Daily Sitka Sentinel

Study Sought of APC Industrial Waste Sites

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer

The Gary Paxton Industrial Park board has recommended Assembly approval of a budget for geotechnical assessments of two parcels of land at the park affected by the pulp mill operations of the former owner, the Alaska Pulp Corp.

City Environmental Superintendent Shilo Williams said today the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation is requiring a geotechnical assessment of Block 4 Lot 1, documented as a former APC landfill. DEC also recommended a geotechnical assessment of an area behind the former APC filter plant, though it was never a documented landfill, she said.

Both parcels are considered to be part of the industrial park property, said GPIP director Garry White.

White provided an update today to the Sentinel on last week’s regular GPIP meeting, which also included the board’s discussion of issues related to the GPIP multipurpose dock, maintenance, the boat haulout RFP, and requests from businesses at the park.

APC Landfill/Lot

Block 4, Lot 1 is a documented APC landfill that the city agreed to monitor under its agreement with the state in 1999 when the city accepted ownership of the property. The city has been fulfilling its obligation to monitor the landfill, Williams said. 

The second site, at Block 3, lot 1, is not a documented landfill, she said, but appears to be an area where pulp mill debris and material – stainless steel rods, ceramic tiles from an adsorption tower, other materials –were either stored or disposed of. 

Addressing the documented landfill, Williams said the city has seen a shift in movement of one of the survey monuments, and further assessment is needed to determine whether debris below the landfill cap is moving, or if it’s just the cap itself.

The DEC is now requiring a geotechnical assessment of the property, and recommending a geotechnical assessment of the property near the former filter plant. Williams has been in conversation about this second lot with the DEC since 2019. 

Williams explained that in recent years, “The hillside behind the former pulp mill filter plant is sloughing and as it sloughs the debris is becoming exposed, and the sloughing is causing that debris to fall into the (Sawmill) creek.”

She clarified: “It appears the debris is inert, as there has not been a visible sheen in the soil or water.”

Estimates of the cost of each assessment is $135,000, for a total of $270,000.

White said the Assembly set up a contingency fund for monitoring, which now has a balance of $640,311.

The board agreed to recommend Assembly approval of funding for the assessments, in the fiscal year 2022 budget, White said.

Other Business

In other business, White said the board:

– approved recommendations for adjustments to the port tariff fee schedule for the GPIP dock. The main change is a new exemption: there is no charge for wharfage for using the dock if fishing-related equipment is less than 30 square feet, and the user sells fish in Sitka.

– briefly reviewed the draft of the city’s RFP for the boat haulout, but did not recommend changes.

– approved moving forward with a user agreement to allow Sitka Salmon Shares to stage equipment in order to purchase fish on the dock. The business had requested a lease for dock space for a crane and freezer van. The board has agreed to the use, but has specified that the equipment must be mobile. White said. A user agreement, he added, will allow the company to conduct business, while allowing access for other users as needed. The agreement does not have to go to the Assembly.

– approved expanding a lease area for Delta Western for an additional charge, to make room for the fuel company to store another fuel tank and fuel spill booms in the uplands property known as 9a. The company also asked for a five-year lease, rather than a month-to-month agreement, which was turned down. One of the board members, Delta Western’s Southeast marketing manager Mike Johnson, recused himself from voting, citing conflict of interest.

– tabled the request for a month-to-month lease for CS Enterprises to lease a portion of Block 4, Lot 1 (the old APC landfill site) for a sawmill. Board members agreed to wait for the geotechnical assessment, as required by DEC, before leasing any portion of the property.

– recommended establishing a $74,000 budget in fiscal year 2022 to repair the bulk water line. The board proposed using the funds from the raw water fund, established from fees collected through water sales contracts.