Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge 

Aleutian Island Unit

95 Sterling Highway, Ste. 1

Homer, AK 99603

Phone: (907) 543-3151

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

1 800/344-WILD

http://www.fws.gov

January 2014
Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands 

Contaminant Assessment

Deborah D. Rudis

January 2014

This report may be cited as:

Rudis, D.D. 2013. Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands 

Contaminant Assessment. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Juneau Field Office, Alaska. 146 pp.

On the cover: Kiska Island Volcano. USFWS photo
ii Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

The purpose of the Contaminant Assessment Process (CAP) is to 

compile and summarize known past, present, and potential future 

contaminant issues on National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs). The CAP 

has gathered information to help Service personnel make informed 

management decisions about contaminant threats to refuge lands and 

resources. Because of the extent of the Alaska Maritime National 

Wildlife Refuge (refuge), CAP reports for this refuge cover units, subunits, or individual islands of the refuge. This report documents known 

and potential contaminant issues on Attu and Kiska Islands of the 

Aleutian Islands Unit of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. 

Most people regard National Wildlife Refuges as untouched areas 

reserved for the conservation of wildlife and fish. However, during the 

World War II Aleutian campaign, Attu and Kiska were of strategic 

importance and were occupied by both Japanese and Allied forces. 

Remains of buildings, tent camps, gun emplacements, fuel storage 

tanks, pipelines, dumps, ammunition piles, utilities, vehicles, and ordnance are found on refuge land on these islands. As the years progress, 

erosion exposes new sites while others are overgrown by vegetation.

Both islands encompass a variety of maritime habitats, including rolling 

tundra where Aleutian Canada geese and rock ptarmigan nest, coastal 

cliffs that serve as nesting sites for thousands of seabirds, rivers where 

salmon spawn, and rocky shorelines where common eiders nest and 

feed offshore, along with sea otters that are found in the coastal kelp 

forest. Kiska holds the world’s largest population of least auklets on 

the slopes of Kiska Volcano at Sirius Point. Monitoring these and other 

wildlife species is a primary refuge management goal. 

The majority of contaminant issues on Attu and Kiska are from World 

War II (WWII) activities. Leakage and spills from petroleum product 

tank farms and other storage areas, fuel lines, burn pits, and barrel 

dumps are common, as are battery dumps, ammunition piles, electrical transformers, and debris piles. Unexploded ordnance is a serious 

issue on both islands, presenting potential hazards to refuge staff, 

visiting scientists, and the public. Soil and water sampling has been 

conducted at both islands by contractors for the U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers, the branch of the U.S. Army responsible for assessing 

extent of contamination at former military sites, and its contractors. 

Soil, sediment, and some biota were sampled on Attu by the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service (USFWS, Service) in the early 1990s. Additional 

sampling is needed on both islands to fully characterize the extent 

and severity of contamination.

On Attu, most all of the known contaminated sites are associated 

with former Department of Defense (DoD) activities on refuge lands, 

including a series of facilities operated by the U.S. Coast Guard 

(USCG) as aids to navigation. On Kiska, all of the known contaminated 

sites are associated with DoD activities. Cleanup and remediation of 

DoD sites will be undertaken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

(ACOE) under the Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) program. If 

and when any potentially contaminated lands presently under USCG 

Executive Summary
Contaminant Assessment iii

jurisdiction are proposed to be conveyed back to the refuge, a full 

contaminant assessment involving rigorous sampling should be completed by the present land managers before the Service accepts any of 

these properties. 

Because some of the contaminated sites on Attu are associated with 

long-term ongoing fuel leaks, these areas are a hazard to birds that 

forage in these upland locations. There are also sites where fuel still 

flows into nearby streams during warm weather periods. In addition, 

groundwater contamination by petroleum hydrocarbons may also be a 

concern at former tank farm sites. These sites should be a priority for 

further investigation, cleanup, and remediation actions.

The Great Circle Route for ocean-going transport brings over 3,000 

vessels per year through the area between the Near Islands (the 

island complex that includes Attu) and the Rat Islands (where Kiska is 

located). Because of the potential for future oil spills, spill response preparedness through spill contingency planning is one way for the refuge 

to prepare for such potentially damaging events. Collection of adequate 

baseline data prior to spill events is important for damage assessment 

efforts when spill incidents occur that affect Service trust resources. 

The remote location of these islands will present considerable response 

challenges, should significant spills occur.

Sites in the western Aleutians may be subject to long-range atmospheric and oceanic transport of contaminants from sources in Asia, 

and migratory birds may serve as a biotic vector for transport of both 

contaminants and nutrients, particularly through guano deposition, to 

these island ecosystems.

Marine debris will continue to present ongoing challenges for the 

refuge. Potential transport of debris associated with the March 2011 

Japan tsunami may exacerbate an already significant problem.

Executive Summary

Contaminant Assessment v

Table of Contents

Executive Summary.......................................................................................................................................................ii

Acronyms and Abbreviations.......................................................................................................................................ix

Acknowledgments .........................................................................................................................................................xi

Author’s Notes...............................................................................................................................................................xi

Contaminant Assessment Process ...............................................................................................................................1

The Contaminant Assessment Process in Alaska ...............................................................................................1

The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Islands of Attu and Kiska .............................................3

Attu and Kiska Islands ..........................................................................................................................................3

Attu ....................................................................................................................................................................5

Kiska and Little Kiska ....................................................................................................................................8

Land Status ...........................................................................................................................................................11

Attu ..................................................................................................................................................................11

U.S. Coast Guard Lands ...............................................................................................................................11

Aleut Corporation Lands ..............................................................................................................................12

National Historic Landmark .......................................................................................................................14

Kiska ...............................................................................................................................................................14

Alaska National Interests Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) .............................................................16

Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP) ..........................................................................16

Attu.................................................................................................................................................................................17

Contaminant Investigations ................................................................................................................................17

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) ...................................................................................................17

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS, Service) ...................................................................................17

Navy Town Petroleum Contamination ........................................................................................................20

Ecology & Environment, Inc. (E & E) ......................................................................................................21

Dames & Moore ............................................................................................................................................23

Removal and Remediation Activities to Date ....................................................................................................24

Remedial Planning.........................................................................................................................................25

Attu Island Contaminant Sources and Issues ...................................................................................................27

U.S. Coast Guard LORAN A and C Stations ............................................................................................30

Casco Cove and Casco Point .........................................................................................................................34

Fuel Tank Farms ............................................................................................................................................38

Navy Town......................................................................................................................................................42

Murder Point and Peninsula .........................................................................................................................45

LORAN A Station .........................................................................................................................................45

Massacre Valley..............................................................................................................................................46

Peaceful River Valley ....................................................................................................................................48

Alexai Point and Creek..................................................................................................................................49

Barrel Dump above the North-South Airstrip ..........................................................................................51

Chichagof Harbor ..........................................................................................................................................51

Chichagof Point..............................................................................................................................................51

Siddens Valley ................................................................................................................................................51

Jarmin Pass ....................................................................................................................................................53

Engineer Hill..................................................................................................................................................53
vi Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Table of Contents

Holtz Bay ........................................................................................................................................................53

Zwinge Valley .................................................................................................................................................54

Guns.................................................................................................................................................................54

Kiska ..............................................................................................................................................................................56

Contaminant and UXO Investigations ...............................................................................................................56

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ....................................................................................................................56

U.S. Navy........................................................................................................................................................58

United States Fish and Wildlife Service ....................................................................................................60

Ecology and Environment (E & E) .............................................................................................................61

Dames & Moore ............................................................................................................................................61

Kiska – Act of War Determination ......................................................................................................................63

Removal and Remediation Activities to Date ....................................................................................................64

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Activities .....................................................................................................64

Kiska Island Contaminant Sources and Issues.................................................................................................64

Kiska Site Descriptions .......................................................................................................................................64

Site Investigation (Bristol 2012) Site Descriptions ..........................................................................................65

Main Camp......................................................................................................................................................65

Salmon Lagoon...............................................................................................................................................65

Trout Lagoon..................................................................................................................................................66

Gertrude Cove................................................................................................................................................66

Bukhti Point....................................................................................................................................................67

South Head .....................................................................................................................................................67

Submarine Base .............................................................................................................................................67

North Head.....................................................................................................................................................67

Remedial Investigation (Dames & Moore 1996) Site Descriptions ................................................................68

OU 1 - Lower Camp Petroleum Seep and Drums .....................................................................................68

OU 2 – Lower Camp Shed ............................................................................................................................68

OU 3 – Lower Camp Garage ........................................................................................................................68

OU 4 – Canadian Camp Garage and Transformers ..................................................................................70

OU 5 - Lower Camp Power Station .............................................................................................................70

OU 6 - Lower Camp Electrical Debris........................................................................................................72

OU 7 - Lower Camp Debris Pile and Beach Road Drums .......................................................................72

OU 8 - Lower Camp Collapsed Wood Building and Drums .....................................................................73

OU 9 - Camp Creek ......................................................................................................................................73

OU 10 - Gun Revetments, Wood and Metal Debris ..................................................................................73

OU 11 - Pier Tanks and Wood Debris ........................................................................................................73

OU 12 - North Head Camp Transformers .................................................................................................73

OU 13 - North Head Camp Garage and Maintenance Building ..............................................................75

OU 14 - North Head Camp Drum Dump ...................................................................................................75

Little Kiska ...................................................................................................................................................................97

Marine Environment .................................................................................................................................................100

Seafood Harvest and Processors ......................................................................................................................100

Oil Spills ...............................................................................................................................................................102

Attu Shipwrecks ..........................................................................................................................................103
Contaminant Assessment vii

Table of Contents

Figures

Figure 1. Attu Land Ownership (FWS map) ........................................................................................................13

Figure 2. Kiska and Little Kiska land ownership (FWS map) ............................................................................15

Figure 3. U.S. Coast Guard LORAN C Station ....................................................................................................31

Figure 4. Casco Cove Point, Attu ............................................................................................................................35

Figure 5. Attu Known Ordnance Concentration Areas ........................................................................................37

Figure 6. Navy Town and Casco Point, Attu ..........................................................................................................43

Figure 7. Massacre Bay, Attu ..................................................................................................................................47

Figure 8. Alexai Point ...............................................................................................................................................50

Figure 9. Chichagof Harbor, Attu ...........................................................................................................................52

Figure 10. Zwinge Valley, Attu ..................................................................................................................................55

Figure 11. Areas of Known Allied In-water Ranges, Kiska ..................................................................................59

Figure 12. Lower Camp Marsh Area, Kiska ...........................................................................................................69

Figure 13. Canadian Camp Garage and Transformers, Kiska ..............................................................................71

Figure 14. Canadian Lower Camp and North Head, Kiska ..................................................................................74

Figure 15. North Head Area, Kiska .........................................................................................................................76

Figure 16. Kiska Island Road Net North, Kiska ....................................................................................................77

Figure 17. Gasoline Distribution and Storage Area, Kiska ...................................................................................82

Kiska Shipwrecks .......................................................................................................................................103

Marine Debris......................................................................................................................................................104

Future Development..................................................................................................................................................107

Recreation ...................................................................................................................................................................108

Hunting and Fishing..................................................................................................................................................109

Commercial Fishing ...........................................................................................................................................109

Biotic Sources and Physical Transport ....................................................................................................................110

Biotic Sources .....................................................................................................................................................110

Aleutian Fish Contaminant Study .............................................................................................................110

Bald Eagles and Contaminants .................................................................................................................111

Seabirds and Contaminants .......................................................................................................................112

Sea Otters and Contaminants ....................................................................................................................113

Physical Transport..............................................................................................................................................114

Climate Change...................................................................................................................................................115

Contaminant Fate and Transport .............................................................................................................115

Arctic Marine Traffic, Environmental Considerations, and Impacts ..........................................................116

Areas of Concern and Future Sampling Needs ......................................................................................................119

Conclusions..................................................................................................................................................................121

Bibliography and Literature Cited ..........................................................................................................................122

Web References...................................................................................................................................................128

Attu Sites ......................................................................................................................................................129

Kiska Sites ....................................................................................................................................................129

Appendix......................................................................................................................................................................130
viii Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Tables

Table 1. State of Alaska Soil Cleanup Levels for direct contact in locations with over

40 inches of annual rainfall (ADEC 2008). ..................................................................................................22

Table 2. Comparisons of persistent fuel capacity for estimated annual number of trips, 

and percentage by vessel type, for large commercial ships transiting Unimak Pass 

in the Aleutian Islands via the North Pacific Great Circle Route. ..................................................118

Figure 18. Salmon Lagoon Airstrip and Road, Kiska ............................................................................................83

Figure 19. Gertrude Cove Camp, Kiska ...................................................................................................................86

Figure 20. Trout Lagoon Camp, Kiska .....................................................................................................................87

Figure 21. Mutt and Jeff Coves, Kiska .....................................................................................................................89

Figure 22. OE and Gun Emplacements, Kiska .......................................................................................................90

Figure 23. Battle of the Aleutians – Allied Landing Areas, Kiska .......................................................................91

Figure 24. Little Kiska Gun Emplacement and Dames & Moore sampling locations. ......................................99

Figure 25. U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Domain Awareness Center map showing the 

Northern and Southern Great Circle Routes across the North Pacific. .........................................117

Table of Contents
Contaminant Assessment ix

Acronyms and Abbreviations

ACOE Army Corps of Engineers

ADEC Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation

AIS automated identification system

AMAP Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme

ANILCA Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act

AST above-ground storage tank

BLM Bureau of Land Management

BTEX benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes

CA chemical agent

CAP Contaminant Assessment Process

CCP comprehensive conservation plan

CON/HTRW containerized hazardous, toxic, and radioactive waste

COPCs contaminant of potential concern

CWM chemical warfare materials

DDD dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane

DDE dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene

DDT dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane

DERP Defense Environmental Restoration Program 

DoD Department of Defense

EE/CA engineering evaluation and cost analyses

EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

FUDS Formerly Used Defense Sites

HTRW hazardous, toxic, and radioactive waste

HTRW hazardous and toxic waste

LORAN Long Range Air Navigation

MD munitions debris

MEC munitions and explosives of concern

mg/kg milligrams per kilogram

MMRP Military Munitions Response Program

nm nautical mile

MRF munitions related feature

NDSA Naval Defense Sea Area

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NWR National Wildlife Refuge

OC organochlorine

OE ordnance and explosives

OEW ordnance and explosive waste
x Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Acronyms and Abbreviations

OP organophosphorous pesticides

OU operable unit

PA preliminary assessment

PAHs polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

PCBs polychlorinated biphenyls

PLO Public Land Order

POL petroleum, oil, and lubricants

POPs persistent organic pollutants 

ppm parts per million

RBSL risk-based screening level

Refuge Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge

RI Remedial Investigation

Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

SI Site Investigation

SVOCs semi-volatile organic compounds

System National Wildlife Refuge System

TNT 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene

ug/l micrograms per liter

USAF United States Air Force

USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service

USCG United States Coast Guard

USTs underground storage tanks

UXO unexploded ordnance

VOCs volatile organic compounds

WWII World War II
Contaminant Assessment xi

Acknowledgments

Many individuals contributed to this report. The Alaska Maritime 

National Wildlife Refuge staff provided information, logistic support, 

and review of this document—in particular, J. Williams, K. Sundseth, 

and M. Maxwell. Staff at the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Station Attu 

was generous with their time and assistance during my June 2007 visit 

on the island. USCG Air Station Kodiak provided transportation to and 

from Attu. Captain Pepper and crew of the USFWS, Alaska Maritime 

NWR vessel, the R/V Tiglax, provided safe journey to and from Kiska 

and were always ready to support our field efforts in any way. Their 

camaraderie and good cheer are unsurpassed. L. Spitler at the Adak 

office of Alaska Maritime NWR provided logistical support for Kiska 

camping preparations. P. Johnson from the USFWS Alaska Regional 

Office accompanied me through treks on Kiska; he and our interagency, 

interdisciplinary, and international team of K. Sundseth, D. Corbett, 

B. Campbell, M. Hawfield, and D. Spennemann made our 2007 camp 

on Kiska a memorable and remarkable experience. Staff at the U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Alaska Regional Office, Division of 

Realty was helpful with records search and review, particularly D. Jerry, 

N. Walsh, and J. Brewer. Files provided by R. Ragle from the Anchorage 

office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) and the Alaska 

Resources Library and Information Services (ARLIS) provided much of 

the historical information. Additional historic photos and other materials were from the National Archives office in Anchorage. P. Johnson 

provided support and feedback throughout this project and was the chief 

editor for accuracy and completeness, providing additional references 

and thoughtful comments. J. Williams of the Alaska Maritime NWR 

added invaluable information from his years of experience working 

in the Aleutians. Additional thanks are extended to B. Hanson and S. 

Brockmann of the USFWS Juneau Field Office for review and support. 

Schatz Publishing’s staff professional expertise was invaluable in the 

final compilation and layout of this document.

Author’s Notes

This report is a synthesis of available information on contaminant 

issues in the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Many 

sources were used to produce this document, and some passages have 

been reproduced from the refuge’s annual narratives, Web sites, and 

Land Protection Plan (USFWS 2011). When appropriate, specifics 

sources of information have been cited and listed in the Bibliography 

and Literature Cited section of this document. The volume of internal 

memos, Department of Defense (DoD) documents, USFWS Division 

of Realty records, and personal observations and conversations 

preclude the citation of every source used to produce this CAP 

report. Both islands were visited by the author in 2007, and Kiska 

was revisited in 2009.

Contaminant Assessment 1

This blue goose, designed 

by J.N. “Ding” Darling, has 

become a symbol of the National 

Wildlife Refuge System.

