Monofill project heads present plan to populace

By Dan Rudy

Sentinel writer

Project leads for a contaminated site reclamation met with townspeople Monday evening to address concerns with a proposed monofill.

The monofill – a landfill meant for only one substance, in this case treated, lead-contaminated soil – would be the second phase of the Byford junkyard cleanup, an operation which was undertaken last year by Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Environmental Protection Agency and various contractors. In use as a private landfill and junkyard since the 1960s, the former Byford property has been an identified risk to public health since at least 2000, when DEC and the EPA began site assessments.

The City of Wrangell acquired the property in 2006 through foreclosure, and while it took steps to remove surface debris in 2010, it was unable to contend with the extensive contamination of the site's petroleum and lead enriched soil. Assessments by the EPA in 2014 revealed lead concentrations in the surface soil of about 10,000 parts per million, as high as 50,000 ppm. Speaking Monday, Nortech technical manager Jason Ginter explained concentrations pervaded deep beneath the surface as well, from three to six feet deep. Contamination had also crept onto neighboring state and private properties, and lead acid from a trove of batteries kept on site had found its way down to the nearby 4-Mile beachfront.

A request for assistance by Wrangell was approved by DEC in 2015, earmarking up to $3.9 million for the project from its Oil and Hazardous Substance Release Prevention and Response Fund. The scope of the project widened substantially as work began, and during site preparation for the remediation in early 2016 further caches of buried materials were found throughout the property.

"We found those throughout the soil. Literally layer after layer after layer of materials," commented John Halverson, an environmental program manager for DEC. More than 60 shipping containers of debris and the most heavily-contaminated soils were transported out of state for reprocessing, but 18,000 cubic yards of lead-infused soil proved to be too expensive to similarly ship out.

With the project already over budget at around $6.5 million, Halverson explained a determination was made to instead construct a monofill to contain it on-island. A site deemed ideal to that purpose had been found at a state-owned rock pit, about two miles east from Zimovia Highway along Pats Creek Road. Managed by the Department of Natural Resources, the pit's high rock walls and hydrologic characteristics made it a good fit for constructing a monofill. After conducting a series of tests on the site, DEC made arrangements for its use with DNR, and made plans to begin construction late last month. DEC contacted the U.S. Forest Service's Wrangell Ranger District to request use of its Pats Creek Road for the work, which Ginter estimated could take about four months, weather-permitting.

The road's namesake incorporates a network of anadromous streams of importance to local subsistence and recreational users, and has subsequently proven to be a sensitive site. News of the monofill came suddenly to many residents, and Halverson was apologetic about the lack of communication between project leads and the community up to that point.

"In hindsight, we should have done a better job of outreach with the community and the Tribe," he said.

Monday's public meeting was intended to try to address local concerns and explore alternatives. It was well attended, with City Hall having to make use of all of the building's chairs in the main chambers. Along with Halverson and Ginter, Shane O'Neill and Paul Nielson of NRC Alaska, Tim Hoffman with the DEC Contaminated Sites Program, and R&M Engineering's Mike Howell were on hand to explain their project. City staff, members of the Assembly, Wrangell Cooperative Association representatives and Rep. Dan Ortiz (I-Ketchikan) were among those in attendance.

One of the main concerns residents shared was with the presence of lead in the soil to be interred in the monofill. During the reclamation process at Byford's, contaminated soils were separated and treated with EcoBond, a phosphate-based compound which bonds chemically with lead to significantly reduce its leachability by making it less apt to bond with passing water molecules. In this state, Ginter explained the only way the lead will migrate is if the soil itself washes away.

"How secure is this?" resident Donna Kuntz wanted to know.

"The chemistry behind it is it's a permanent bonding with the lead," Halverson responded. He has been acquainted with EcoBond for nine years, and though the compound has been in use since 2000 the concept behind it is much older. "I'm satisfied that the science works."

With the EcoBond applied, the soil to be kept in the monofill comes to just over 18,500 cubic yards. As designed, it would be compacted and contained using mesh fabric and rock drainage, layered over with a non permeable sheeting and buried under a sloping surface of stone and soil. The slopes and covers would limit the amount of moisture reaching the stabilized soil, while the mesh and drainage would prevent it from becoming saturated at freezing during the winter. While the treated soil is unlikely to leach out into water, the lead present in it still would pose a threat to humans, other animals and plants that may consume it, which is why the monofill requires encapsulation.

From Wrangell himself, Howell assured the group the science was sound. Asked if he would feel comfortable eating a deer shot on top of the monofill, or drink water runoff from it, he said he would.

Halverson said his department's focus was to maintain the state's environment for future generations, and he felt the project reflected that. "I'm doing this job for my kids and my grandkids," he said at one point. By taking on the monofill project, he further explained the state was making a commitment to its continued upkeep.

Moving forward, it was explained work on the monofill would at this point likely not begin until next spring, with the soil remaining in temporary cells at the Byford property. In the meantime, Halverson explained DEC would continue to stay in communication with local stakeholders. In the unlikely event further funding could be found for the project – an estimate of $12 million was given to move the soil elsewhere – other options for the soil's disposal could be entertained. Building and maintaining the monofill is anticipated to cost $5.5 million.

Some residents remained unconvinced about the plan by the meeting's end.

"We don't want it there, it's too close to Pats Creek," said Virginia Oliver.

Another, Lupe Rogers, felt she was left with more doubts after the presentation than she had before. Others remained hopeful an alternative solution could be found. Dave Rak recommended that concerned residents contact representatives in government for some form of intervention, such as Sen. Lisa Murkowski.