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State approves North Pole cleanup plan Departments of Environmental Conservation, Law, OK contaminated soil, groundwater plan proposed by Flint Hills Resources Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
The Alaska departments of Environmental Conservation and Law said Oct. 20 that the state has approved a cleanup plan proposed by Flint Hills Resources for contaminated soil and groundwater at its North Pole refinery property.
Flint Hills acquired the refinery in 2004 from Williams Alaska Petroleum Inc. Sulfolane, an industrial solvent, was found in wells near the refinery in the fall of 2009.
“The discovery and investigation of sulfolane contamination has been unprecedented in Alaska due to the distance that sulfolane has traveled in groundwater and the number of private drinking water wells affected,” the departments said.
On a website for the North Pole refinery project, DEC said the groundwater plume is some 2.5 miles wide, 3 miles long and nearly 300 feet deep, “making it one of the largest in the state, with many private properties impacted.”
The department said Flint Hills responded quickly after discovery of the sulfolane contamination and provided affected residents with alternative water supplies, with nearly 300 alternate drinking water supplies installed.
Future use limited The departments said cleanup actions in the plan “are designed to protect onsite workers and eliminate migration of contaminants off the North Pole refinery property.” Groundwater treatment, recovery of fuel and other contaminants from groundwater and excavation of contaminated soil from certain areas are included in the plan.
Flint Hills has shut down operations at the North Pole facility and has the facility up for sale. The departments said the cleanup plan also includes “management practices for a future owner of the property and limits future use to industrial operations in order to prevent contact with the remaining contamination.”
“We will continue to work with Flint Hills and any prospective purchaser to resolve any remaining questions about future responsibilities related to the contamination and facilitate a purchase,” Alaska Attorney General Mike Geraghty said in the departments’ statement. “Finalizing how the contamination at the property will be addressed and what management practices and use restrictions apply is an important step.”
The state sued Williams Alaska Petroleum and Flint Hills Resources earlier in the year, claiming that sulfolane contamination continued and spread after Flint Hills acquired the refinery, and that a long history of spills and leaks of petroleum products from the refinery also continued through 2012 (see story in March 23, 2014, issue).
Flint Hills announced its decision to close the refinery in February, citing a dispute over ground contamination liability as compounding difficult market conditions for the plant.
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