The mission of the National 

Wildlife Refuge System (System) 

“is to administer a national 

network of lands and waters for 

the conservation, management, 

and where appropriate, 

restoration of the fish, wildlife, 

and plant resources and their 

habitats within the United States 

for the benefit of present and 

future generations of Americans”

Contaminant Assessment Process

The Contaminant Assessment Process (CAP) is a standardized and 

comprehensive method for assessing contaminant threats on National 

Wildlife Refuges, which encompass over 92 million acres in the United 

States. The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System (System) 

“is to administer a national network of lands and waters for the 

conservation, management, and where appropriate, restoration of the 

fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats within the United 

States for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans” 

[16 U.S.C. § 668dd(a)(2)]. It is the responsibility of the United States 

Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to “ensure that the biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health of the System are maintained 

for the benefit of the present and future generations of Americans” [16 

U.S.C. § 668dd (a)(4)(B)]. 

Wildlife refuges are often thought of as pristine areas; however, 

many refuges have contaminant issues. The CAP is an important 

way of documenting, assessing, and monitoring contaminant 

threats on refuges. The CAP was developed by the United States 

Geological Survey Biological Resources Division’s Biomonitoring of 

Environmental Status and Trends Program and the Service’s Division 

of Environmental Quality. The Service utilizes the CAP to synthesize 

existing information, thereby documenting past, present, and potential 

contaminant issues that may affect refuges. Assessing contaminant 

sources and receptors, contamination events, transport mechanisms, 

and areas vulnerable to contamination are all aspects of the CAP. This 

comprehensive account of actual and potential contaminant issues are 

entered into CAP’s national database, which enables Service personnel 

to initiate remedial activities or more detailed studies of potential problems affecting trust resources, develop proposals for future investigations, and initiate pollution prevention activities. The CAP was initiated 

nationally on refuges in 1995–1996. 

The Contaminant Assessment Process in Alaska

In 1999, the CAP was initiated to evaluate contaminant issues for 

the 16 National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska . Fully 82 percent of the 

National Wildlife Refuge lands are in Alaska, totaling more than 

76 million acres. Although Alaska is often regarded as a pristine 

wilderness, very few places in Alaska, even the most remote, are 

untouched. Alaska’s history, and seemingly its future, are linked to 

natural resources. The exploration and extraction of oil and precious 

metals has left a legacy of contaminant problems throughout the state, 

including in its National Wildlife Refuges. Past and current activities in Alaska’s refuges include oil exploration and drilling, mining, 

military activities, and even nuclear weapons testing. Often, sites 

were abandoned after operations ceased and, due to the high cost 

of removal, debris and entire structures were left to decay. In some 

areas, hazardous materials were spilled with little or no cleanup. On 

many refuges, abandoned 55-gallon drums, which eventually rust and 

release their contents, dot the landscape. The Alaska National Interest 

Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) mandated that refuges develop 
2 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Contaminant Assessment Process

comprehensive conservation plans (16 U.S.C. § 304(g)(1)(1980)) that 

identify and describe “significant problems which may adversely affect 

the populations and habitats of fish and wildlife” ANILCA § 304(g)(2E)

(1980). Implementation of the CAP in Alaska has made these issues 

part of the public record and helped managers incorporate contaminant issues into refuge comprehensive conservation plans (CCP). 

The most recent CCP for AK Maritime NWR was published in 1988 

(USFWS 1988), a revised CCP is not planned in the foreseeable future.

Refuges in Alaska that have received contaminant assessments include 

Kenai (Parson 2001), Alaska Peninsula and Becharof (Parson 2004), 

Togiak (Rocque and Parson 2004), Tetlin (Rocque 2007), Yukon Delta 

(Rudis 2009), and Izembek National Wildlife Refuges (Rocque 2004). 

This CAP is the second report in a series documenting contaminant 

issues on the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (Alaska 

Maritime NWR). The Bering 

Sea CAP was the first for Alaska 

Maritime NWR (Rudis 2010). 

These comprehensive reports 

detailing contaminant issues on 

the refuges are available in hard 

copy, compact disc, and via the 

Internet at http://alaska.fws.gov/

fisheries/contaminants/process.

htm. For further information 

about these reports, please contact 

the Service’s Regional Office in 

Anchorage, Alaska. 

Monkey flower, found along seeps and streams. D. Rudis, USFWS
Contaminant Assessment 3

The Alaska Maritime NWR was created in 1980 by the ANILCA. 

ANILCA also delineated five distinct geographic units and added 

1.9 million acres of additional lands to 11 existing refuges, combining 

a majority of Alaska’s seabird habitat into one refuge. The refuge 

extends from Forrester Island in southeast Alaska to Attu Island at the 

tip of the Aleutian Chain and almost to Barrow on the Arctic Ocean. 

Attu and Kiska are part of the Aleutian Islands Unit. These islands 

have been designated as conservation units for more than a century, 

first as part of the Aleutian Island National Wildlife Reservation and 

later the Aleutian Island National Wildlife Refuge. The following text 

provides some historical detail.

Attu and Kiska Islands 

Attu is the westernmost of the Near Island group of the Aleutian 

Islands. It is over 1,000 miles from the Alaskan mainland and 750 miles 

northeast of the northernmost of the Japanese Kurile Islands. Both 

Attu and Kiska have topography characterized by irregular masses of 

volcanic rock and plateaus. In Attu, coastal landscapes are recessed by 

many bays and long fjords. Shorelines are a mix of wave-cut platforms, 

high sea cliffs flanked by deep fjords, low sea cliffs, and some sand 

and cobble beaches. Sandy beaches are a result of creek-transported 

sand to the coast. Cliffs as high as 2,000 feet are found on Attu, and the 

island has a mountainous interior that rises to about 2,600 feet. Attu 

has practically no large level areas, is about 35 miles in length (east to 

west), and is up to 20 miles in width.

Kiska is the westernmost of the Rat Islands group. Unusual for 

the Aleutian Islands, the 177-square-mile island is orientated from 

southwest to northeast, measuring 25 miles in length and between 

one and six miles wide. Kiska has three distinct topographical zones. 

The northern quarter of the island is formed by the Kiska Volcano—a 

symmetrical cone that rises to a height of 4,000 feet above sea level. 

The volcano was last active in 1990. The northern seaward flanks of the 

Kiska Volcano are lined by tall sea cliffs that fall up to 1,350 feet to the 

sea; the southern flanks drop to a low, lake-filled plain dominated by a 

series of large lakes—East and West Kiska Lakes (connected by a narrow channel) and Lake Christine. Terrain south of the Kiska Volcano is 

comprised of a series isolated plateaus. The southern half of the island 

is dominated by a sinuous drainage divide with steep slopes on the west 

and shallower slopes on the east. Sirius Point on Kiska contains the 

largest colony of least auklets in the Aleutian Islands and probably in 

the world (over 1,160,000 birds) and crested auklets.

Island vegetation on these two treeless islands is maritime tundra 

(Amundsen 1977) and is a combination of meadows in sheltered valleys; 

hollows and heaths occur on more exposed sites (Talbot and Talbot 1994). 

Grasses, lichens, mosses and herbaceous plants are abundant. Grasses 

in flat valley floors can reach six feet in height. There is a profusion of 

wildflowers in the summer. Woody vegetation is dwarf shrubs, primarily 

The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge 

and the Islands of Attu and Kiska

 The northern seaward flanks of 

the Kiska Volcano are lined by 

tall sea cliffs that fall up to 1,350 

feet to the sea; the southern flanks 

drop to a low, lake-filled plain 

dominated by a series of large 

lakes—East and West Kiska 

Lakes (connected by a narrow 

channel) and Lake Christine.
4 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Islands of Attu and Kiska

willows (Salix species) and blueberries (Vacciniums). A variety of 

crustose lichen species are common on rocks and ridge tops. 

The short-tailed albatross is an endangered species under Service 

jurisdiction. This seabird is seen in the offshore environment around 

Attu and Kiska. The federally threatened southwest Alaska Distinct 

Population Segment of northern sea otters uses the coastal kelp beds as 

feeding and loafing areas. The waters around Attu Island provide marine 

feeding habitat for the ground-nesting Kittlitz’s murrelet. A 2003 Alaska 

Maritime NWR survey found 50 Kittlitz’s murrelets at Attu Island, 

representing a notable concentration of this rare species. Marine waters 

in the Aleutians also provide wintering habitat for yellow-billed loons, 

an Endangered Species Act candidate species. Also found in the marine 

waters around these two islands are Steller sea lions and numerous 

whale species that are threatened or endangered species under 

jurisdiction of the National Marine Fisheries Service. 

There are several large seabird colonies on Attu Island, including 

significant populations of black-legged kittiwake, common murre, 

thick-billed murre, tufted puffin, and horned puffin. Attu Island 

supports a major cormorant colony, with a significant population of 

red-faced cormorants, a species that is largely found in the western 

Aleutians and the Commander Islands, and a substantial population of 

pelagic cormorants. However, substantial declines have occurred for 

cormorants, kittiwakes, and murres on Attu between 1970 and 1979, 

and substantial declines have continued for cormorants – an overall 

87 percent decline between 1970 and 2003 (Byrd and Williams 2004). 

The 2003, Alaska Maritime NWR survey (Byrd and Williams 2004) 

reported 2,165 pelagic cormorants and 1,938 red-faced cormorants and 

an additional 709 unidentified cormorants. A combined count of both 

common and thick-billed murre species during the 2003 survey totaled 

7,691 individuals. Kittiwakes totaled 1,682 individuals.

A subspecies of rock ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus evermanni) is 

endemic to the Near Islands; a 1988 survey estimated about 4,600 birds 

inhabit Attu Island. More recent counts have documented a reduction 

of rock ptarmigan numbers. The Aleutian Canada goose population 

on Attu is well established. A 2006 fall survey on the eastern portion 

of the island found 76 flocks with a total of 721 geese (Frost, et al.

2008). Other avian inhabitants of Attu Island include species common 

throughout the Aleutians, such as the rock sandpiper, red-necked 

phalarope, gray-crowned rosy finch, Lapland longspur, Pacific wren, 

and snow bunting. Attu Island is closer to Asia than to North America, 

and its avian diversity reflects its unique biogeographic location, with 

regular occurrences of Asian species.

There are no native terrestrial mammals on Attu and Kiska. In 1750 

the Russians introduced arctic foxes from the Commander Islands for 

fur farming on Attu, but foxes were eradicated by 1999. Norway rats 

were accidentally introduced to the island, probably during WWII and 

are most common along coastal areas. Marine mammals found in the 

marine environment include Steller sea lion, northern fur seal, harbor 

and spotted seal, and a variety of whale, porpoise, and dolphin species. 

Attu Island supports a major 

cormorant colony, with a 

significant population of redfaced cormorants, a species that 

is largely found in the western 

Aleutians and the Commander 

Islands, and a substantial 

population of pelagic cormorants.
Contaminant Assessment 5

The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Islands of Attu and Kiska

Commercial fishery resources are primarily marine species; there 

are also salmon populations on Attu Island. The Alaska Department 

of Fish and Game has catalogued anadromous fish streams on Attu 

and Kiska.

Two lakes and over 40 rivers, streams, and their tributaries on Attu are 

used for rearing by Dolly Varden/Arctic char; rearing and spawning 

by Coho and sockeye salmon; and spawning by pink and chum salmon. 

There are 22 anadromous water bodies on Kiska. Dolly Varden are 

present in about half of these water bodies. On Kiska, Coho spawn 

only in Model Cove and Gertrude Cove Rivers while sockeye spawn 

in two other water bodies. Pink salmon spawn in over half of Kiska’s 

catalogued waters. 

The ancient Aleuts were kayak-paddling colonists who first occupied 

the western Aleutians about 3,500 years ago (Balter 2012). The more 

eastern islands have the earliest known archaeological site that was 

radiocarbon-dated to 9,000 thousand years ago. Aleut presence on the 

Aleutian Islands was documented by Russian explorers in 1741. For 

thousands of years the Aleuts had successfully hunted marine mammals, fish, and birds. The Russians pressed the Aleuts into servitude to 

catch sea otters for their valuable fur, changing the Aleuts lives forever 

as disease, starvation, and suicide slashed the Aleut population by up 

to 90 percent (Balter 2012). 

Attu

Aleut Unangan and the Russian Colonization

The Near Islands could have been 

occupied as early as 2000 BC and 

by 3,000 years ago there were 

several settlements in the Near 

Islands (Corbett et al. 2010). Over 

50 prehistoric Aleut village sites 

have been documented throughout 

Attu (Stein 1977; Corbett et al.

2010; Corbett et al. 2001; Lefevre 

et al. 2001). The historic village 

of Attu was located at the head 

of Chichagof Harbor. Russian fur 

hunters attacked settlements on 

Attu in 1745; these violent acts are 

recorded by the names Murder 

Point and Massacre Bay (Corbett 

et al. 2010). 

Russian hunting parties worked in 

the Near Islands, primarily Attu, 

between 1745 and 1799 (Corbett et 

al. 2010). The Russians relocated 

Unangan villagers from other 

islands to Attu where they worked 

Attu village, situated on Chichagof harbor. A small Russian Orthodox church 

sits in the valley below high mountains. Photo by O.J. Murie, June 1937. 

Library of Congress
6 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

as trappers and hunters for the fur trade. A 20-year monopoly on the 

Pacific fur trade was granted to the Russian-American Company by 

the Russian government in 1799. The Company’s census of 1860 listed 

248 residents, including 221 Unangan and 27 Creoles (Golodoff 2012; 

Corbett et al. 2010), living on Attu. By this time Attu village was the only 

permanent winter settlement on the island (Corbett et al. 2010). After 

the sale of Alaska to the United States in 1867, a decline in services to 

remote islands contributed to the Unangan population decline. In 1870 

the aboriginal population of Attu was 220 and had declined to 107 in 1880 

(Golodoff 2012). By 1942, Attu’s 

population, all living in Attu village 

at Chichagof Harbor, had dropped 

to 43 native Aleuts and two other 

Americans, Charles Foster Jones, 

60, a radio technician, and his wife 

Etta, a schoolteacher.

World War II History

Japanese forces invaded the island 

in June of 1942, taking prisoner 

the 43 Attuans and Etta Jones, 

the schoolteacher. Charles Foster 

Jones, Etta’s husband, was killed. 

After three months of Japanese 

occupation, the survivors were 

shipped off Attu to Japan and 

interned in Hokkaido for the duration of the war (Golodoff 2012). 

They were not technically prisoners of war; they 

had a different status. They were held in a civilian 

community under guard by town police. If they had 

been true prisoners of war, it is doubtful any would 

have survived. The Japanese occupied Attu, with an 

encampment of 2,600 men on the eastern end of the 

island. Holtz Bay, located on the northeastern edge of 

Attu, was used by the Japanese as an unloading point 

and seaplane anchorage. U.S. air and naval bombardment barraged Attu for nine months; the U.S. landed 

amphibious forces on Attu at Massacre Bay and captured the island from the Japanese during the threeweek Battle of Attu in May 1943. In 1943 and 1944, 

the DoD constructed an Army and Navy outpost at 

Attu. Attu Island was originally designated as Attu 

Army Air Base. Navy facilities were located at Navy 

Town and a naval air station at Massacre Bay and 

in West Massacre Valley. Constructed by the Navy 

Seabees in 1943, the station included accommodations 

for 7,650 personnel in Quonset and Pacific huts, land 

and seaplane landing areas, hangars, repair shops, 

piers, a submarine base, a net depot, a Patrol Torpedo 

(PT) boat base, a drydock, an ordnance depot, a radio 

station, a hospital, fuel tanks, and support facilities. 

The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Islands of Attu and Kiska

Vessel at dock, 1943

Navy Town, 1943
Contaminant Assessment 7

Rapid construction on Attu by Army Engineer troops included an 

airfield with two runways, a one-runway satellite, field hangars, fuel storage tanks, docks, numerous Quonset and Pacific huts, a 400-bed hospital, 

and other ancillary structures to support an approximate 8,500-personnel work force. The protective garrison and airfields were completed by 

July 1944. 

The Attu naval station was an 82,400-acre site used as an airfield and 

forward base in support of the Aleutian Campaign against Japanese 

forces. The Attu Naval Station was vacated in late 1945 following the 

end of WWII. The Attu Army Air 

Base was redesignated as Camp 

Earle Air Force Auxiliary Field in 

1949. The Attu Naval Station was 

once again used by the Navy from 

1959 to 1968. 

U.S. Coast Guard 

LORAN Stations

The original Long Range Air 

Navigation (LORAN) A site was 

built on Theodore Point in 1943. It 

was later abandoned by the USCG 

and a new station, LORAN C, 

was constructed at Murder Point/

Casco Cove in 1960. LORAN C 

Station Attu provided a navigational signal for mariners of the 

North Pacific since the 1970s. 

The seven support buildings 

included the main station base, 

two LORAN transmitter buildings, barracks, a warehouse, and 

a 6,600-foot-long paved runway. 

LORAN C Station Attu operated 

its own electrical power generators, its own potable water and 

wastewater treatment plants, and 

a permitted landfill. The fuel tank 

farm capacity was 325,000 gallons. 

The USCG maintained the station 

with twenty staff until August 

2010 when it was decommissioned. 

The station’s 625-foot LORAN 

tower was demolished in August of 2010 (USCG 2012). LORAN C 

Station Attu ceased transmission of the LORAN signal February 8, 

2010, and the Russian-American signal ceased August 1, 2010.

U.S. Air Force

The Attu Island Seismic Array - FOX Remote Operating Facility was 

established in 1976 by the U.S. Air Force (USAF). The site was part 

The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Islands of Attu and Kiska

The derelict LORAN A Station on Attu contains hazardous materials. 

D.Rudis, USFWS

U.S. Coast Guard Station Attu, closed in 2010. D. Rudis, USFWS
8 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

of a worldwide network of sites that monitored foreign compliance 

with a number of international treaties restricting nuclear weapon 

testing. The seismic array site is a 2.7-acre parcel approximately two 

miles north of the former USCG LORAN C Station. The site was 

connected to the LORAN C Station by a road, and underground power 

and communication cables. Special use/right-of-way permits for use 

of the site were issued to the USAF from April 1976 through April 

1981, with five-year renewal periods. The site contains one structure, 

which served as the Remote Operating Facility building. This concrete 

structure is a two-story 19-foot-high structure, 10 feet wide and 20 feet 

long (USAF 2012). There was also a 100-square-foot subsurface vault, 

two boreholes approximately 180 and 143 feet deep, a third borehole 

that was covered up and never used, and a 50-foot tower. No petroleum 

products were used at this site.

