St. Paul Island: TPA Site 9h Former Alaska Dormitory

The Former Alaska Dormitory site.

During the 1940s, an underground storage tank (UST) was installed on the site property to store heating oil for the Former Alaska Dormitory (also known locally as the Aleutian Bunkhouse), which served as government employee housing.  NOAA proposed to remove the UST in anticipation of the transfer of real property to Aleut Native American entities under the Transfer of Property Agreement.

Excavation at the Former Alaska Dormitory site with the UST visible.

Site cleanup actions started on October 30, 2002.  Soil covering the UST was removed.  The top of the UST was encountered at approximately 3.5 feet below ground surface.  After exposing the top of the UST, approximately 1,400 gallons of diesel fuel was pumped from it into a tank and donated to the City of St. Paul.  The UST was then removed from the ground, hauled to a nearby garage, cleaned with soap and water, and cut into manageable pieces for recycling. 

After removing the UST, gray soil with a strong petroleum odor was discovered at the bottom of the excavation.  Contaminated soils were removed to the greatest extent practicable.  Maintaining the integrity of the nearby building foundation was a factor in the extent of excavation.  Six confirmation samples were collected from the excavation area and analyzed at a fixed laboratory.  The excavation was backfilled with clean fill material and the site was restored to grade.  In 2004, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation granted NOAA conditional closure of the Former Alaska Dormitory site.