In 1988 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) placed Fort Richardson on the hazardous waste compliance docket. In 1991 the Army entered into a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Federal Facilities Compliance Agreement with EPA. A two-party agreement with the state of Alaska was signed in 1993. The base was proposed for the EPA National Priorities List in June 1993, and listed in June 1994. Fort Richardson, located adjacent to Anchorage, Alaska, currently encompasses an area of about 62,000 acres. For remedial activity purposes, four Operable Units (OUs) have been delineated. These OUs consist of a landfill, disposal areas and spills sites, fire-fighting training areas, tank storage areas and Eagle River Flats, an artillery firing range.
The principal public health exposure issue is the consumption of white phosphorous-contaminated waterfowl from Eagle River Flats. Although waterfowl contamination by white phosphorous has been documented, it is not likely that people would consume sufficient contaminated waterfowl to result in a public health hazard. Additionally, extensive remediation activities are underway to eliminate the white phosphorous from Eagle River Flats.
Institutional controls limit access to source areas, operable units and abandoned structures, have eliminated possible exposures to other sites of contamination and physical hazards within Fort Richardson. However, if land use changes, the likelihood of human exposure should be re-evaluated by the Army, the EPA, the state of Alaska, or ATSDR.
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) was established under the mandate of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980. (Note: Appendix A provides a listing of abbreviations and acronyms used in this report.) This act, also known as the "Superfund" law, authorized the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct clean-up activities at hazardous waste sites. EPA was directed to compile a list of sites considered hazardous to public health. This list is termed the National Priorities List (NPL). The 1986 Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) directed ATSDR to perform a public health assessment for each NPL site. In 1990, federal facilities were included on the NPL.
Public health assessments (PHAs) are conducted by scientists from ATSDR (or from states with which ATSDR has cooperative agreements). The purpose of a PHA is to determine whether people have been (in the past) or are being exposed to (in contact with) hazardous substances and if so, whether that exposure is harmful and should be stopped or reduced. If exposures have occurred ATSDR uses the PHA to evaluate what actions are required to assist those who have been harmed.
In conducting the PHA, three types of information are used. A major source of information is the extensive environmental data collected for EPA. This information is examined to determine whether people in the community might be exposed to hazardous materials from the NPL facility. If people are being exposed to these chemicals, ATSDR will determine whether the exposure is at levels which might cause harm. A second source of information used in the PHA is community health concerns. ATSDR will collect health concerns of community members and determine whether health problems could be related to exposure to chemicals released from the NPL facility. If ATSDR finds that harmful exposures have occurred, health outcome data (information from local hospitals and other medical organizations) can be used to indicate that illnesses are occurring which could be linked to hazardous chemicals released from the NPL facility.
The PHA presents conclusions about whether exposures are occurring, and whether a health threat is presented. In some cases, it is possible to determine whether exposures occurred in the past. If it is found that a threat exists, recommendations are made to stop or reduce the threat to public health. ATSDR is an advisory agency. Its recommendations identify actions which EPA, the facility or local agencies can undertake. If exposures are occurring at levels which could pose a threat to public health, ATSDR can undertake health education activities or certain additional followup studies. ATSDR can also identify types of information which might be needed to make public health decisions, if such information is lacking.
In order to evaluate the effect on public health of contaminants at NPL sites, the public health assessment focuses on examining whether people have been exposed to (in contact with) the contaminants. To this end, the two most important tasks in the public health assessment are:
In this PHA we will examine:
To make the above decisions, each of the possible environmental pathways will be examined. The environmental pathway "media" that this PHA will examine are:
Another important factor is the way that people might contact the contaminant. By this we mean whether the chemical is:
Not all chemicals are a hazard for each of these methods of contact. For example, most metals are not harmful, particularly in very low amounts, if the only contact is by way of the skin.
Figure One portrays the exposure evaluation process study we will make in this PHA.
Fort Richardson, adjacent to Anchorage, Alaska, was established in 1940 (See Figure Two). The base encompasses an area of about 62,000 acres. The original purpose of the base was to serve as the command location for the Alaska Defense Forces to protect Alaska from foreign attack (2). In 1941, the ADF was redesignated the Alaskan Defense Command and was a staging and supply area during World War II. In 1950, Fort Richardson was divided between the Army and Air Force. The northern portion of the base was released to the Air Force to be redesignated Elmendorf Air Force Base. In 1988, Army forces in Alaska were reorganized as the 6th Infantry Division (Light) and assigned to U.S. Army Pacific Command (USARPAC) with half of the division stationed at Fort Richardson. The Division was inactivated in 1994 and forces were reorganized as the 1st Brigade, 6th Infantry Division (Light) under the command and control of U.S. Army Alaska headquartered at Fort Richardson (2).
Fort Richardson began investigating the management of hazardous waste in 1988. In 1988, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) placed Fort Richardson on the hazardous waste compliance docket. In 1991, the Army entered into a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Federal Facilities Compliance Agreement with EPA. A two-party agreement with the state of Alaska was signed in 1993. The facility was proposed for listing in June 1993, and listed on the NPL in June 1994. Most hazardous waste on Fort Richardson is generated by maintenance operations in motor pools, aircraft hangers, installation industrial operations, or at sites where lead or asbestos were used in base structures (2).
For remedial activity purposes, Fort Richardson has delineated four Operable Units (OUs), These OUs consist of 19 source areas, including landfills, disposal areas or spill sites, fire fighting training areas, tank storage areas and Eagle River Flats . (See Figure Three.) Table One lists the sources and Operable Units.