The USAF conducted visual site inspections in 2002, 2007, and 2008 

before the site was decommissioned in May 2010. The series of visual 

site inspections documented that no hazardous materials remained 

on-site and there was no potential for future environmental hazards. 

All materials used by personnel during maintenance and repair of the 

facility were removed and shipped off-site as part of facility closure 

measures. They included batteries, fire extinguishers, enamel, a 

compressed gas nitrogen cylinder, and other miscellaneous items. 

The USAF reviewed all available records and reviewed personnel 

interviews to ascertain that there were no other hazards such as 

above-ground storage tanks (ASTs), underground storage tanks 

(USTs), spilled fuel, pipelines, biohazardous or solid waste, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), ordnance, radioactive waste, or lead-based 

paint. Items left within the Remote Operating Facility were electrical 

wiring and lighting fixtures. Borehole casings were capped, and only 

buried cable between the boreholes was left. Loose vermiculite and 

abandoned cable were left in the vault. The Close-out Environmental 

Baseline Survey for this site was completed in May 2012 (USAF 2012).

Kiska and Little Kiska

Aleut people lived on Kiska starting around 4,500 years ago, based 

on archaeological data for Amchitka, one of the other islands of the 

Rat Island Group (Funk 2011). A village site was excavated and 

documented as early as 1873 at the west end of the harbor by William 

Dall, a surveyor with the Coast Survey (Corbett, et al. 2010). However, 

little is known about Aleut occupational history of Kiska (Funk 2011). 

Results of 2009 research demonstrate the high frequency of cultural 

remains on Kiska (Funk 2011). When the Russian America Company 

was formed, Kiska, along with Attu, was in the Atka District. By 1805, 

the original population of the Rat Islands was gone, dead, or relocated 

to other islands, including Atka and Attu. Arctic foxes were released on 

Kiska for fur trapping in 1835 (Bailey 1993).

World War II History

In 1901, the United States established an Astronomical Station in 

Kiska Harbor (ACOE 2004). In 1902, a tract of approximately 900 

The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Islands of Attu and Kiska

Aleut people lived on Kiska 

starting around 4,500 years ago, 

based on archaeological data 

for Amchitka, one of the other 

islands of the Rat Island Group. 

A village site was excavated and 

documented as early as 1873 

at the west end of the harbor by 

William Dall, a surveyor with the 

Coast Survey.
Contaminant Assessment 9

acres along Kiska Harbor was withdrawn by Executive order for a coal 

station that was never built (per a 2004 Archive Search Report). Navy 

involvement in Kiska predated WWII when all of Kiska and Little 

Kiska were withdrawn from the public domain in 1903 by Executive 

order to construct a Navy Base at Kiska Island. In 1904, a naval 

station was established that consisted of two temporary shelters and a 

150-foot long wharf (ACOE 2004). Three government vessels spent the 

summer of 1904 in Kiska Harbor gathering information for a planned 

coal depot that was never developed. Further Navy base construction 

plans were abandoned in 1915. From 1919 through 1924, individuals were permitted to graze sheep, farm blue foxes, and operate a 

reindeer farm. The Kiska Ranching Company was incorporated with 

the Territory of Alaska in 1933 and operated on Kiska through 1942. 

The company’s Articles of Incorporation included ambitious plans 

for fox farming and general livestock rearing, including sheep, cattle, 

horses, poultry, and other domestic animals. They also had plans for 

fish harvest and packing operations, merchandizing, vessel operations, 

building construction, and general development associated with these 

activities. Whether any of these activities came to fruition is unknown, 

as the company’s annual reports 

could not be found (Domestic 

Corporation Docket, District 

Court, Division Number Three, 

Alaska, Docket 476, July 24, 1933). 

A small naval weather station 

was established in 1942. On the 

6th of June, 1942, the Japanese 

No. 3 Special Landing Party 

and 500 Japanese marines went 

ashore at Kiska and Little Kiska, 

capturing both islands. They 

captured the crew of 10 men from 

the American Naval Weather 

Detachment on Kiska. 

The Japanese military developed 

island defenses and military 

support areas, and stationed 

troops on both of these islands. 

Total Japanese strength on 

Kiska Island was approximately 

7,800 Army and Navy personnel. Japanese infrastructure 

included gun emplacements, 

beach head defenses, an airplane 

landing strip, personnel housing, military supply shelters, a 

water distribution system, an 

extensive system of underground 

tunnels, and diesel fuel powered 

generating stations. Kiska Harbor 

developments by Japanese Navy 

The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Islands of Attu and Kiska

Japanese camp remains, Kiska, 1943
10 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

personnel included a ship docking pier, a seaplane beach landing ramp, 

and a submarine base. 

Little Kiska was primarily an outer defensive position established by 

the Japanese to protect Kiska Harbor (Spennemann 2008). The gun 

battery at the western end of the island included three gun emplacements, a personnel shelter, an ammunition store, a barracks building, 

and a fire control center (Spennemann 2008). Personnel trenches connected all structures, and telephone lines connected all the installations 

on Little Kiska.

A Naval Defensive Sea Area (NDSA), which is a water area set aside 

by Executive order because of its strategic nature or for purposes of 

defense, was established on February 14, 1941, by Executive Order 

8680. The Kiska NDSA includes territorial waters between the 

extreme high-water marks and the three-mile marine boundaries 

(NAVFAC 2013).

The U.S. conducted bombing missions over Kiska for two and a half 

months after the Attu Island liberation. In a period of less than three 

months in 1943, Kiska received 600 tons of explosives from surface 

bombardment, and another 1,310 tons were dropped from the air. 

Strafing runs were also made. Blind bombing was not infrequent due 

to sudden patches of fog and inclement weather. During the 14-month 

battle for Kiska, Allies dropped more than 3,000 tons of bombs during 501 missions. Navy bombardments totaled over 16,300 rounds of 

5-inch, 6-inch, 8-inch, and 14-inch shells (ACOE 2004). Bombs dropped 

on in-water targets included ships and float planes. Only two U.S. 

bombing raids were made on Little Kiska; they occurred just prior to 

Allied landings on Kiska.

Under the cover of fog, the Japanese garrison of 7,800 troops and civilians were evacuated from the island on July 23, 1943. Despite massive 

U.S. air power, the evacuation slipped by undetected. On August 15, 

1943, an Allied force of 34,426 troops, of whom 5,300 were Canadian, 

landed on Kiska with Americans and Canadians landing at different 

locations. Neither set of soldiers were aware of the other’s location, 

and the Allies shot into the fog for two days, believing the Japanese 

were still on Kiska. Casualties during the invasion were over 200 men, 

as troops died from either friendly fire or booby traps; 50 more were 

wounded, and additional troops suffered trench foot. 

U. S. and Canadian forces expanded; they completed air facilities and 

base construction, including troop quarters and a hospital. Roads and 

piers were built in anticipation of future action against the Japanese. 

Structures included an improved runway, seaplane ramp, hangar, ship 

dock, barge dock, small craft pier, fuel storage tanks, and diesel generator units. The U.S. Army occupied approximately 5,850 acres of the 

eastern side of the island as a protective garrison. The Naval Auxiliary 

Air Facility and submarine base was used by the Navy until 1945. At 

the end of WWII, all existing structures were abandoned in place.

Military target practice occurred around Kiska between 1948 and 1950. 

Maps from 1948 show areas around Kiska designated as a “Prohibited 

The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Islands of Attu and Kiska

In a period of less than three 

months in 1943, Kiska received 

600 tons of explosives from 

surface bombardment, and 

another 1,310 tons were dropped 

from the air. Strafing runs were 

also made. Blind bombing was 

not infrequent due to sudden 

patches of fog and inclement 

weather. 
Contaminant Assessment 11

The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Islands of Attu and Kiska

Area” and later as a “Danger Area” (NAVFAC 2013). These designations usually signify that an area is being used for military purpose, 

including target practice. Documentation for one exercise in 1950 

described Navy rocket and bombing practice that targeted Kiska 

(ACOE 2004). 

Land Status 

Attu

Attu Island was within the Aleutian Islands National Wildlife 

Reservation established by Executive Order 1733, dated March 3, 

1913, which stated that, “The establishment of this reservation shall 

not interfere with the use of the islands for lighthouse, military, or 

naval purposes.” This created an implied use permitting military 

operations. No formal withdrawal from the public domain for military 

purposes occurred during WWII. 

Camp Earle Air Force Auxiliary Field, the military use area, contained 

82,400 acres, approximately the eastern one-third of Attu. On January 

27, 1953, this area was declared excess by the U.S. Air Force and 

relinquished to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on January 15, 1954. 

The USAF improvements were abandoned in place. 

In 1959, 11,670 acres along Massacre Bay to Murder Point were 

withdrawn for Navy use and creation of the Attu Naval Reservation by 

Public Land Order (PLO) 1949, dated August 19, 1959. In June of 1968, 

the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) accepted the relinquishment 

of this parcel, divesting the Navy of all real property on Attu Island. 

PLO 1949 was partially revoked by PLO 4564, dated January 16, 1969. 

This PLO withdrew 1,800 acres of land near Massacre Bay for use by 

the USCG and returned the remaining land to the refuge. All improvements formerly on the Navy inventory were transferred to the USCG 

(H. Hajek letter to B. Silcock, June 10, 1968). This action divested the 

Navy of all real property on Attu Island. 

1959

PLO 1949

11,670 acres Land from Massacre Bay to Murder Point 

withdrawn for Navy use and Attu Naval 

Reservation established.

1968 Navy relinquished all land to BLM.

1969

PLO 4564

9,870 acres Partial revocation of PLO 1949 by PLO 

4564 returned land to refuge.

1969

PLO 4564

1,800 acres Land near Massacre Bay withdrawn for 

USCG; transfer of all Navy improvements 

to USCG.

The following information is from the files of the Service’s Alaska 

Region Division of Realty. 

U.S. Coast Guard Lands

The USCG withdrawal lands are from Massacre Bay southwest of 

Signal Point to Casco Point. There were 3 LORAN Stations on Attu, 

In 1959, 11,670 acres along 

Massacre Bay to Murder Point 

were withdrawn for Navy use 

and creation of the Attu Naval 

Reservation by Public Land 

Order (PLO) 1949, dated August 

19, 1959. 
12 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Islands of Attu and Kiska

one at Theodore Point for a very 

brief period, one at Casco Cove 

and the most recent one at the 

runway. LORAN A Station, which 

includes buildings numbered 

V-100, 101, and 102. Built by the 

Navy in 1948, these buildings 

have not been used by the USCG 

since 1960 (L. Wooldridge letter to 

USCG Commandant, Washington, 

D.C. February 23, 1967). In 1999, 

the USCG asked the Service 

to determine ownership of the 

LORAN A buildings (M. Milhollin 

letter to N. Parker, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, Realty Specialist, 

May 18, 1999). The Service 

determined that it “does not have 

ownership of, accountability for or 

jurisdiction over these buildings.” 

(N. Parker note to M. Milhollin, 

USCG, Civil Engineer, May 20, 

1999). The Service leased the LORAN buildings at Casco Cove to 

Attours for commercial birding tours for decades. The Service had 

signs on the building stating its ownership. 

These lands were withdrawn by PLO 4564 on January 16, 1969, for use 

by the USCG, and that withdrawal has not been revoked. Additional 

correspondence through 1999 and 2000 between the USCG and the 

Service had not clarified responsibility for these buildings (and the cost 

of cleanup), and research on this matter continued (S. Shirkey letter 

to J. Martin, Refuge Manager, Alaska Maritime NWR, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, October 4, 1999; S. Janis letter to S. Shirkey, Chief, 

Real Property Branch, USCG, November 8, 1999; S. Shirkey letter to 

S. Janis, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Chief, Realty Alaska Region, 

April 27, 2000). Correspondence in 2008 (N. Walsh letter to L. Deena, 

USCG Realty Specialist, December 3, 2008) included a complete history of all correspondence and documentation among the USCG, the 

Navy, and the Service on this property and found conflicting information. However, nothing was found signed by the Service accepting 

custody and accountability of the buildings at LORAN A Station, yet 

we collected money for their use for decades as noted previously.

Aleut Corporation Lands

As a result of the 1988 Civil Liberties Act (P.L. 100-383; 50 USC 1989b), 

The Aleut Corporation relinquished all of the historic and cemetery 

site applications on Attu in return for title to the historic village site 

in Chichagof Harbor. The Attu village site at Chichagof Harbor was 

conveyed to The Aleut Native Corporation in 1999. This is the only 

land conveyance on Attu to the corporation. 

Interior view of the LORAN A Station. D.Rudis, USFWS
Contaminant Assessment 13

The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Islands of Attu and Kiska

Figure 1. Attu Land Ownership (FWS map) 
14 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

National Historic Landmark 

The Attu Battlefield was designated as a National Historic Landmark, 

on February 4, 1985. It is the site of the only WWII battle fought on 

the North American continent, and occupation by Japanese troops 

marked the peak of Japan’s military expansion in the North Pacific. 

Landmark designation confers the federal government’s highest level 

of legal protections to cultural resources managed by federal agencies. 

Federal actions undertaken on a National Historic Landmark must be 

planned and executed in a way to minimize harm to the landmark. The 

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation must be given an opportunity to comment on planned federal actions. The National Park Service 

acts in an advisory capacity as an advocate for the Landmark (NHPA 

Section 110(a)(2)(E)(f)). 

The “World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument” 

(Proclamation 8327), was created through an Executive order issued 

on December 5, 2008. This designation protected four areas on Attu 

and five areas on Kiska and Little Kiska. The Service is tasked with 

managing and administering these lands within the refuge in partnership with the National Park Service for educational, interpretive, and 

research opportunities (USFWS et al. 2010). On Attu, Monument lands 

overlap with the Attu Battlefield and the U.S. Army and Navy airfields 

on Attu National Historic Landmark.

Kiska 

With Attu, Kiska also became part of the National Wildlife 

Reservation created in 1913 by Executive order, which specifically 

stated that it could not interfere with military use of the island. The 

land and sea area on Kiska was withdrawn by a 1941 Executive order 

to create a naval defense sea area and airspace reservation. The 

War Assets Administration declared Kiska surplus for disposal on 

September 19, 1946. The surplus buildings were turned over to the 

Navy for their disposal. 

The Navy returned Kiska back to the U.S. Department of the Interior 

on February 23, 1951. The original 1903 Executive order was formally 

revoked by PLO 1224 dated September 14, 1955. This returned Kiska to 

the Aleutian Islands National Wildlife Refuge. ANILCA of 1980 included 

Kiska in the Aleutians Island Unit of the Alaska Maritime NWR.

In 1985, portions of Kiska were designated as the Japanese Occupation 

Site, Kiska Island National Historic Landmark. Ten historic sites 

associated with the Japanese occupation are listed with the Alaska 

Heritage Resource Survey for Kiska and Little Kiska Islands. Areas 

on Kiska that are part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National 

Monument include an aircraft crash site in addition to the two Allied 

troop landing locations, and the Japanese Occupation Site, which is also 

a National Historic Landmark. 

There are presently four Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, Section 

14(h)(1) significant historic and cemetery sites on Kiska, which were 

conveyed to the Aleut Native Corporation, and there is one selected 

The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Islands of Attu and Kiska

Ten historic sites associated with 

the Japanese occupation are 

listed with the Alaska Heritage 

Resource Survey for Kiska and 

Little Kiska Islands.
Contaminant Assessment 15

Figure 2. Kiska and Little Kiska land ownership (FWS map)

The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Islands of Attu and Kiska
16 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Native parcel. On Little Kiska, there is one conveyed parcel to the 

Aleut Native Corporation.

Alaska National Interests Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA)

The management of each refuge is dictated, in large part, by the 

legislation that created the refuge. In 1980, ANILCA [16 U.S.C. § 303 

(1) (b) sets forth the major purposes for which the Alaska Maritime 

National Wildlife Refuge was established and shall be managed: 

i. to conserve fish and wildlife populations and habitats in their 

natural diversity including, but not limited to, marine mammals, 

marine birds and other migratory birds, the marine resources 

upon which they rely, bears, caribou and other mammals; 

ii. to fulfill the international treaty obligations of the United 

States with respect to fish and wildlife and their habitats; 

iii. to provide, in a manner consistent with the purposes set forth 

in subparagraphs (i) and (ii), the opportunity for continued 

subsistence uses by local residents; 

iv. to provide, in a manner consistent with subparagraphs (i) and 

(ii), a program of national and international scientific research 

on marine resources; and

v. to ensure, to the maximum extent practicable and in a manner 

consistent with the purposes set forth in paragraph (i), water 

quality and necessary water quantity within the refuge. 

Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP)

The Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP), established by Congress in 1986, directed the Secretary of Defense to “carry 

out a program of environmental restoration at facilities under the 

jurisdiction of the Secretary.” In 1990, the EPA designated DoD as the 

removal response authority for incidents involving military weapons 

and munitions under the jurisdiction, custody, and control of DoD. 

Although DoD has removal and response authority, these lands are all 

refuge property, and the Service continues to be involved in removal 

and response planning efforts by DoD. The ACOE is the agency 

responsible for environmental restoration at Formerly Used Defense 

Sites (FUDS). The U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center in 

Huntsville, Alabama, serves as the Center of Expertise and Design 

Center for Ordnance and Explosives. The ACOE, St. Louis District, 

prepares the Archive Search Reports in support of environmental 

restoration at active DoD installations.

The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Islands of Attu and Kiska

The Defense Environmental 

Restoration Program (DERP), 

established by Congress in 

1986, directed the Secretary of 

Defense to “carry out a program 

of environmental restoration at 

facilities under the jurisdiction of 

the Secretary.” 
Contaminant Assessment 17

Contaminant Investigations

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) 

The ACOE, Alaska District office on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson 

is a repository for files on military sites on these islands and other 

Alaska locations. In 1977, the ACOE published, Debris removal and 

clean up study Aleutian Islands and lower Alaska Peninsula. This 

report included a detailed inventory of all WWII military debris and 

material remaining on Attu, Kiska, and other islands in the Aleutians. 

