Cold Bay, Alaska Soil Remediation

Cold Bay is a remote community, located at the western end of the Alaskan Peninsula. During World War II, Cold Bay served both as a naval base and an air field. Seated on the north west shore of it's name sake, Cold Bay, the site was abandoned in 1950, leaving behind structures, pipelines, tank farms, and other support facilities. The site included multiple fuel storage tank locations, a drum disposal area, and ancillary sources. Contaminants of concern included fuels, solvents and pesticides. Under the Total Environmental Restoration Contract (TERC) with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Ahtna Government Services Corporation subcontracted to thermally remediate contaminated soils on this site.

Due to the remote location, fuels and electrical power for all associated equipment had to be established on site, and over 160 tons of additional thermal treatment equipment was transported to the site on coastal barges.

Labor, materials and supplies were shipped to the remote location to treat petroleum impacted soils using an on-site thermal remediation plant, where the contaminated soils were prescreened and thermally treated. Dust control, run-on and run-off prevention measures were implemented site-wide. After successful treatment, clean soils were stockpiled locally. Stockpiled soils were then sampled at regular intervals for verification, and the site was evenly graded.

Project Performance

The climate in Cold Bay presented challenges, with temperatures as low as -17 degrees farenheight and an average of over 33 inches of yearly precipitation. The extreme cold and heavy snowfalls are often combined with high frequencies of cyclonic storms; frequently averaging 30 mph for a 24 hour periods. Despite the remote location and challenging site and weather conditions, the project was completed within the constrained budget in only two months time.