The primary environmental contaminants at Fort Richardson are white phosphorous from artillery rounds, asbestos, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs, usually solvents and cleaners), polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), fuel products, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, commonly used in wood preservatives and also given off in automobile or truck exhaust or during burning activities), and metals (2).
WHAT ARE THE CONTAMINANTS AT FORT RICHARDSON? WHICH ENVIRONMENTAL MEDIA ARE CONTAMINATED?
HOW DO THE CONTAMINANTS TRAVEL TO WHERE PEOPLE CAN BE IN CONTACT WITH THEM? HOW COULD PEOPLE BE EXPOSED?
ARE PEOPLE EXPOSED (OR WERE THEY EXPOSED IN THE PAST)? IF EXPOSURE IS OCCURRING, OR OCCURRED IN THE PAST
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Figure Two – Site Location Map
Figure Three – Operable Units and Source Areas
| Table 1 – Sources and Operable Units at Fort Richardson | ||||
| Site # | OU | Building/Location | Site Function | Potential Contaminants |
| W020 | A | 986 | POL Laboratory Drywell | POL, solvents, acids, alcohol, various laboratory reagents |
| W010 | A | 67630 | Roosevelt Road Transmitter Site Leachfield | PCBs in transformer oils |
| W040 | A | Former Landfill #9 (Ruff Road) | Ruff Road Former Fire Training Area | COnstruction rubble, fuel, solvents |
| N087 | B | UC602992 | Poleline Road Disposal Area | solvents, smoke canisters, chemical warfare training material |
| W006 | C | Eagle River Flats | Eagle River Flats Impact Area | munitions residue, white phosphorous, unexploded ordnance |
| W025 | C | Vicinity of ERF | Open Burn/Open Demolition Area | munitions residue, ordnance, ash |
| W009 | D | 700 | Former Drum/PCB Storage Area | PCBs, waste paint, HCl, methyl ethyl ketone, mineral spirits |
| R053 | D | 704 | Former Roads and Grounds Drum Storage & Waste Accumulation Area | POL, waste paint, fuel, solvent, asbestos |
| W016 | D | 726 | Former Laundry and Drycleaning USTs | Perchloroethylene |
| R059 | D | 796 | DOL Maintenance Area, Former Battery Acid Disposal Site | Neutralized battery acid, heavy metals |
| R060 | D | 955 | Used Oil Transfer Area | Used oil/fuel |
| W023 | D | 35752 | PCB Site/UST (Antenna Bldg) | PCBs, POL |
| W002 | D | 45590 | Motor Pool | Waste Oil, lubricants, antifreeze, acid, solvents |
| W028 | D | FRA RDs | Dust Palliative | Waste Oil, solvents |
| N090 | D | UC538948 | Circle Road Drum Site | POL |
| W015 | D | FRA Landfill | Landfill Former Fire Training Area | Oil, solvents, hydraulic fluids, fuels |
| R072 | D | FRA Landfill | Grease Pit #1 | POL, oil/water separator sediment, fuel tank water, ethyl glycol |
| R073 | D | FRA Landfill | Grease Pit #2 | POL, oil/water separator sediment, fuel tank water, ethyl glycol |
| R075 | D | FRA | Storm Drainage Outfall to Ship Creek | Oil, fuel, solvents |
NOTE: At least four source areas from OU D will undergo a Remedial Investigation while the others will possibly require either "No Further Action" or action under a non-CERCLA program (9).
Contaminated environmental media include onsite soil, surface water and associated sediment, and groundwater. There are no verified completed human exposure pathways. Although public access to the facility is not prohibited, the facility is not readily accessible around much of its perimeter. Outlying source areas are located in remote and inaccessible areas. Onsite OUs are fenced, paved-over or otherwise secured.
Fort Richardson is located within the municipality of Anchorage. The population of Anchorage is about 250,000, with a total of about 82,000 households (1). The community of Eagle River (population about 25,000) lies to the east of Fort Richardson. The post cantonment area serves about 2,200 military personnel and 3,200 family members. An additional 1,500 civilian personnel are employed onsite (2).
Land Use and Natural Resources
As stated above, Fort Richardson is located within the municipality of Anchorage in south-central Alaska. The Anchorage area is a roughly triangular lowland, lying between Turnagain Arm and Knik Arm (See Figure Two). Immediately to the east, the Chugach Mountains rise abruptly from this lowland to an elevation of about 5,300 feet (3).
The base is bounded to the west by Anchorage and Elmendorf Air Base, by Eagle River and Knik Arm to the north. To the east and south the base is bounded by the undeveloped and mountainous Chugach State Park (See Figure Two).
Ship Creek, the primary water source for the municipality of Anchorage and surrounding area, runs through Fort Richardson, flowing east to west. The water bodies and wilderness areas, where they are accessible, are used for recreational purposes.
Fort Richardson and its surroundings are an ecologically diverse area, ranging from marine environments, marshes and wetlands, to forest, alpine and glacial zones. The wildlife inhabiting the areas is equally diverse and abundant, ranging from marine mammals, salmon and other game fish, numerous waterfowl, raptors and nongame birds, to small mammals such as mink, fox, beaver and numerous small rodents, and large mammals such as bear, moose, Dall sheep and wolves. It is not the purpose of, nor is it possible in this synopsis to adequately detail the range of ecosystems and wildlife of the area.
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