This report also incorporated recommendations on removal techniques and supporting cost estimates for cleanup. In 1979, a draft 

Environmental Impact Statement on WWII debris removal and 

cleanup was prepared based on findings of the 1977 work.

The 1991 initial DERP-FUDS Inventory Project Report documented 

the ACOE Alaska District’s position that the Attu site was formerly 

used by DoD and is therefore eligible for DERP (ACOE 1991). It was 

also determined that there was hazardous waste at the site, eligible for 

cleanup under DERP-FUDS.

A final FUDS Inventory Project Report for Attu was completed by 

the ACOE in 1993. This report included information from the 1991 site 

visit and contaminant sampling of soil, sediment, and surface water 

conducted by Ecology & Environment, Inc. (E & E). Hazardous waste 

on Attu deemed eligible for cleanup under DERP-FUDS included 

areas with hazardous, toxic, and radioactive wastes (HTRW) that 

consisted of large fuel tanks, pipelines, and pump stations; piles of 

55-gallon drums scattered throughout the area with petroleum, oil, 

and lubricants (POL) contamination of soil and water, lead-acid battery 

remains and lead contaminated soils; electrical transformers and associated PCBs; heavy metals; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); 

and low levels of dioxins. Ordnance and explosive waste (OEW) was 

estimated in tons, with some concentrated and with significant amounts 

scattered throughout the island hidden by the dense vegetation. In 

this report, sites were identified and cost estimates were developed 

for an HTRW Remedial Investigation (RI). An OEW project and a 

risk assessment were proposed, particularly for fencing to limit access 

to OEW, and an assessment was conducted of a dioxin-contaminated 

burned building site at Chichagof Point. 

DoD records show an elaborate distribution system consisting of underground pipelines and pumping stations on Attu. At a minimum, 200,000 

barrels of heavy Bunker C fuel oil, 28,000 barrels of aviation gasoline, 

and 31,000 barrels of diesel oil were stored in Navy Town. Information is 

not available about what was stored in the Army’s tank farms. 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS, Service)

The Service conducted a series of contaminant investigations in 1988, 

1989, and 1990 at abandoned military facilities on Attu, Tanaga, Little 

Kiska, Great Sitkin, and Semisopochnoi islands—all are located within 

Hazardous waste on Attu deemed 

eligible for cleanup under DERPFUDS included areas with 

hazardous, toxic, and radioactive 

wastes (HTRW) that consisted of 

large fuel tanks, pipelines, and 

pump stations; piles of 55-gallon 

drums scattered throughout the 

area with petroleum, oil, and 

lubricants (POL) contamination 

of soil and water, lead-acid 

battery remains and lead 

contaminated soils; electrical 

transformers and associated 

PCBs; heavy metals; polycyclic 

aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); 

and low levels of dioxins. 

Attu
18 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

the Aleutian Islands Subunit of the 

Alaska Maritime National Wildlife 

Refuge. The principal investigator 

was Wayne M. Crayton from the 

Ecological Services Anchorage 

Field Office, who was assisted by 

Nancy Norvell and other staff 

from the Alaska Maritime NWR 

(Crayton 1991). These investigations centered on determining 

what, if any, contaminants (i.e., 

organochlorines, PAHs, inorganics) from military activities may 

have contaminated the surrounding refuge environment.

The Service collected a total of 

239 soil, 149 sediment and 19 fish 

samples from 68 sites on Attu 

Island. Samples were analyzed 

for PAHs, PCBs, metals, and total 

organic carbon. PAHs, PCBs, chromium, and lead were identified as 

contaminants of concern. 

Soil and sediment sample sites included:

• Engineer Hill, 

• Jarmin Pass dump, 

• Hogback Ridge, 

• East Massacre Valley (several sites), 

• Beach Road gymnasium barrel dump and transformer, 

• Casco Cove barrel dump, 

• Casco Beach Road barrel dump

• Casco Point transformer location, Navy Town (15 sites), 

• Coast Artillery Hill (six sites), 

• Lake Elwood, 

• East-West Runway debris pile, 

• Peaceful River Valley asphalt barrel dumps and river sediment, 

• Murder Point (seven sites), 

• Bassett Creek, 

• Siddens Valley dump, powerhouse and fuel tank, 

• Upper Henderson River, Chichagof Point radio shack, and

• Beach Road POL burn pit, and two sediment and four soil control 

sample sites.

Fish samples were collected from Lake Elwood, Lake Nevidiskov, 

Lake Nicholas, upper Henderson River, Bassett Creek, and the Coast 

Guard pump house pool reservoir and in an adjacent Peaceful River 

Debris above Massacre Valley, Attu. D. Rudis, USFWS

Attu
Contaminant Assessment 19

wetland. Inorganic concentrations in whole-body Dolly Varden and 

threespine stickleback samples did not constitute a biological threat, 

according to the report’s author, who developed a screening process 

for assessing potential risk using a contaminant evaluation process. 

Because mercury concentrations are of interest due to biomagnification potential through the food web, review of these data found total 

mercury concentrations in Dolly Varden were at 0.10 to 0.22 parts per 

million (ppm) and at 0.38 ppm in the threespine stickleback composite 

sample from Lake Nicholas. These mercury concentrations are well 

below the Food and Drug Administration action level of 1.0 ppm in 

commercial fish.

Organochlorines (OCs) were not detected above quantification limits in 

any fish or sediment samples. Chichagof Point radio shack soil samples 

had a PCB, Arochlor 1254, at 5,800 to 9,200 ppm. State of Alaska soil 

cleanup level is 1 ppm (ADEC 2008). The potential source of PCBs 

at this location is deteriorated radio communications equipment. 

Concentrations of less than 1 ppm were reported from three other sites.

Most soil and sediment samples had PAH concentrations below 

background (<11 ppm); the highest PAH concentrations ranged 

from phenanthrene at 3.7 to 6.3 ppm; benzo(a)pyrene at 2.6 ppm; and 

naphthalene at 11ppm. However, the author states, “One might want 

to draw conclusions, based on the analytical data alone, that the island 

is not contaminated with PAHs. On the contrary, Attu Island is grossly 

contaminated with petroleum products. Field observations by Crayton 

of Bunker “C” fuel and other petroleum, oil, and lubricants (POL) 

Attu

Petroleum, oil, and lubricants 

(POL) from WWII continues 

to pollute wetlands on Attu. 

D.Rudis, USFWS
20 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

spills (which were not directly sampled) indicate that widespread 

petroleum contamination still existed in Navy Town, Peaceful Valley 

and East and West Massacre Bays.” Later investigations confirmed 

contamination from petroleum hydrocarbons throughout the former 

military installation (E & E 1992b; Dames & Moore 1995b).

Peaceful River Valley is littered with “contaminant time bombs,” as 

dozens of barrel dumps litter the valley, many containing POL residues 

and ammunition. Because this study collected a limited number of 

samples, more widespread sampling is needed to determine the extent 

of contamination at known sites and to identify additional contaminated 

sites, should they exist. 

Arsenic, chromium, copper, iron, nickel, and zinc concentrations in soil 

and sediment samples were indicative of medium or high contamination at 14 of the sample sites. Arsenic was reported at 20 ppm in two 

soil samples at the POL burn pit, above the cleanup level of 3.7 ppm. 

In the Crayton 1991 report, metal concentrations were presented as 

ranges of values with contamination categories designated as none, 

medium, and high. Moderate nickel pollution was noted at other locations in Navy Town. 

Navy Town Petroleum Contamination

Navy Town on Attu has a history of documented petroleum contamination. In 1966, the Service investigated a reported oil slick in Massacre 

Bay. Faulty valves and broken lines were leaking Bunker C fuel oil into 

a creek (now known as West Massacre Creek) that drains the Navy 

Town area (Helvie 1966). A joint decision was made by the Service and 

USCG to burn the bunker oil and aircraft fuel, and the same decision 

was reached by the USCG after a more thorough investigation (R. 

Bates, letter to Commander, Seventeenth Coast Guard District. May 

1967). The Navy remediated the situation prior to the affected land 

reverting to Service jurisdiction (B. Silcock, letter to W. E. Nims, 

Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Division, February 23, 

1967). In May 1968, the Service stated that they had no objection to the 

Navy’s relinquishment of the area, as the pollution problem was solved. 

(This would not be acceptable at this time.) Service biologists reported 

oil pollution problems in June 1970 in Massacre Bay, West Massacre 

and Peaceful River Valleys (D. Spencer, memorandum to Director, 

Alaska Operations Office, FWPCA, Anchorage, June 1970). In August 

1970, the USCG gave the Navy permission to burn the remaining fuel 

in Navy Town’s storage tanks, pipelines, and other petroleum deposits. 

In September of 1970, the Service inspected the stored oil disposal and 

estimated that 1,000 gallons of oil remained unburned. The Navy proposed to cover any unburnable oil with fill material. It was determined 

that the underground fuel pipeline system was the pollution source to 

the creek, and that the creek would have a persistent iridescent film. 

The Service concluded that,” The crew performing this demolition 

appears to have done a rather complete job....” (Evans 1970). Crayton 

(1991) noted that many underground pipelines, associated valve boxes, 

and pumping stations in Navy Town continued to profusely leak fuel 

at the time of these field studies. In 2007, large collapsed fuel tanks 

Attu

Crayton (1991) noted that 

many underground pipelines, 

associated valve boxes, and 

pumping stations in Navy Town 

continued to profusely leak fuel 

at the time of these field studies.
Contaminant Assessment 21

continued to have pooled fuel within retaining dikes. The creek draining Navy Town continued to have an oily sheen, and fuel was abundantly spattered on the vegetated banks.

Ecology & Environment, Inc. (E & E) 

The ACOE contracted E & E for preliminary contaminant identification and characterization on Attu Island. Field activities were 

conducted in September 1991. The report, Debris Inventory: Attu 

Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska (E & E 1992a) documented the 

location, quantity, and nature of debris found on Attu during the field 

season. A second report, Contamination Assessment Report: Attu 

Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska (E & E 1992b) addressed associated contaminants and their sources. Objective of the project was 

to provide a preliminary reconnaissance of DoD debris, potential 

HTRW, and POL sources that could be hazardous to human health 

and/or the environment. 

The project’s specific objectives were to:

• Determine the presence and nature of hazardous substances and 

petroleum constituent sources;

• Approximate the extent of soil contamination at each identified 

waste source where possible;

• Determine the presence of contaminants in surface water, runoff, 

and sediments near identified waste sources.

General field activities included 

collection of 86 soil samples, 

13 surface water samples, 

one groundwater sample, and 

nine miscellaneous samples. 

Background, blanks, and duplicate 

samples were also included for 

quality assurance/quality control 

analyses. 

Sample analyses included fuel 

quantification and identification of 

PAHs, PCBs, chlorinated herbicides, OC and organophosphorous 

(OP) pesticides, asbestos, metals, 

and volatile organic compounds 

(VOCs). Not all samples were 

analyzed for all contaminants. No 

OC or OP pesticides were detected 

in Attu soil samples taken by E 

& E. Only one soil sample from 

beneath a drum at Casco Cove 

had a detectable VOC, which was total xylene at 0.006 ppm. Numerous 

substances, including PAHs, PCBs, and some metals, were detected 

in sufficient concentrations to be considered contaminants of concern, 

based on State of Alaska soil cleanup levels (ADEC 2008).

Attu

Casco Cove machinery dump, Attu. D. Rudis, USFWS.
22 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Fuels and related hydrocarbon contaminants detected in soil samples 

included oil, Bunker C oil, diesel, diesel #2 fuel , kerosene, acenaphthylene, fluorene, naphthalene, phenanthrene, and anthracene. At 

almost all sampling sites, soil samples had some petroleum compounds 

(oil, diesel, diesel #2 fuel , or jet fuel) at concentrations far above state 

cleanup standards for diesel range organics, gasoline range organics, 

or residual range organics (Table 1). A soil sample had oil at 620,000 

ppm collected from Jarmin Pass below a ravine with an estimated 4,000 

drums; another soil sample from this area had diesel at 270,000 ppm. A 

soil sample below the lower Peaceful River drum group had 98,800 ppm 

of oil. All but two tank farm soil samples had petroleum compounds at 

concentrations of concern.

Metals identified as contaminants of concern in soil samples included 

lead, chromium, and arsenic. Soil lead concentrations were up to 2,060 

ppm in samples from Casco Cove/Casco Point, at 58,900 ppm near 

demolished batteries at Murder Point, and at 33,800 ppm from a sample 

taken at an unidentified red material along a bluff in east Massacre 

Valley. The ADEC lead soil cleanup level is 400 ppm (Table 1).

Table 1. State of Alaska Soil Cleanup Levels for direct contact in

locations with over 40 inches of annual rainfall (ADEC 2008).

Hazardous Substance State of Alaska Soil Cleanup 

Level (ppm)

Inorganics

Arsenic 3.7

Barium 16,600

Chromium 250

Lead 400

Mercury 25

Zinc 24,900

Organics

PCBs 1

Petroleum hydrocarbons (gasoline 

range organics)

1,400

Petroleum hydrocarbons (diesel range 

organics)

12,500

Petroleum hydrocarbons (residual 

range organics)

22,000

Acenaphthylene 2,300

Anthracene 16,800

Acenaphthylene 2,300

Anthracene 16,800

Benzo(a)pyrene 0.40

Fluorene 1,900

Attu

Soil lead concentrations were up 

to 2,060 ppm in samples from 

Casco Cove/Casco Point, at 58,900 

ppm near demolished batteries 

at Murder Point, and at 33,800 

ppm from a sample taken at an 

unidentified red material along a 

bluff in east Massacre Valley. 
Contaminant Assessment 23

Hazardous Substance State of Alaska Soil Cleanup 

Level (ppm)

Naphthalene 1,100

Phenanthrene 16,800

Diesel and oil were detected in surface water samples from small isolated surface ponds within Navy Town, a pool of water near the USCG 

warehouse, pooled water at Tank Farm 1, and drainages below some of 

the tanks at Tank Farms 3 and 4. No target analytes were detected in 

water samples collected from the Peaceful River, East Massacre Creek, 

and West Massacre Creek, or from the groundwater sample. 

Metals detected in miscellaneous materials include barium, chromium, 

and lead. Soils located near these materials were not collected for 

analysis. Asbestos was found in building materials at Massacre Valley. 

No detectable concentrations were reported for chlorinated herbicides, 

OCs, OPs, or VOCs in any samples.

Dames & Moore 

An engineering evaluation and cost 

analyses (EE/CA) to determine the 

nature and extent of OEW surface 

and subsurface contamination was 

completed by Dames & Moore, 

Inc., in 1995, under contract to 

the U.S. Army Engineer Division 

Huntsville, Alabama. This project 

included an Archive Search Report 

review, research of additional 

data, and visual and metal detector inspection of 14 sites. Some 

of those sites were previously 

identified, and others were located 

during the field investigation. 

Site hazard determination areas 

were as follows: multiple locations 

within Massacre Bay, including 

Casco Point, Barbara Point, 

Tank NT-54, fuel tank area, and magazines northwest of Casco Field; 

ordnance area west of Casco Field; Peaceful Valley; Alexai Point and 

Creek; East and West Massacre Valleys; upper Massacre Valley; 

Engineer Hill; Bassett Creek; Jim Fish Valley (Chichagof Valley); 

Chichagof Harbor and Point; Zwinge Valley; Jarmin Pass; Addison and 

O’Donnell Valleys; and the east and west arms of Holtz Bay. 

UXO—ordnance that was fired or dropped but did not detonate as 

intended—identified at these sites included flares, cartridges, fuzes, 

projectiles, bombs, bomblets, and a variety of other munitions.

The Service’s letter of May 13, 1996, from Glenn Elison, Acting Regional 

Director, to Mr. Charles Heaton, ACOE, Huntsville, Alabama, reviewed 

Attu

Fuel tank farm area from Artillery Hill, Attu. D. Rudis, USFWS
24 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

the EE/CA prepared for Attu (Dames & Moore 1995a, 1995b). The 

Service expressed serious concerns, which are summarized as follows. 

The EE/CA provided an initial ordnance and explosive (OE) hazard 

inventory but was not a complete waste inventory. Live ordnance at 

individual sites was not quantified, and no effort was made to determine 

if other wastes were present. No information was provided on nonOE wastes, including petroleum discharge sources, batteries, power 

station locations, transformers, etc. The 1995 report did not include 

any information on future plans to address OE hazards on Attu. The 

Service maintained that the exposure risk was underestimated, as in 

addition to USCG personnel, the island does have visitors, and access 

is unrestricted. The Service also asserted that No Further Action was 

an unacceptable solution to address the waste materials remaining on 

Attu, and the use of signage as an institutional control was not adequate 

to protect the public. The Service has requested a complete survey of 

hazardous and non-hazardous waste on Attu Island on numerous occasions, with full expectation that all ordnance, explosives, and hazardous 

and non-hazardous wastes would be identified and removed.

Removal and Remediation Activities to Date

Previous OEW and miscellaneous removal actions at military sites 

on Attu were summarized in Dames & Moore (1995a) and include 

the following:

1950 – U.S. Army historical records state that approximately 3,905 

tons of ammunition were destroyed.

1956 – The U.S. Navy contracted with Bankers Life of Chicago, who 

subcontracted with General Metals of Tacoma to salvage non-ferrous 

metals, including truck and tractor parts, from 1956 to 1958. The 

venture was deemed too costly and was not completed.

1976 – Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit Nine of Adak conducted ordnance disposal activities in Peaceful and Zwinge Valleys. 

All major concentrations of ordnance were destroyed, but complete 

surface clearance was not achieved.

1989 – Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit Nine of Adak conducted ordnance disposal activities on Engineer Hill and in Peaceful 

and Zwinge Valleys in August. Small amounts of OEW were reported 

to have been destroyed.

