiling point, which causes large numbers of molecules to evaporate or sublimate from the liquid or solid form of the compound and... s (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons , also known as poly-aromatic hydrocarbons or polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, are potent atmospheric pollutants that consist of fused aromatic rings and do not contain heteroatoms or carry substituents. Naphthalene is the simplest example of a PAH... s (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyl Polychlorinated biphenyl Polychlorinated biphenyls are a class of organic compounds with 2 to 10 chlorine atoms attached to biphenyl, which is a molecule composed of two benzene rings. The chemical formula for PCBs is C12H10-xClx... s (PCBs), pesticides, asphalt and associated chemicals, and heavy metals including lead. |
07/14/1989 | 08/30/1990 | |||
| AK6214522157 | Fort Richardson (USARMY United States Army The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services... ) |
Anchorage | Sediment and surface water contaminated with white phosphorus. Soil at the Roosevelt Road Transmitter Site is contaminated with volatile organic compound Volatile organic compound Volatile organic compounds are organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at ordinary, room-temperature conditions. Their high vapor pressure results from a low boiling point, which causes large numbers of molecules to evaporate or sublimate from the liquid or solid form of the compound and... s (VOCs), heavy metals, and polychlorinated biphenyl Polychlorinated biphenyl Polychlorinated biphenyls are a class of organic compounds with 2 to 10 chlorine atoms attached to biphenyl, which is a molecule composed of two benzene rings. The chemical formula for PCBs is C12H10-xClx... s (PCBs). Soil and groundwater at the Poleline Road Disposal Area is contaminated with VOCs. |
06/23/1993 | 05/31/1994 | |||
| AKD980978787 | Standard Steel & Metals Salvage Yard (USDOT United States Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967... ) |
Anchorage | Soil contaminated with lead Lead Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed... , polychlorinated biphenyl Polychlorinated biphenyl Polychlorinated biphenyls are a class of organic compounds with 2 to 10 chlorine atoms attached to biphenyl, which is a molecule composed of two benzene rings. The chemical formula for PCBs is C12H10-xClx... s (PCBs), solvents, dioxins Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds are by-products of various industrial processes, and are commonly regarded as highly toxic compounds that are environmental pollutants and persistent organic pollutants . They include:... , and furan Furan Furan is a heterocyclic organic compound, consisting of a five-membered aromatic ring with four carbon atoms and one oxygen. The class of compounds containing such rings are also referred to as furans.... . |
07/14/1989 | 08/30/1990 | 09/30/2002 | ||
| AKD004904215 | Alaska Battery Enterprises | Fairbanks North Star Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska -Demographics:As of the 2000 census, 82,840 people, 29,777 households, and 20,516 families were residing in the borough. The population density was 11 people per square mile . There were 33,291 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile... |
Soil contaminated with lead Lead Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed... that had been released from the battery yard. |
06/24/1988 | 03/31/1989 | 07/26/1996 | ||
| AKD980988158 | Arctic Surplus | Fairbanks North Star Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska -Demographics:As of the 2000 census, 82,840 people, 29,777 households, and 20,516 families were residing in the borough. The population density was 11 people per square mile . There were 33,291 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile... |
On-site groundwater contaminated with trichloroethylene Trichloroethylene The chemical compound trichloroethylene is a chlorinated hydrocarbon commonly used as an industrial solvent. It is a clear non-flammable liquid with a sweet smell. It should not be confused with the similar 1,1,1-trichloroethane, which is commonly known as chlorothene.The IUPAC name is... (TCE). On-site soil contaminated with industrial solvents, polychlorinated biphenyl Polychlorinated biphenyl Polychlorinated biphenyls are a class of organic compounds with 2 to 10 chlorine atoms attached to biphenyl, which is a molecule composed of two benzene rings. The chemical formula for PCBs is C12H10-xClx... s (PCBs), and lead Lead Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed... . |
10/26/1989 | 08/30/1990 | 09/25/2006 | ||
| AK1570028646 | Eielson Air Force Base Eielson Air Force Base Eielson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska and just southeast of Moose Creek, Alaska.... |
Fairbanks North Star Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska -Demographics:As of the 2000 census, 82,840 people, 29,777 households, and 20,516 families were residing in the borough. The population density was 11 people per square mile . There were 33,291 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile... |
Groundwater contains lead and volatile organic compound Volatile organic compound Volatile organic compounds are organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at ordinary, room-temperature conditions. Their high vapor pressure results from a low boiling point, which causes large numbers of molecules to evaporate or sublimate from the liquid or solid form of the compound and... s (VOCs) such as benzene Benzene Benzene is an organic chemical compound. It is composed of 6 carbon atoms in a ring, with 1 hydrogen atom attached to each carbon atom, with the molecular formula C6H6.... , xylene Xylene Xylene encompasses three isomers of dimethylbenzene. The isomers are distinguished by the designations ortho- , meta- , and para- , which specify to which carbon atoms the two methyl groups are attached... , and toluene Toluene Toluene, formerly known as toluol, is a clear, water-insoluble liquid with the typical smell of paint thinners. It is a mono-substituted benzene derivative, i.e., one in which a single hydrogen atom from the benzene molecule has been replaced by a univalent group, in this case CH3.It is an aromatic... (BTEX compounds BTEX BTEX is an acronym that stands for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes. These compounds are some of the volatile organic compounds found in petroleum derivatives such as petrol . Toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes have harmful effects on the central nervous system.BTEX compounds are... ). Several areas of subsurface petroleum-contaminated soil and floating petroleum product are the sources of continuing groundwater contamination. |
07/14/1989 | 11/21/1989 | |||
| AK6210022426 | Fort Wainwright Fort Wainwright Fort Wainwright is a United States Army post adjacent to Fairbanks in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is part of the Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:... |
Fairbanks North Star Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska -Demographics:As of the 2000 census, 82,840 people, 29,777 households, and 20,516 families were residing in the borough. The population density was 11 people per square mile . There were 33,291 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile... |
Groundwater and soil contaminated with solvents, petroleum products, pesticides, fuel additives, lead Lead Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed... and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Sediments contain PAHs and low level pesticides. |
07/14/1989 | 08/30/1990 | |||
| AK0001897602 | Salt Chuck Mine | Outer Ketchikan | Water and sediments in Kasaan Bay Kasaan, Alaska Kasaan is a city in the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 39 at the 2000 census.-History:Kasaan is one of the main historical communities of the Kaigani Haida... and Lake Ellen Creek contaminated with heavy metals from mine tailings Tailings Tailings, also called mine dumps, slimes, tails, leach residue, or slickens, are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction of an ore... . |
09/23/2009 | 03/04/2010 | |||
See also
- List of Superfund sites in the United States
- List of environmental issues
- List of waste types
- TOXMAPTOXMAPTOXMAP is a geographic information system from the United States National Library of Medicine that uses maps of the United States to help users visually explore data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Toxics Release Inventory and Superfund programs...