[CPEO-MEF] Arctic Surplus site nears end of cleanup

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Alaska
FAIRBANKS DAILY NEWS-MINER
Arctic Surplus site nears end of cleanup
By SHARICE WALKER
June 23, 2003

The Arctic Surplus scrap yard, which was identified nearly 15 years ago
as a contaminated site and environmental hazard, is nearing the end of
the cleanup process said representatives from several government
agencies at a public meeting Wednesday.

"It's been a very successful cleanup so far," said Greg Light, project
manager for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.

The defense department will spend an estimated $25 million cleaning the
24-acre site by the end of the project.

The property is located on Badger Road just off the Richardson Highway,
about five miles southeast of Fairbanks. It has been operated for
decades as a scrap yard with a large portion of the on-site materials
purchased from the military.

During the last several years, much of the hazardous materials,
including 22,000 pounds of asbestos, 75 gallons of chlordane, numerous
waste drums, lead battery casings and transformers containing oils with
polychlorinated biphenyls, commonly called PCBs, have been removed from
the site.

"PCBs and lead are the two contaminants that still remain," said Neil
Thompson of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Thompson gave a presentation at the meeting outlining the progress and
minor adjustments to the project. He said new information, which has
developed since the EPA decided on a remedy plan in 1995, will be
incorporated into the plan and will improve the treatment of the
contaminated soil.

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7244~1472267,00.html

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