1991 – Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit Nine of Adak conducted ordnance disposal operations in the vicinity of the Japanese 

War memorial on Engineer Hill during May 1991. The report indicates 

that OEW was observed in the ordnance area west of Casco Field, 

upper Massacre Valley, Zwinge Valley, Engineer Hill, Jarmin Pass, and 

Holtz Bay.

In 1999, a Japanese WWII sea mine washed ashore at Temnac Bay 

on Attu and was detonated in place by the Fort Richardson Explosive 

Ordnance Disposal unit (September 3, 1999, email from D. Bethel W 

POA02, Subject: trip report – Attu UXO removal effort).

Attu

The Service has requested a 

complete survey of hazardous 

and non-hazardous waste 

on Attu Island on numerous 

occasions, with full expectation 

that all ordnance, explosives, 

and hazardous and nonhazardous wastes would be 

identified and removed.
Contaminant Assessment 25

Known OEW that remains on Attu is primarily located in burn piles 

and kickouts from burn piles. Bulk detonation at burn piles caused 

“kickout” (the ejection of undetonated devices), distributing dangerous 

ordnance over a wide area. However, the potential for OEW exists 

over all areas of the island since Army munitions, naval gunfire, and 

air-delivered ordnance were used during the Battle of Attu. To date, 

investigations conducted by DoD funded contractors have been limited 

to areas where significant combat or military activities took place, 

including former installations.

Chemical warfare materials (CWM) were stored at Attu during WWII. 

In 1947, some 887 one-ton containers of Lewisite (a chemical blistering 

agent) and 61 containers of mustard gas (another blistering agent) 

were dumped at sea approximately 12 miles from Attu, and 10 containers of each agent were shipped to Adak for disposal. 

Both the container size and number of containers 

is notable. These actions were documented in 

an ACm1C Form 1-3a, sent from Headquarters 

Alaska Department to the War Department, Chief 

Chemical Corps, dated November 2, 1946. These 

disposal actions accounted for the entire CWM 

initially reported on Attu in 1946. No evidence of 

CWM or related contamination was reported to 

have been observed during any subsequent site 

investigations or disposal actions. The Dames & 

Moore 1995b report states that Attu Island should 

not be further considered as a CWM site.

At present, there are 25 warning signs posted 

around known UXO areas on Attu. 

In 2002, the EPA completed an evaluation of 

the federal facilities on Attu for inclusion on the 

National Priorities List but determined that Attu 

was a low priority for listing. While evaluation 

includes hazardous substance residue from UXO, 

it does not include an evaluation of UXO explosive 

hazards (D. Leblang letter to D. Allen and P. Roth, 

March 8, 2002). 

The ACOE conducted an additional reconnaissance 

visit to Attu in 2010 and continues to investigate 

cleanup options for these FUD sites as of 2012.

Remedial Planning

In notes from a July 1, 1992, interagency meeting on the Review 

Remedial Alternatives Report for Environmental Evaluation at 

Attu, Amchitka, Kiska, and Great Sitkin Islands, Aleutian Islands, 

Alaska held at the Corps of Engineers Offices in Anchorage, a summary of the meeting conclusions stated that, “All hazardous and toxic 

waste (HTW) will be removed from the islands while minimizing any 

adverse effects to historic properties.” To date, that activity has not 

been completed.

Attu

Pyramid Cove, burn barrel and asphalt tar site, Attu. D. 

Rudis, USFWS
26 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

A letter from the Service’s Alaska Regional Director to the U.S. Army 

Engineer Division, Huntsville, Alabama, dated May 13, 1996, commented on the 1995 EE/CA and expressed serious concerns with this 

report and its conclusions. A summary of these comments follows. The 

EE/CA was not a complete inventory of wastes and was not thorough 

enough to identify the full extent of the OE and OEW; additional 

survey data from a 1991 Service report was not included in the EE/CA. 

The ACOE made an incorrect assumption that there is little chance 

of contact between the public and the large amount of unexploded 

ordnance on Attu. 

Access to the island is unrestricted. Vessels can and do land at Attu, 

and visitors travel at will on the island. The standard mariner’s guide, 

the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coast 

Pilot, for the Aleutians (vol. 9) does not include any information 

on OE or UXO hazards on these islands (NOAA Coast Pilot 2012). 

Institutional controls, particularly signs, do not protect the public, as 

it is unlikely that signs would remain in place and legible in the harsh 

Aleutian climate. The ACOE concluded that No Further Action was an 

acceptable alternative. The Service disagreed that the alternative or 

implementation of institutional controls would be an effective means to 

deal with OE exposure on Attu.

In July 2006, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation 

(ADEC) provided review comments to the ACOE on the Attu Draft 

Final CWM Scoping and Security Report of March 25, 2005, and 

disagreed with the ACOE that further investigation of potential CWM 

remaining on the island is impracticable, stating: “Significant munitions and explosives of concern (MEC) contamination are present 

along with the potential for CWM or CA. The munitions response 

area (MRA) warrants prioritization under the Munitions Response 

Site Prioritization Protocol (MRSPP) and further investigation and 

remedial action. The ASR recommends detailed investigation into 

both CWM and OEW.” [Author’s note – CA is “Chemical Agent”] 

In addition, ADEC recommended that further investigation of Attu 

Island be planned in the form of a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility 

Study and include a public involvement plan as part of this process.

The USCG completed a draft Environmental Assessment for LORAN 

C Station closure (USCG 2012), which describes proposed actions for 

station closure and potential environmental effects.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Site Visit 2007

Attu site descriptions are from a field visit by the author from May 

30 to June 13, 2007. Location identification follows the 1992 E & E 

Contamination Assessment Report Attu Island, prepared for U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District. Not all locations described 

in the E & E report were visited, but representative examples of each 

type of site were visited and assessed for this report. 

Observations were limited to the eastern end of the 300-square-mile 

island, where the majority of WWII activities occurred and the USCG 

Attu

Access to the island is 

unrestricted. Vessels can and do 

land at Attu, and visitors travel 

at will on the island. 
Contaminant Assessment 27

maintained a LORAN station (LORAN C). Focus areas of the site visit 

were Murder Point, Casco Cove, the Peaceful River, various fuel tank 

farms, Navy Town, Massacre Valley, Chichagof Harbor, Chichagof 

Point, and some miscellaneous scattered drum groups. The extensive 

road system on Attu Island has been maintained by the USCG Station 

south to Murder Point, north to Engineer Hill, and northeast to East 

Massacre Valley. Transportation to other locations was limited to 

foot travel, bicycle, or an all-terrain vehicle. Road washouts and area 

closures associated with ordnance disposal sites and related human 

safety issues prevented access to some locations. 

Sites that were not visited are described from the two E & E 1992 

reports and the Dames & Moore 1995 reports, as well as numerous 

other sources. All sites that were visited, including some of which were 

not included in the E & E 1992b report, are noted in this document. 

Although latitude and longitude for each point of interest were taken in 

the field, an undetermined error made these data points unusable. 

Supporting information used in preparation of the following assessment of contaminant sources and issues included literature cited 

reports, numerous unpublished correspondence from the ACOE office 

at Fort Richardson in Alaska, the ADEC Web site contaminated sites 

information, correspondence and other files from the USFWS Alaska 

Region Division of Realty, and other miscellaneous sources. Despite 

a number of previous studies, the extent of characterization at many 

Attu sites is limited, and it is likely that new issues will be discovered 

as more rigorous site investigations are completed.

Attu Island Contaminant 

Sources and Issues

Given its pivotal role during 

WWII, including Japanese 

occupation and the subsequent 

bloody battle to retake the island, 

both U.S. and Japanese forces 

introduced contaminants into the 

environment. The majority of 

known contaminant issues, however, are associated with the U.S. 

military forces, which constructed 

a number of installations and associated infrastructure on the island. 

Over time, these facilities released 

contamination into the environment. Remediation of these DoD 

contaminated sites will be conducted under the auspices of the 

ACOE DERP-FUDS program. 

Following is a compilation of material from summaries of known contaminant issues at former Army 

Attu

Present day Navy Town from Google Earth
28 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

and Navy installations on Attu. Material is primarily from ACOE documentation, and particularly 

from the 1993 Defense Environmental Restoration 

Program – Formerly Used Defense Sites (DERPFUDS) Inventory Project Report (ACOE 1993). 

Current remains of the Navy Town fueling facility include 105 large fuel tanks from the original 

135 tanks, with capacities from 48,000 to 380,000 

gallons, thousands of feet of pipelines, a set of beach 

front manifolds, and two pump stations. Only two of 

these large tanks are intact and may contain product. Bunker C and diesel grades were the primary 

fuels used. There is considerable POL contamination surrounding many of the tanks, including 

stained soils, fuel sheens on surface waters, POL 

odors, and stressed vegetation coated with a black 

petroleum product. Soil berms constructed around 

the tanks have accumulated POL-contaminated 

pooled water, sometimes over three feet deep. Most 

of the pipelines are broken or are rusted through 

and may contain POL residue. Manifolds and valves 

at the pump stations are still coated with viscous 

black POL (probably Bunker C). POL contamination is extensive, primarily due to the August 1970 

attempt by the Navy to burn remaining fuel in 

Navy Town storage tanks, pipelines, and other 

petroleum deposits. Another potential source for 

POL and other toxic substances are the sewer lines, 

which could have had these substances dumped into 

them by military personnel. 

Piles of 55-gallon barrels are scattered throughout 

the eastern portion of Attu, with surrounding soils 

typically stained, vegetation stressed, and surface 

waters exhibiting fuel sheen. Based on visual 

observations, it appears that less than 10 percent of 

the 55-gallon drum sites are intact and may contain 

product. There were also 52 other (600–800-gallon) 

above-ground storage tanks, some of which were 

fully or partially full with a very thick POL product. 

Additional standpipes for underground storage 

tanks were noted in several areas. 

Electrical transformers were found, but based on 

past laboratory analyses, none have been confirmed to still contain PCB-containing oil. Based 

upon results of samples obtained by an ACOE 

contractor in 1991, stained soils are contaminated 

with oil and diesel, typically in the 10,000 to 50,000 

ppm range and as high as 620,000 ppm. Lead contamination of soil is 

also prevalent, with higher concentrations reported in the range of 

600 to 1,420 ppm (E & E 1992b). An unknown material sampled from 

Attu

Navy personnel attemped to burn Navy Town fuel tanks in 

August 1970.
Contaminant Assessment 29

a container had lead at 33,800 ppm. Soil samples collected at Murder 

Point near several demolished batteries had an estimated lead 

concentration of 58,900 ppm, and a sample from a demolished and 

burned building with electric circuitry had a concentration of 67,000 

ppm (E & E 1992b). Other contaminants found in Attu soil samples 

that were above cleanup levels include chromium, arsenic, asbestos, 

barium, PCB, and PAHs. Dioxins were found in burned building 

rubble at Chichagof Point (E & E 1992b). Surface waters at Navy 

Town contain elevated levels of diesel and oil (E & E 1992b).

Hundreds of tons of OEW remain on the eastern section of the island, 

particularly in the ordnance disposal site in Peaceful Valley between 

the Peaceful River and the east-west airstrip. This site has also been 

described as the ordnance area west of Casco Field; it was estimated 

at 450 acres and divided into 24 OEW burn sites (Dames & Moore 

1995a). See Figure 5. OEW kickouts were distributed around each 

of the sites. A 1976 Navy effort to collect and dispose of OEW failed; 

the ordnance was stockpiled and detonated, but most of the ordnance 

was scattered and not exploded. This was not the first disposal effort, 

as the 1976 report noted heavy OEW surface contamination from 

previous improper disposal jobs. A 1991 survey by the Navy found 

large amounts of OEW in Peaceful Valley and scattered occurrences 

elsewhere. Previous investigation and demolition teams found 100-

pound Army practice bombs, smoke pots, smoke generators, rifle 

smoke grenades, flares, fuzes, barrage rockets, 250- and 500-pound 

projectiles, incendiary bombs and bomblets, 6-, 10-, 12-, and 14-inch 

projectiles, small arms ammunition up to .50-caliber, high explosive 

anti-tank and high explosive incendiary rounds, fragmentation 

bombs, 20 mm (high explosive), and 40 mm warheads. Dames and 

Moore (1995a) provided additional documentation of the previously 

described OEW with estimations of the volume of these materials 

and descriptions of each of the 24 OEW burn sites. These included a 

site with thousands of mostly live exposed fuzes, boosters, and drums 

with potentially bulk high explosive (at a drum burn site); a site with 

an estimated 100 incendiary bombs (500 pounds each) and smoke 

generators that may contain chemicals; and a site with a 25-foot by 

50-foot stack of partially burned crates containing five-inch rocket 

igniters and fins.

Anti-personnel mines and ordnance were reported to be present in the 

Zwinge Valley area in the Dames & Moore (1995a) report. Seven OEW 

burn sites were identified in an estimated 250-acre area. The largest 

site contained a large quantity of projectiles with UXO found up to 

1,500 feet away. Live UXO was identified at all burn sites and included 

rounds, smoke grenades, projectiles, fuzes, propellant charge casings, 

and residue. 

Ordnance was also found at three burn sites at Alexai Point. These 

burn sites had nose and tail fuzes, .50- and .30-caliber ammunition, and 

20 mm high explosive incendiary rounds. 

The potential for underwater UXO hazards exists in lakes and 

nearshore areas from combat and bombing operations. UXO may 

Attu

Previous investigation and 

demolition teams found 

100-pound Army practice 

bombs, smoke pots, smoke 

generators, rifle smoke 

grenades, flares, fuzes, barrage 

rockets, 250- and 500-pound 

projectiles, incendiary bombs 

and bomblets, 6-, 10-, 12-, and 

14-inch projectiles, small arms 

ammunition up to .50-caliber, 

high explosive anti-tank and 

high explosive incendiary 

rounds, fragmentation bombs, 

20 mm (high explosive), and 40 

mm warheads. 
30 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

be present in Massacre Bay, 

Chichagof Harbor, and Holtz 

Bay, as well as Red Beach and 

Austin Cove from assault activities (Dames & Moore 1995a). 

Allied landing craft were sunk 

while landing troops and supplies; Japanese fired torpedoes 

and bombed American ships. 

The U.S. mine layer Pruitt was 

present during the Battle of Attu. 

When food supplies ran low, U.S. 

soldiers tossed hand grenades 

into the surf to kill fish. No 

underwater investigations have 

been performed to date.

Chemical warfare artillery and 

bombs in the form of mustard gas (M47A2 bombs) and 

Lewisite (M33 bombs) were stored on Attu but were 

removed from the island for disposal. 

The Attu Island military site was determined to be 

formerly used by DoD; it has both HTRW and OEW 

categories of hazardous waste, as stated in the DERPFUDS 1993 Inventory Project Report. As such, the site 

is eligible for funding under the DERP-FUDS program. 

The containerized hazardous, toxic, and radioactive 

wastes (CON/HTRW) were determined to be released 

by DoD after the occurrence of “acts of war.”

U.S. Coast Guard LORAN A and C Stations 

The USCG LORAN C Station was active through 2010 

and supported 20 staff. The LORAN C Station Attu 

property boundaries extend from south of the old east-west runway 

to Casco Bay, west to about 3,200 feet from the center of the present 

north-south runway, and north to above the active landfill (see Figure 

3). Station property boundaries include some of the known WWII 

hazardous waste areas. During the summer of 2007, a Preliminary 

Environmental Impact Statement of the USCG property was initiated; the project contractor was Engineering and Environmental 

Management, Inc.

All hazardous waste from the LORAN C Station was shipped off island 

for proper disposal. Garbage and burnable trash was incinerated, and 

remaining ash, biosolids, and other camp domestic or municipal waste 

was transported to the ADEC permitted landfill (permit number 

SWGP CAMP-06). The ADEC 2008 landfill permit was revoked, and 

the landfill was closed in the summer of 2010 upon the LORAN C 

Station closure (C. Dunkin, ADEC, pers. comm.). Aluminum and some 

other metals were recycled. There was also a one-time construction 

debris disposal permit issued to the USCG. Hazardous materials were 

Attu

A derelict vessel sits in Chichagof Harbor, Attu. D. Rudis USFWS

Lead batteries remain on the vessel at Chichagof 

Harbor, Attu. D. Rudis USFWS
Contaminant Assessment 31

Figure 3. U.S. Coast Guard LORAN C Station

Attu
32 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

stored in a standard, regulation hazardous storage container located 

near the fuel tank area. 

The summarized station closure activities were as follows:

USCG is proposing to terminate the land withdrawal and relinquish the property back to the BLM, another federal agency, 

or a non-federal entity. Prior to relinquishment, the USCG was 

statutorily obligated to harden the site as mandated by Congress 

in Public Law 111-83. LORAN C Station Attu was hardened in 

accordance with Base Realignment and Closure Maintenance 

Service Level III. The site-hardening process was initiated 

when the international LORAN signal at Attu was turned off on 

August 1, 2010, prior to tower demolition. The majority of the 

site-hardening process began two weeks later and included the 

demolition and disposal of sensitive site infrastructure, communications equipment, hazardous materials, and security systems. 

Site-hardening procedures were completed in September 

2010, with the exception of remediation activities. Remediation 

activities, such as landfill cleanup and tank farm removal, will 

continue over the next several years. Site hardening is considered a nondiscretionary action and does not require National 

Environmental Policy Act analysis. 

A description of all site-hardening activities performed after Station 

C closure are included in the USCG Draft Environmental Assessment 

for LORAN Station C (USGG 2012). All of the ASTs at the LORAN C 

Station were cleaned and closed in 2010 (disconnected from distribution piping and blank flanges installed) in accordance with American 

Petroleum Institute standards; the tanks remain in place (USCG 2012). 

A 30-gallon gasoline tank for refueling vehicles was kept in an enclosed 

building designed for fuel storage. The closed fuel tank area has 10 

ASTs (25,000 gallons each) that held a total of 250,000 gallons of diesel 

fuel. There are also five 30,000-gallon diesel ASTs. The fuel tank area 

has a cement floor and berm and is appropriately signed. Fuel was 

delivered once per year each May; pipe inspection occurred at that 

time. During fuel delivery, the barge was boomed and containment 

equipment was staged for spill response. 

Sewage treatment for the station consisted of a mixer unit, chlorination 

and dechlorination chambers, and leach field and outfall pipe. Sewage 

was stirred in the mixer for 10 to 14 hours, piped to the chlorination 

chamber for approximately nine hours and then dechlorinated for 

about four hours before discharge to Pyramid Cove. The treated sewage was authorized by ADEC, Alaska Pollution Discharge Elimination 

System permit AK-002063. The permit was cancelled in December 

2010 (D. Wilkinson, USCG, pers. comm.). Remaining solids from the 

tanks were landfilled.

ADECs Contaminated Sites Program records include leaking underground storage tank site spill reports for both of the USCG LORAN 

stations. LORAN C Station had a heating oil release in 1990, but no 

records could be found on the amount of oil released. The contaminated soil was excavated and stockpiled on-site with no remediation 

Attu

A description of all sitehardening activities performed 

after Station C closure are 

included in the USCG Draft 

Environmental Assessment for 

LORAN Station C
Contaminant Assessment 33

of contaminated soil. The spill area was subsequently backfilled. The 

volume of POL-contaminated soil was estimated at 14,800 cubic yards 

(S. de Vries memorandum to J. Martin, December 16, 1998). The old 

underground storage tanks (USTs) were replaced with ASTs. 

At LORAN A Station, three leaking USTs and related diesel range 

organic contaminated soils (that exceeded the hydrocarbon-specific 

cleanup level to protect migration to groundwater) were removed in 

2002, and it is unknown if the soil was treated on-site. 

ADEC records indicate that there are several known petroleumcontaminated areas at this site located: 1) between the new and old 

generator buildings; 2) near the bulk fuel containment area; 3) at the 

ground surface discharge location of 15,000 gallons of benzene-contaminated water; and 4) on the north side of station. 

These records also indicate that the USCG created stockpiles of 

unknown volumes of petroleum-contaminated soil as the result of excavation activities associated with past construction projects at the station.

Other known and potential contamination concerns include heavy 

metals in soils and in groundwater and surface water (primarily lead 

from the use of lead-based paint on structures and at the small arms 

firing range), PCBs in soils due to transformers used on-site that were 

determined to not be PCB-free, and petroleum in soils and in groundwater and surface water. 

The Draft Environmental Assessment for LORAN Station C (USGG 

2012) included the following statements:

The most recent survey for lead based paint (LBP) at LORAN-C 

Station Attu was conducted in 2005. LBP was detected at several buildings at the station on various surfaces including wood 

and metal doors and door jams, interior and exterior walls, and 

concrete foundations. LBP abatement was not conducted during site-hardening activities; therefore, these materials remain 

undisturbed at the station.

Multiple releases of hazardous substances have been reported at 

LORAN-C Station Attu throughout its history. As of 2010, there 

were seven ongoing environmental action projects at LORAN-C 

Station Attu, including soil contamination, storage of contaminated 

water, contamination in the small arms firing range, and leaking 

underground storage tanks. Remediation would likely involve 

landspreading, or spreading the soil over non-environmentally 

sensitive areas and allowing biological activity and aeration to 

decompose the contaminants. These ongoing remediation projects 

address known contamination; however, it is likely that undocumented contamination exists. Phase I and Phase II Environmental 

Due Diligence Audits are recommended for the site. The USCG’s 

remediation activities are regulated under CERCLA and Alaska 

Administrative Code (18 AAC 75).

At least three separate asbestos containing materials (ACM) 

Attu

Multiple releases of hazardous 

substances have been reported 

at LORAN-C Station Attu 

throughout its history.
34 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

surveys have been conducted at LORAN-C 

Station Attu in the past 15 years. The most 

recent ACM survey was conducted in 2005 and 

identified ACMs at several buildings at the 

station. Examples of ACM items at the station 

include roofing materials, cable run covers, wall 

sheeting, fire doors, and floor tiles. Asbestos 

abatement was not conducted during sitehardening activities; therefore, these materials 

remain undisturbed at the station.

LORAN A Station is located at Murder Point. 

These structures are in complete disrepair 

and constitute a safety hazard (author’s personal observation). In 1998, the Environmental 

Contaminants Specialist in the Anchorage Field 

Office summarized concerns about LORAN 

A Station to the refuge Manager of Alaska 

Maritime NWR (S. de Vries memorandum to 

J. Martin, December 16, 1998). This included 

concerns about lead paint (5,000 ppm lead concentration), friable asbestos, three 10,000-gallon 

USTs, and an AST with bullet holes in the 

bottom with probable POL underneath. She also 

noted transformers were still present on the 

sides of buildings and on a pole. Soil sampling 

did not reveal any PCBs, but resampling was 

recommended. If these LORAN station properties are returned to the refuge, it would be 

important to have a full contaminants assessment done before revocation of the existing land withdrawal.

The following section describes the Attu WWII sites that are known 

to be or are suspected to be contaminated. Individual site figures are 

from either E & E or Dames & Moore reports.

Casco Cove and Casco Point

Casco Cove

Bluffs are located along the perimeter of this site. The rocky bluffs 

extend into the bay, and the area has generally rocky beaches 

from 20 to 50 feet wide. Sites identified in the E & E 1992b report 

were located on a vegetated bench above the beach (see Figure 4). 

Vegetation was primarily grasses and maritime tundra, and the area 

was dotted with numerous small scattered pocket wetlands. The 

gravel beach had large rocks bedrock outcroppings. Wildlife consists of waterfowl and seabird use of the beach and nearshore area, 

including the dock remains. Species include common eider, harlequin 

duck, pelagic cormorant, tufted puffin, pigeon guillemot, and glaucous winged gull. Passerines noted in upland habitat are Lapland 

longspurs and song sparrows.

Attu

WWII equipment remains at Murder Point on Attu. D. Rudis, 

USFWS
Contaminant Assessment 35

Figure 4. Casco Cove Point, Attu

Attu
36 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

A beach equipment bone yard with tractors and other metal and 

vehicle debris are at this location. These vehicles would have contained 

lead acid batteries, a potential source of lead contamination. Stained 

soils were not noted during the site visit, but fluids that drained from 

the abandoned equipment could result in subsurface soil contamination

Wooden and cement dock remnants extend from the shore. The dock is 

not useable for vessels.

Casco Cove Drum Group 4 is a large drum pile with approximately 

4,000 drums (E & E 1992b). All drums noted were corroded, rusted, 

and empty in 2007. Drums are scattered throughout area, but no 

product was seen in the down slope ditch, however contaminants could 

be present below surface. E & E collected 12 surface soil samples 

throughout this area and found elevated levels (see Table 1) of diesel 

(3,600 mg/kg), the PAHs acenaphthylene (23 mg/kg), and naphthalene 

(12 mg/kg); and lead (792 mg/kg). 

In the Casco Cove area E & E collected two samples of a white crystalline powder from Drum Group 1 (Figure 4) and reported lead at 483 

to 2,060 mg/kg. A soil sample collected by E & E from Casco Cove had 

1,420 mg/kg lead. There were three surface water samples collected in 

this area, all from one location. No contamination was detected. This 

limited sample effort is inadequate to characterize soil and surface 

water contamination in the Casco Cove area.

A wooden platform and a building remnant debris pile remain at this site.

Casco Point

Collapsed wooden structures and metal debris piles are present; any 

contamination could be below ground surface. 

There is a former boiler house along the road on the northwest shore; 

contamination potential there is unknown. 

Drum Group 3 has at least 40 corroded drums. Drums are in the 

stream mouth and salmon were observed spawning among the drums 

(E & E 1992b). No surficial soil staining or sheens were noted; contamination could occur below ground surface. 

Quonset hut remains and stained soil are present. 

Ordnance Magazines Northwest of Casco Point

The following site information is from the 1995 Dames and Moore 

report. The site was not visited in 2007 by the author, as it is considered off-limits due to safety reasons. 

The magazines are located in lower Peaceful Valley, a bowl surrounded 

by low hills covered with thick vegetation. The site is on a rolling bench 

and is vegetated where human disturbance has not eliminated ground 

cover. There are two major OEW burn sites with 24 specific locations, 

estimated at 450 acres. There are several ponds in this area. Most burn 

Attu

Drum Group 3 has at least 40 

corroded drums. Drums are in 

the stream mouth and salmon 

were observed spawning among 

the drums.
Contaminant Assessment 37

Figure 5. Attu Known Ordnance Concentration Areas

Attu
38 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

sites are barren open areas without vegetation; some sites are surrounded by berms.

This area was the disposal location for ordnance that was not removed 

from Attu during removal actions in 1976 and 1991. Disposal actions 

were through burning and detonation, which resulted in OEW kickouts 

scattered throughout the overall site. Kickouts included 4.5-inch finned 

barrage rockets, 75 mm rockets, 20 mm high explosive incendiary 

rounds, fuzes, 500-pound incendiary bombs, and four-pound incendiary bomblets. The 24 OEW burn sites were individually investigated, 

located on field maps, inventoried, and documented (Dames and Moore 

1995a). No evidence of toxic chemical warfare agents was found during 

this effort.

Fuel Tank Farms

The four fuel tank farms were visited by the ACOE and its contractors 

in September 1994 (ACOE 1994). Their trip purpose was to inspect the 

sites for unexploded ordnance and other explosive hazards and determine if tank removal was warranted. Among the four tank farms were 

135 tanks of various sizes. At that time, they found 11 of the 135 tanks 

standing but rusted through, 19 blown up and creating large metal 

piles, and 105 collapsed or burned. Some tanks are on gravel or asphalt 

pads. Additional notes from the Dames & Moore site visit are included 

in each of the four tank farm descriptions. Field observations on tank 

locations visited by the author in 2007 are included in the following site 

descriptions. 

Fuel Tank Farm 1

 This area, located west below 

the runway, consists of eight 

abandoned fuel storage tanks with 

subsurface vaults. This is the closest of the four tank farms to the 

USCG LORAN station. There is 

an 8- to 10-inch diameter pipe distribution system. The eight 30-foot 

diameter by nine foot high above 

ground tanks are each surrounded 

by an earthen berm. E & E collected two soil samples from this 

area. Sampling results from 1992 

did not detect contamination that 

exceeded State standards. One soil 

sample contained 130 mg/kg oil, 

0.4 mg/kg phenanthrene, and 0.3 

mg/kg pyrene. A sample collected 

from the bottom of pooled water 

within a bermed tank area had 

0.5 mg/kg naphthalene, 28 mg/

kg mineral spirits, and 250 mg/kg 

oil. See Figure 4-2 in E & E 1992b 

Attu

Tank area 1 and spill, Attu. D. Rudis, USFWS.
Contaminant Assessment 39

report. The 1994 ACOE report did 

not note any POL contamination 

at this tank farm. The habitat is 

maritime tundra with scattered 

pocket wetlands and drainages 

throughout the area.

Within Tank Farm 1 is a large 

wooden foundation (about 70 feet 

by 100 feet) with at least a dozen 

barrels; pooled oily water was 

observed adjacent to the structure 

during the 2007 visit. A pallet 

of about six broken batteries 

was surrounded by stained soil; 

stressed vegetation was observed 

adjacent to the front of the wooden 

structure. 

E & E (1992b) reported a water 

sample with 5,140 ug/L diesel and 

9,220 ug/L oil. Lead was estimated 

at 4 ug/L and fluoranthene at 3 

ug/L. Based on State of Alaska Water Quality Criteria, lead criteria are 

hardness dependent, and that measurement was not included in the 

ACOE report. Alaska Water Quality Criteria for fluoranthene is zero 

for freshwater aquatic life. A soil sample near the batteries had 2,100 

mg/kg oil, 84 mg/kg lead, and 8 mg/kg chromium (metals were below 

State of Alaska soil cleanup levels; see Table 1).

Only cement walls and base of a building remain in Tank Farm 1. Fuel 

drums were present, but their condition was not noted. It was unclear 

which structure this was in the E & E (1992b) report. 

Fuel Tank Farm 2 

Tank Farm 2 follows the contour of the south side of Coast Artillery 

Hill. The area consists of a pump station and 20 steel fuel tanks, each 

about 60 feet in diameter and 18 feet in height. Tank numbers in the E 

& E 1992b report are NT-1 through NT-15. Tanks are paired and are 

located within excavated areas surrounded by soil berms constructed 

on the downhill side. In 2007, three tanks were intact but had rust 

holes, and all other tanks were collapsed. Some tanks had been blown 

up, and there was fire evidence on some of the tanks. There are also 

eight additional smaller tanks that were totally crushed. 

The 1994 ACOE report noted POL contamination at five large fuel 

tanks that were not included in the 1992b E & E report. That site visit 

report noted an oily discharge that was flowing into a stream from the 

berm around one of these formerly unmapped tanks. Our 2007 site visit 

found oil sheening and stained soil at four locations within this tank 

farm complex. 

Attu

Fuel tank at fuel tank farm 2. These tanks were burned in an unsuccessful 

attempt to remove remaining fuel. D. Rudis, USFWS
40 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

The most notable area of petroleum contamination observed in 2007 

was found at the pump station area. This pump station was not noted 

in the E & E 1992b report or in the 1994 ACOE report. Pump station 

pipes leaked black oil, coating vegetation and forming petroleum 

product pools and sheen. In 2007, an oily sheen and black oil surface 

pools were found on adjacent and down slope waters, and the area 

had a strong fuel odor. Just above the pump station was an area of 

heavy petroleum contamination, forming a tar pond approximately 

100 feet or more in length. 

Around the platform/base of the pump station were areas of heavy soil 

discoloration and stressed vegetation. The ACOE 1994 report noted 

52 ASTs, with 10 having at least some POL product remaining. They 

estimated the POL-covered area around the large group of ASTs 

covered about 1,000 square feet. 

Following the stream down slope from the pump station, a product 

discharge area was found in the creek bank where the black petroleum product flowed into the 

unnamed stream. Black, viscous 

oil was found downstream, coating vegetation along the stream 

bank in discrete deposits; most oil 

splotches observed in 2007 were 

less than 12 inches in diameter. Oil 

deposits continued at least 100 feet 

downstream. It appeared these oil 

splotches were deposited during 

high stream flows on the stream 

bank grassy bench. Any birds 

using this area could be at risk 

from the oil. This oil could easily 

stick to bird feathers, causing 

injury or death. Preening birds 

can also ingest oil, causing direct 

toxicity or oil transfer to eggs, 

resulting in egg death. 

A soil sample collected by E & E 

(1992b) at the base of Tank NT-4 

had 260,000 mg/kg oil (well above 

State of Alaska soil cleanup level) 

and chromium at 13 mg/kg, which 

was well below the soil cleanup 

level (see Table 1).

Fuel Tank Farm 3 

This large tank farm consisting 

of 54 tanks is located on the 

northwest flank of Coast Artillery 

Hill. Tanks were about 40 feet 

in diameter by 16 feet in height 

Attu

WWII fuel tanks are located on the hillside above Lake Elwood on Attu. D. 

Rudis, USFWS
Contaminant Assessment 41

and were surrounded by earthen berms in sets of two; all tanks were 

collapsed when visited in 2007. The tanks were arranged in four tiers 

on the hillside. E & E reported no visible contamination in the top 

two tiers of tanks, and none was observed during the 2007 site visit. 

Both the 2007 site visit and E & E work in 1992 found evidence of 

petroleum contamination from the lower two tiers of tanks. Pooled 

water within the bermed areas of these tanks typically exhibited 

surface sheens. Sediments generated rainbow sheen and produced 

POL bubbles when disturbed. Some tank runoff and pooled product 

areas had stressed vegetation. 

Sheen was noted at additional down slope drainage areas in the 

wetland below the tanks; this flow drains into Lake Elwood. Waterfowl 

observed in Lake Elwood included common eider, red-throated loon, 

red-breasted merganser, mallard duck, Aleutian Canada goose, pintail, 

and common loon. Aleutian Canada geese nest on the slopes adjacent 

to the tank farm. Lapland longspurs were the only passerine species 

noted in the tank farm area. 

Diesel and oil (quantified using hydraulic oil as a standard) were the 

primary compounds detected in soil samples collected by E & E. 

Highest soil hydrocarbon compound concentrations were at Navy 

Town Artillery Hill at Fuel Tank Farm 3 at tanks NT-28 (26,700 mg/

kg), NT-26 (12,000 mg/kg), NT-31 (19,000 mg/kg) and NT-32 (13,200 

mg/kg). Arsenic and lead were also detected, with the highest arsenic 

concentrations at 160 mg/kg and lead at 603 mg/kg. E & E reported 

that surface water samples from drainages by the tank sets indicated 

that petroleum compounds were being released to at least two drainage locations. One sample had diesel fuel at 353 ug/L; another water 

sample was at 3,230 ug/L. Three tank sets were observed draining into 

adjacent wetlands in 2007. 

Tank Location Notes from 2007

Middle tier and upper tier tank locations did not have obvious stressed 

vegetation or discolored soil. Tank numbers on the E & E map are 

NT-16 through NT-34. The top tier of tanks was not numbered. Lower 

two-tier tank locations generally had sheen and/or petroleum odor 

present. The ACOE 1994 report only noted POL contamination at 

NT-25 and NT-28.

Fuel Tank Farm 4 

This site is located at the base of the north side of Terrible Mountain 

and above Lake Elwood. Drainage from this tank farm is down to 

Lake Elwood. This area was not visited during the author’s 2007 

site visit. There are 11 paired 40 foot by 16 foot fuel tanks and one 

single tank in this area. Tanks are arranged in two tiers. E & E 

collected three soil samples in this area, with the highest petroleum 

compounds detected at 200 mg/kg. Tank numbers from the E & E 

1992 report are NT-37 through NT-48. The 1994 ACOE report did 

not report any sign of POL contamination at this site. They noted 

that all tanks were flattened.

Attu

E & E reported that surface 

water samples from drainages 

by the tank sets indicated that 

petroleum compounds were 

being released to at least two 

drainage locations. 
42 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Attu

Navy Town

This extensive area has numerous WWII structural building remains; almost all had collapsed 

at the time of the 2007 site visit. Building debris 

is present throughout the area, as are scattered 

rusted fuel drums and tanks. Following are 

descriptions of some of the more notable sites.

The Navy Cove rock jetty to Loaf Island had old 

vehicles lining the inside of the jetty forming the 

breakwater support. No sheen or contaminants 

were seen on the rocks or water. 

A large wooden foundation located near the 

USCG warehouse had oil slicks present on 

adjacent pooled water. Some stressed vegetation 

was noted. The E & E 1992 water sample from 

this location had oil at 9,220 ug/L and diesel at 

5,140 ug/L. There were six large split battery 

casings in this area and soil was discolored. The 

size of this discolored area was estimated at 5 feet 

by 10 feet. A soil sample E & E collected from this 

area had oil at 2,100 mg/kg, lead at 84 mg/kg, and 

chromium at 8 mg/kg. 

A group of over 40 corroded, medium-sized 

barrels containing a white-gray crystalline 

substance were stacked in a collapsed wooden 

frame. E & E labeled this site Drum Group 1, 

sample 011SL. Their analyses indicated this 

substance was an inorganic calcium salt, with 

lead at 292 mg/kg.

A WWII-period personnel equipment and netting debris pile contained discarded gas masks 

and numerous other canvas, rubber, metal, and 

plastic items. Wooden building platforms, wire cable piles, and other 

building and fuel tank remains were present. 

This former paint storage area consisted of a wooden platform with 

solidified multi-colored paint piles remaining after paint cans had 

rusted away. Most paints used during WWII contained lead. Adjacent 

standing water had a small sheen area (approximately six inches by 

three inches); some stressed vegetation was also noted. This area was 

located approximately 80 to 100 feet from a creek. The E & E 1992 soil 

sample that was collected down slope had 250 mg/kg oil, 569 mg/kg 

lead, and 24 mg/kg chromium.

Navy Town is the location for the formerly permitted landfill for 

disposal of incinerated trash and other nonhazardous solid waste from 

the USCG station. Debris was covered with soil after dumping. Some 

old debris and barrels either dating from the 1970s or WWII were 

noted in the vicinity. 

Remains of a Navy Town paint shop. D. Rudis, USFWS.

Navy Town remains, Attu. D. Rudis, USFWS
Contaminant Assessment 43

Attu

Figure 6. Navy Town and Casco Point, Attu
44 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

There is apparently a former 

landfill area located across the 

road from the active landfill. The 

area is completely revegetated and 

enclosed by soil berms, but some 

fuel slicks and stained soils were 

noted in down gradient wetlands. 

No additional information was 

found about this site in previous 

reports, and it is unknown if any 

soil or water samples were collected during any prior investigations.

A WWII fuel pump station is 

located below the USCG closed 

landfill. Cement walls hold in 

surface water. No surface water 

contamination was evident within 

pump station. An oil slick was 

present down slope. 

A fuel tank disposal area included 

20 or more tanks, and petroleum 

product discharge was present around some of the tanks. Product was 

solidified at the temperature range during the 2007 site visit (42 to 50 

degrees F), but flow history was evident from when warmer weather 

conditions occur. Product depth was estimated at one to two inches in 

the pooled area around these tanks. Two adjacent pooled product areas 

were covered with standing water; the present size of these two areas 

was about 12 feet by 20 feet and 10 feet by 8 feet. This area is a hazard 

to birds during summer months when the product is in a liquid state. 

Dr. Bill Taylor, a rock ptarmigan researcher who worked on Attu each 

spring during 2003 to 2007, had noted geese and ptarmigan with oiled 

feathers on this area (B. Taylor, pers. comm.). This area is adjacent to a 

road, permitting vehicle access that would facilitate future cleanup and 

remediation efforts.

This area was identified as Tank Area 1 by E & E (1992b). E & E 

sampling of a tar material contained jet fuel at 58,000 mg/kg and oil at 

110,000 mg/kg. A soil sample collected within the stressed vegetation 

area had 170 mg/kg of oil. (Note: a 1992 memo from the ACOE to P. 

Brokx of E & E stated that there were no jets nor jet fuel when Attu 

was in use; as jet fuels are closely related to kerosene, it is likely this 

sample was misidentified.) 

A solo fuel tank is adjacent to Tank Area 1. Originating from this tank 

is an asphalt-like spill area about 50 feet by 8 feet; it also apparently 

spreads with warm weather conditions, as noted by the flow pattern 

present. These spills do trap birds as seen in the photo taken in 2012.

A tar and gravel POL burn pit site is located between the USCG station and the warehouse building. There are burned barrel remnants, 

burned asphalt-like substrate, and an asphalt-like pool with ponded 

Attu

Birds do get caught in viscous oil and die. This Aleutian Canada goose was 

found dead in 2012. The interagency review team found carcasses of at least 

11 individual geese in this same pool of oil during the 2013 site visit. Photo by 

John Zugunruhe, Zbird Tours
Contaminant Assessment 45

water. Some of the product apparently flows in warm weather conditions, as noted by the flow pattern present. Some spilled product areas 

had a more solid, asphalt-like consistency with moss and grass clumps 

growing on the material. The area covered is at least 300 feet by 100 

feet. This site is adjacent to the road along Pyramid Cove. 

A burned beverage bottle dump was noted at the location of the 

wooden platform of the former gymnasium and recreation hall. Barrels 

that appeared empty were scattered in the adjacent drainage.

Murder Point and Peninsula

The E & E sampling locations (1992b) were not specifically located by 

the study author in 2007. 

Demolished building sites were located on the east side of the road. 

Some metal debris and barrels were scattered throughout this area. 

No stressed vegetation or stained soil was noted. Two soil samples collected by E & E from this area in 1992 had extremely high lead levels 

at 58,900 mg/kg and 67,000 mg/kg, well above the 400 mg/kg State of 

Alaska soil cleanup level (Table 1). E & E reported several demolished 

batteries and a burned building with electric circuitry. There are 

numerous ponds below this area, with large ponds located down slope 

of the WWII building sites. No stained soil or oil residue was found 

near the pond immediately down slope of this site. 

Demolished radio antennae towers are present on Murder Point. 

Antennae towers can have lead cable and PCBs from capacitors.

The Murder Point Drum Group was not visited by this author. The E 

& E 1992 investigation did not find contamination in the soil sample 

collected at this site. 

LORAN A Station 

The abandoned former LORAN 

A Station is incorrectly signed as 

Service property. This building 

is derelict and appears unsafe; 

some interior walls seem unstable; 

inevitably, salts are leaching from 

cement; and trash and building debris are in the remaining 

interior spaces. The former station 

building houses two large furnaces 

and associated power panels, old 

propane tanks, most likely asbestos covered pipes, and discarded 

barrels, etc. This building is an 

attractive nuisance for island 

visitors; it is easily entered but 

has peeling wall board and ceiling materials, as well as exposed 

presumed-asbestos insulation. It 

Attu

Interior view of the LORAN A Station, Attu. D. Rudis, USFWS
46 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Attu

should be demolished and waste materials removed. There may be a 

liability risk in having this building standing and open for public use. 

The ‘no trespassing’ signs that are posted do not keep people from 

exploring this building, based on the numerous graffiti and writings 

noted inside on the building walls from the past few decades of birders 

and other visitors.

There is an associated smaller galley/mess building that is only in 

slightly better condition. Behind this second building there are a series 

of large tall poles, which may have been associated with radio antennas. Each of these poles has two to three support cables that, although 

not a hazardous waste, may be a hazard to birds flying in poor visibility 

conditions. When the LORAN A Station is eventually demolished, 

these poles and support cables should also be removed.

Massacre Valley

Because Massacre Valley and Massacre Bay were major supply areas 

for military operations on Attu, there are a considerable number of 

building platforms, metal debris, and barrels throughout the area. 

Most do not appear to have the types of debris associated with hazardous waste sites on Attu, but there are debris piles with barrels and 

remains of a vehicle service garage (which often served as a source 

of hydrocarbon contaminants and/or contamination by semi-volatile 

compounds such as cleaning solvents at other Aleutian sites). E & E 

investigated and collected samples from five locations on the east side 

and three sites on the west side of the valley. They found petroleum 

related compounds and lead. Deteriorating road conditions made field 

reconnaissance in this area difficult. 

A 250-foot stretch of beach north of Barbara Point has a large amount 

of metal debris, including tractors, vehicle parts, and machinery that 

appeared to have been bulldozed into this location. 

Barrels and lumber piles dominated this debris area. There was petroleum contamination visible in adjacent surface water pools and streams 

during the 2007 site visit. 

The site was identified by E & E as a former vehicle service area. 

There was a metal debris pile, hydraulic lifts, a barrel cache, and miscellaneous wiring and cable piles. A partially weathered oil patch was 

present, but adjacent streams on each side of the site did not exhibit an 

oily sheen in 2007. The E & E soil sample had POL at 2,280 mg/kg and 

lead at 84 mg/kg.

Building debris and large cans were found, but no surficial contamination was observed.

A remaining debris pile may be the pile sampled by E & E in 1992b 

report. They found residual soil contamination of lead at 2,750 mg/kg, 

oil at 860 mg/kg, and chromium at 137 mg/kg in one sample (chromium 

was below the State of Alaska soil cleanup level). The debris pile 

contained barrels and assorted metal debris. Spilled petroleum product 

was noted during the E & E site visit.

Because Massacre Valley and 

Massacre Bay were major supply 

areas for military operations on 

Attu, there are a considerable 

number of building platforms, 

metal debris, and barrels 

throughout the area. 
Contaminant Assessment 47

Attu

Figure 7. Massacre Bay, Attu
48 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

In 2007, the large metal debris pile did not have any obvious surface 

contamination, stressed vegetation, nor discolored soil that was noted 

during the E & E site visit.

Other 1992 E & E sampling sites on the east side of Massacre Valley 

were not located by the author in 2007. They reported an area near a 

bluff with an open container of a red substance that 

had 18,700 mg/kg barium, 5,720 mg/kg chromium, and 

33,800 mg/kg lead. At a generator foundation, a soil 

sample that they collected within a stressed vegetation area had 2,820 mg/kg diesel and 3,970 mg/kg oil.

West Massacre Valley sites were not visited during 

the 2007 USFWS field reconnaissance.

Peaceful River Valley 

This is a steep-sided glacial valley about four miles 

long. The Peaceful River runs through the valley floor 

and empties into Pyramid Cove. 

Approximately 1,500 feet above the north side of the 

Peaceful River is a large drum group. This may be 

the site described in the Dames and Moore 1995a 

report where hundreds of drums were found but not 

investigated. This site was not accessible in 2007, and 

it was not possible to determine, from a distance, if 

there were any leaking drums or surface soil contamination. This drum group is near or in the ordnance 

disposal restricted area. E & E named this the upper 

Peaceful River Drum Group and collected six surface 

soils samples at this site. Lead was detected in two 

samples at concentrations of 122 and 170 mg/kg (see p 

5-11 in E & E 1992b).

Drum groups identified by E & 

E as Drum Groups 6 and 7 are 

approximately 1.5 and 2.0 miles 

north along the Peaceful River.

There is a large coal pile in a 

wetland area and about 100 feet 

above a creek. Coal piles can leach 

iron, manganese, and aluminum 

pollution into waterways and can 

cause acid drainage in adjacent 

waterways. 

A barrel dump in this area shows 

some staining and sheening. An 

adjacent drainage did not show 

surface sheen in 2007. E & E 

collected seven soil samples and 

one solidified petroleum product 

Attu

Asphalt POL flow into Peaceful River, Attu. D. Rudis, 

USFWS

Pyramid Cove, burn barrel, and asphalt tar site, Attu. D. Rudis, USFWS
Contaminant Assessment 49

Attu

sample from the Peaceful River Valley. That 

product sample had oil at 98,800 mg/kg.

There is another Peaceful River Valley barrel area 

with a group of at least 15 drums. A stained soil 

area with stressed vegetation was approximately 

six feet by three feet. Additional barrels were scattered throughout the area. 

At what is apparently Drum Group 8 as labeled by 

E & E, there is also a barrel area and barrel burn 

pile. Located below Drum Group 8, the burn pile is 

a large, semi-solid, asphalt-like lake that appears 

to soften with warmer temperatures. There is an 

extensive petroleum product flow area that continues into the river in some places and pools among 

the rocks along the river’s edge. In the burn pile 

area are barrel ribs, partial barrels and burned 

petroleum product.

A hillside is below the antennae array above the 

Peaceful River. There are three seep areas with 

down slope drainages into Peaceful River. All three 

drainages have oil slicks that ‘fracture’ when disturbed, but there is no odor or stressed vegetation. 

Alexai Point and Creek

Alexai Point is at the end of a large spit extending 

south from the peninsula formed by Gilbert Ridge. 

A 5,000-foot matting north-south runway was built by the ACOE 

in 1943. An additional 3,000-foot runway was later constructed. An 

extensive support and defense area was built from the foot of the point 

up into Alexai Pass. 

There are three OEW burn sites in this area (Dames & Moore 

1995a). These sites had dozens of live M103 nose and M100 series 

tail fuzes, burned and live .30- and .50-caliber ammunition, and 20 

mm high explosive incendiary rounds. One of the burn sites had 

an approximately 80-cubic-foot pile of burned and live .30- and 

.50-caliber ammunition. 

The Dames and Moore report also identified three deteriorated ammunition magazines. Fragments and a fin from a 250-pound bomb were 

located near the magazines. They reported two concrete structures on 

a small ridge at the tip of Alexai Point that may have been observation 

posts or anti-aircraft gun emplacements. They made many contacts 

with metal detectors throughout this site.

The E & E 1992 investigation found a group of about 30 stacked and 

corroded drums in this area, flanked by the runways. This poorly 

drained area had product-stained soils and stressed vegetation. 

Surface soil samples had elevated diesel (150,000 mg/kg) and flourene 

(64.5 mg/kg). There are three transformers on a collapsed transformer 

Hillside drainage into Peaceful River below antennae site 

on Attu. D. Rudis, USFWS
50 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Attu

Figure 8. Alexai Point
Contaminant Assessment 51

Attu

pole. No PCB contamination was found in a solitary soil sample collected beneath an empty transformer.

Barrel Dump above the North-South Airstrip

A large barrel dump is located near the northern end of the airstrip 

and is just above Aleut Creek. This area was mapped by E & E as 

a barrel dump, but no samples were collected. There was an associated asphalt-like substance spill area noted during the 2007 visit. The 

solidified spill area continues down slope into a grassy area adjacent to 

Aleut Creek and flows into the creek. A sheen was noted on the creek 

surface. The solidified product becomes more fluid during warmer 

conditions, as evident by the flow pattern.

Chichagof Harbor

This area was visited on June 7, 2007 by USCG and USFWS personnel. 

In the Chichagof Harbor area, there is a group of at least 30 corroded 

fuel drums. A fuel-stained area is present by the drums, and there are 

small oily slicks in the emergent wetland near the old Aleut village. 

This area is about a tenth of a mile from the shoreline. Aleutian Canada 

geese nest in this area. A large unidentified shipwreck is grounded 

offshore of Chichagof Harbor.

A smaller steel barge is wrecked onshore. Remains of nine batteries 

were observed within the hull on the wreck’s starboard side. 

Drum groups on either side of the road total over 130 barrels. 

Petroleum product sheening was present around the barrels and in the 

adjacent wetland. Vegetation did not appear stressed. A stream in the 

vicinity showed sheening when the stream sediment was disturbed. 

Chichagof Point

E & E (1992b) identified three drum groups in this area and mapped 

remains of steel structures and cement foundations. Five soil samples 

and one water sample were collected in this area. At Drum Group 2, 

lead was detected in a soil sample at 226 mg/kg and diesel at 2,000 mg/

kg. Samples were not collected at Drum Groups 3 and 4. Drum Group 

1 had a soil sample with diesel at 31,000 mg/kg. At one of the cement 

foundations, a soil sample had lead at 630 mg/kg.

There are numerous wooden bunker remains on the top of Chichagof 

Hill. A few scattered barrels are uphill of the bunkers. During our 

June 2007 site visit, sheening was noted in one pool within a collapsed 

wooden structure and its cement foundation.

Kennon Island off the point supports a large tufted puffin colony 

(approximately 800 individuals were noted during the 2007 site visit). 

Also seen were over 35 murres and at least 20 glaucous-winged gulls.

Siddens Valley

There is a large generator station near the base of Engineer Hill. E 

& E found several large batteries with cracked casings (1992b). Two 

Kennon Island off the point 

supports a large tufted puffin 

colony (approximately 800 

individuals were noted during 

the 2007 site visit). Also seen were 

over 35 murres and at least 20 

glaucous-winged gulls.
52 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Figure 9. Chichagof Harbor, Attu

Attu
Contaminant Assessment 53

Attu

1,500-gallon fuel tanks are located adjacent to the generator station. 

Soil samples had elevated lead (188-363 mg/kg) and oil (2,700 to 28,000 

mg/kg). USFWS was unable to visit this site in 2007.

Jarmin Pass

Jarmin Pass is a steep-sided site of approximately 100 acres located 

between upper Massacre Valley and O’Donnell Valley. E & E (1992b) 

estimated approximately 4,000 drums are located near the head of 

West Massacre Valley. Drums are stacked on the northeast side of the 

valley floor and in a large ravine that extends toward Engineer Hill. E 

& E noted that soil near the drum group had a slight sheen and product odor. A soil sample collected by E & E in the drainage below the 

ravine had oil at 620,000 mg/kg. Other samples they collected from this 

site had Bunker C at 420,000 mg/kg and flourene at 34 mg/kg. E & E 

observed a viscous, pale yellow, slimy material seeping from the drum 

group (1992b). Analytical results for this sample were 270,000 mg/kg 

diesel. They also noted stressed vegetation by the drum group. No 

UXO was found by Dames & Moore in 1995. The Service was unable to 

visit this site in 2007.

Engineer Hill

Construction debris at this site includes remains of a generator station. 

There is a foundation slab approximately 20 feet square. A soil sample 

collected by E & E had elevated concentrations of oil (220 mg/kg), 

arsenic (54 mg/kg), barium (495 mg/kg), and lead (96 mg/kg).

Holtz Bay

The Japanese established a base 

camp at West Holtz Bay, and U.S. 

forces attacked this area with 

100-pound bombs. U.S. forces 

also attacked East Holtz in a 

concentrated bombing raid on the 

unfinished Japanese landing strip. 

After the Battle of Attu, a runway, 

small base, and a road were 

constructed at West Holtz Bay by 

U.S. forces. 

In 1991, E & E visited both West 

and East Holtz Bay but did not 

sample this area. No WWII debris 

or structures were located in West 

Holtz Bay. In East Holtz Bay, 

bomb craters were visible as was 

the general outline of the Japanese landing strip. In 1995, Dames & 

Moore found berms in West Holtz Bay that defined an airstrip; two 

power poles, a pit, and a tunnel were seen from the road. No UXO hazards were located in West Holtz Bay Arm by E & E (1992b). In 1995, 

there was no longer access to East Holtz Arm due to road washouts. 

USFWS was unable to visit this site in 2007.

Holtz Bay on Attu reveals few signs of WWII activity. D. Rudis, USFWS
54 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Attu

Zwinge Valley

This valley was used as an ordnance storage area subsequent to the 

Battle of Attu. Much of the stored ordnance was disposed of at the end 

of the war by on-site burning. Many OE items remain on-site; Dames 

& Moore (1995a) reported seven individual burn areas. A variety of 

ordnance items were found as kickouts from these burn piles. Dames & 

Moore (1995a) describes each of these sites; the largest is a 50- by 100-

foot burn pile, and the other sites are less than half that size. Ordnance 

includes various projectile fuzes, projectiles and containers, propellant 

charge casings, rounds, and rifle smoke grenades. The author did not 

visit this site in 2007.

Guns

One 75 mm Japanese anti-aircraft gun still remains on Attu. Several 

155 mm guns on Panama mounts are located at Chichagof Point. The 

author could find no additional information on historic guns that might 

be located on Attu or any discussion of abandoned munitions that 

might be associated with historic gun(s).

Dwarf Arctic willow grows low to the ground in the windy environment of the 

Aleutians. Here they are growing over part of a WWII drum. D. Rudis, USFWS
Contaminant Assessment 55

Figure 10. Zwinge Valley, Attu

Attu
56 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Efforts to document and assess contaminants and other hazardous 

materials on the WWII affected lands of Kiska are comparable to those 

on Attu and are described in this section.

Contaminant and UXO Investigations

Bomb disposal and booby-trap removal activities were conducted 

while Allied forces were on Kiska. U.S. military intelligence in 1944 

estimated that the Japanese had created 26,600 yards of trenching and 

375 dugouts (ACOE 2004). Per the Summary of Japanese Gun Defense 

Locations, there were 21 machine guns covered, 19 machine guns open, 

and two 70 mm howitzers. Any trenches or dugouts near gun emplacements have the potential to be ammunition caches. Although many of 

these underground diggings were investigated by Allied troops in 1943, 

it is probable that many items in these diggings, including abandoned 

ordnance, remain undiscovered. Japanese activities were noted in 

numerous locations, including the southernmost end of the island near 

Vega Point (North Pacific Force and 11th Air Force 1943). Trenches 

were reported on all of the hills overlooking Vega Bay on the southeastern side of the island, and Lilliput Cove was a defended area. Vega 

Point divides the two coves of Summer and Gulliver. Summer Cove and 

Vega Point show Japanese empty gun positions and a small structure. 

Numerous underground entrances or dugouts are also depicted along 

Gulliver Cove where the trail ends. 

No records have been found that suggest any removal of UXO from the 

marine environment of the NDSA surrounding Kiska (NAVFAC 2013).

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

A military debris evaluation of the Aleutian Islands that included Kiska 

was conducted by the ACOE (ACOE 1977). This investigation included 

evaluation of the amount of military debris on Kiska and determination 

of restoration costs. The report also presented information on existing 

debris, HTRW, OE, archeological sites, and environmental concerns to 

be addressed during restoration.

The ACOE prepared the document, Inventory Project Report for Kiska 

and Little Kiska Island Garrison, Alaska, FUDS Site No. F10AK0137, 

30 November 1992. This report included information from a 1991 site 

visit, which identified hazardous and toxic waste, and documented areas 

of soil contamination (ACOE 1992). ACOE determined hazardous and 

toxic waste and ordnance was eligible for cleanup under DERP-FUDS. 

Ordnance includes small arms ammunition, bombs, and artillery shells.

Soil contamination was found at the lower camp garage, lower camp 

debris pile, petroleum seep, POL shed, power station, and North Head 

garage areas. Contaminants of concern at these sites include gasoline, 

diesel, Bunker C fuel oil, petroleum hydrocarbons, and lead.

An Archive Search Report found no evidence of CWM storage, use, or 

disposal on Kiska (ACOE 2004). A limited site inspection by ACOE in 

Kiska

A military debris evaluation 

of the Aleutian Islands that 

included Kiska was conducted 

by the ACOE (ACOE 1977). This 

investigation included evaluation 

of the amount of military debris 

on Kiska and determination of 

restoration costs.
Contaminant Assessment 57

2002 as part of the ASR, characterized OE and CWM potential 

based on visual examination. 

Limited exploration was done 

around Kiska Harbor, the submarine base, and Gertrude Cove. 

The site inspection noted that 

a team of at least three personnel would need to live on Kiska 

for at least two weeks to safely 

make an accurate assessment of 

the ordnance problem. The ASR 

research confirmed that there is 

current ordnance and explosive 

hazard at Kiska, which consists of 

UXO from Allied bombardment, 

hidden or abandoned ammunition 

caches, and a probable Allied firing 

range. These could be in collapsed 

dugouts, camouflaged caves, or 

washed out trenches. Years of erosion, washouts, and tundra growth 

may have further hidden or exposed hazards. Over half of the preinvasion detailed charts from July 1943 show Japanese activities that 

have the potential for UXO presence. Many of these sites are small and 

would be in areas frequented by visitors on Kiska. The potential for 

UXO is relatively high throughout the Japanese encampments, surrounding areas, and farther afield due to inaccuracies in bombing and 

bombardment by Allied forces. 

Under the Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP) and the 

DERP-FUDS program, Bristol Environmental Remediation Services 

was contracted by the ACOE for a Site Investigation (SI) field effort 

in 2011 on Kiska and Little Kiska (Bristol 2012). The SI team visited 

12 geographic areas but was unable to visit four other areas on Kiska. 

They surveyed all of the munitions related features (MRFs) that were 

considered priority 1 sites, a ranking based on accessibility and visibility 

of known hazards present. MRFs are physical evidence that an area 

was used for munitions related activities such as gun positions, ammo 

storage areas, craters, trenches, munitions dumps, and land scars. Small 

arms were found at seven MRFs: Beach and Bluff Coves, Bukhti Point, 

Gertrude Cove, Main Camp, Mutt and Jeff Coves, North Head, and 

Little Kiska. The major concentration of MEC was found in the main 

camp area in large piles ranging from 30- to 100-square-foot piles. A 

100-square-foot pile was also found on Little Kiska. Some MEC were 

found exposed, but other MEC may still exist below ground surface, as 

no digging was done during the SI. Bomb craters and Japanese dugouts 

and tunnels may also contain MEC but were not checked during the SI. 

No MEC were found at Salmon Lagoon, South Head, South Sector, the 

Submarine Base, and Trout Lagoon. Geographic areas that were not visited included Barley and Wheat Coves, Broad Beach, Reynard Cove, and 

Riot and Ranger Hills. Allied landing beaches were not investigated, as 

they are covered under the “Act of War” and not included in the FUDS 

program. Training ranges used by the U.S. military were over water 

Kiska

Ordnance shops and yards on Kiska Island showing Athey trailers, 

caterpillar tractors, and empty oil drums in the yards. U.S. Signal Corps 

photo 196-3-44-8. 4 January 1944
58 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

and occurred over Beach and Bluff Cove, Gertrude Cove, Mutt and Jeff 

Coves, Kiska Harbor, and off Little Kiska. No underwater investigations 

were conducted during this SI. 

When the majority of Allied 

forces left Kiska in January 1944, 

it was mid-war, so munitions 

that were easily taken off-island 

were removed for use in other 

campaigns. The SI team more 

commonly found MEC in more 

remote areas and in areas where 

MEC removal by WWII personnel 

would have been difficult.

U.S. Navy

The Navy’s Munitions Response 

Program addresses MEC and 

munitions constituents used or 

released on sites from past operations and activities. The preliminary assessment (PA) evaluated 

the potential for releases that 

may pose a potential threat to human health or the environment as 

result of the WWII-associated activities on Kiska. A records review 

and interviews were conducted to prepare the PA (NAVFAC 2013). An 

unknown quantity of MEC was lost, discarded, intentionally dropped, 

or fired into the marine environment of the NDSA surrounding Kiska 

and Little Kiska during WWII. As much as 30 percent of the explosive 

ordnance that was dropped or fired during WWII did not detonate as 

intended (NAVFAC 2013). 

When ordnance undergoes a low-order detonation or breaks apart 

upon impact, munitions constituents such as bulk explosives can be 

scattered across the impact area (NAVTEC 2013). MEC can also 

remain relatively intact in the marine environment. Corrosion will 

release munitions constituents from intact MEC. Submerged MEC 

may also develop a coating or encrustation of biological material 

and organisms that can seal off the item from the environment. 

Photographs taken during the 1989 underwater survey indicate 

varying degrees of corrosion or encrustation of ordnance items after 

approximately 46 years in salt water (Cohen 1993).

MEC sources released into the marine environment at Kiska and Little 

Kiska by Allied forces consisted of coastal defense and anti-aircraft 

gun batteries, supply transfer points, Army Air Corps air combat 

units, and Navy air units and ships. Other MEC sources include 

what MEC Japanese or Allied troops lost or disposed of overboard, 

particularly in Kiska Harbor. The NAVTEC 2013 report notes that on 

at least one occasion Allied forces dropped eight 500-pound and eight 

1,100-pound bombs with long-delay fuzes into Kiska Harbor to prevent 

submarines from entering the harbor.

Kiska

Gertrude Cove, Kiska. D.Rudis, USFWS
Contaminant Assessment 59

Training strikes by the U.S. Air Force in 1950 included ammunition 

payloads of a full load of gun ammunition, six 5-inch rockets, eight 

3.5-inch rockets, and six water/sand filled bombs (ACOE 2004). In 

1943, test firings occurred in six areas on Kiska and Little Kiska: Area 

1 – Kiska Harbor, Area 2 – off Little Kiska Head over Tiger Cove, Area 

3 – off Little Kiska Head down South Pass, Area 4 – off Mutt and Jeff 

Coves, Area 5 – off Gertrude Cove, and Area 6 – off Beach and Bluff 

Coves (see Figure 11).

An underwater survey of Kiska Harbor in 1989 documented Japaneseorigin MEC (Cohen 1993). The NAVFAC PA (2013) included a quote 

from a WWII veteran who stated that unused ordnance was disposed 

of at the dock ends. Also included was a 2007 dive report of thousands 

of small arms shells on the seafloor off the Kiska ship dock.

The PA for the NDSA (NAVFAC 2013) examined ecological and human 

risk from munitions constituents. Potential physical hazards to divers, 

fishers, and boat anchors were identified. Commercial nets and traps 

could unintentionally haul up MEC. Boat anchors could potentially 

detonate or get caught on MEC on the seafloor. Munitions constituents 

were determined to present a low ecological risk under expected 

Kiska

Figure 11. Areas of Known Allied In-water Ranges, Kiska
60 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

scenarios in the marine environment because any chemical constituent 

releases would only directly affect sediments.

The Navy recommended that because most potential MEC is the 

result of combat operations, Kiska and Little Kiska are not eligible for 

inclusion in the Munitions Response Program. All of the five identified 

NDSAs also have noncombat MEC, which includes practice-fired and 

practice-dropped UXO. The Navy will initiate a Notice to Mariners 

and an informational advisory to alert mariners of MEC in the area. 

The Navy will also request that NOAA include a Notice to Mariners 

on navigation charts. The Navy has also prepared an educational fact 

sheet on explosives safety for distribution to those in the Aleutian 

fishing fleet (NAVFAC 2013).

Because of the safety hazard from UXO in these five NDSAs, the 

Service should revisit the Navy’s decision on MEC at Kiska and 

Little Kiska.

United States Fish and Wildlife Service 

The Service previously conducted a series of investigations to begin 

identification of the nature of contaminants derived from military 

activity throughout the Aleutian Islands. The purpose of these investigations was to identify the nature of potential contamination resulting 

from the military operations in the Aleutian Islands. Investigations 

were conducted on Kiska and Little Kiska between 1987 and 1990 

(Crayton 1990; 1991). The investigations included visual observations 

of waste and debris material; observations of surface contamination; 

collection and laboratory analysis of soil, sediment, and fish samples for 

the presence of hazardous compounds; and identification of biological 

receptors that may be affected by the presence of contamination. 

At Kiska Island, the investigation 

focused on the former U.S. and 

Allied military campsites located 

at Lower Camp, North Head 

Camp, and Canadian Camp. These 

sites are located along the northwestern edge of Kiska Harbor 

and the western side of the North 

Head Bluff. Background samples 

were collected at the Gertrude 

Cove area, located about four 

miles southwest of the harbor. The 

Service identified components of 

petroleum hydrocarbons, leachable metals, and PCBs. POL 

containers and power generating 

facilities were associated with 

the highest concentration of 

contaminants. The Service also 

documented the presence of roads, 

building debris, Quonset huts, 

Kiska

There are few WWII Quonset huts remaining on Kiska. D. Rudis, USFWS
Contaminant Assessment 61

collapsed wood frame structures, gun emplacements with associated 

ammunition, water supply structures, and approximately 100 petroleum storage drums. 

At Little Kiska, the Service investigation (Crayton 1991) found 

evidence of military activities only at the western end of the island 

and Orient Point to the east. In addition to gun emplacements and 

Quonset hut pits and debris, Crayton reported abandoned pump-type 

structures and building foundation ruins at many of the island’s lakes. 

Petroleum contamination appeared to be minimal, but there was no 

direct sampling of drums and tanks that may have stored POLs.

Ecology and Environment (E & E)

E & E produced three Kiska reports for the ACOE Alaska District 

in 1992. 

Debris Inventory Kiska Island Aleutian Islands, Alaska (E & E 

1992c). The presence, amount, and type of military debris and hazardous and toxic waste were documented by a reconnaissance-level site 

visit. The inventory was limited to the Kiska Harbor area, focusing 

on the Lower Camp, North Head, and the Canadian Camp. The 

debris inventory included waste type (wood, metal, or concrete) and 

volume. The debris was characterized as hazardous due to sharp metal, 

exposed nails, structural collapse of buildings and bridges, and posed 

potential injury from small arms and munitions. Drums, a power station, scavenged transformers, utility poles, electrical debris, batteries, 

steel boxes, and small arms munitions were all listed as hazards; UXO 

was not specifically addressed in the report.

Contamination Assessment Report Kiska Island Aleutian Islands, 

Alaska (E & E 1992d). This report supplemented the debris inventory and identified the sampling areas and analytical results for soil, 

sediment, and water samples. An evaluation of potential contaminant 

migration pathways and human and ecological receptors for the harbor 

area was included.

Remedial Alternatives Report for Environmental Evaluation at Attu, 

Amchitka, Kiska, and Great Sitkin Islands; Aleutian Islands, Alaska

(E & E 1992e). This document included remedial recommendations to 

clean up debris and contaminated material for the Kiska Harbor area. 

UXO was not specifically addressed in this report.

Dames & Moore 

Final Report 1995 Phase I Remedial Investigation Kiska and Little 

Kiska Islands Aleutian Islands, Alaska (1996). This RI identified 29 

sites of concern that were categorized as either operable units (OUs) 

where previous work had been conducted, or as “areas” that were not 

previously investigated. Conceptual site models for ecological and human 

exposure scenarios were developed. The human pathway was deemed 

less significant by the contractor, due to infrequent visitation by the public. Preliminary ecological risk-based screening levels (RBSLs) for PAHs 

and PCBs, and for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and zylenes (BTEX) 

Kiska

The debris was characterized as 

hazardous due to sharp metal, 

exposed nails, structural collapse 

of buildings and bridges, and 

posed potential injury from small 

arms and munitions. 
62 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

were developed. The RBSLs were developed for 

comparison to field screening data and based on 

conservative exposure scenarios. Chemical and 

physical hazards of surface soil sheens were evaluated, as the transfer of small amounts of oil to a 

bird egg can cause embryo mortality. 

Debris mapping and inventory in the Dames and 

Moore report provided detailed descriptions of 

petroleum seeps and surface water sheens at the 

following sites:

OU 1 - Lower Camp Petroleum seep and drums

OU 5 - Lower Camp power station

OU 6 - Lower camp electrical debris

OU 7 - Lower Camp debris pile and Beach 

Road drums

Area 15 - Kiska Island road net north

Criteria exceedances included analytical results 

that were greater than a chemical RBSL, identification of a potential physical/chemical hazard 

from hydrocarbon sheens, and/or evidence of 

chemicals of potential concern. Exceedances of 

ecological risk screening criteria were found at 

the following sites:

OU 2 - Lower Camp shed

OU 3 - Lower Camp garage

OU 4 - Canadian Camp garage and transformers

OU 9 - Camp Creek

OU 12 - North Head Camp transformers

Area 16 - Kiska Island Road net south

Area 17 - North Head Road net

Area 21 - Trout Lagoon Camp

Area 22 - Former Submarine Base and South Head hill

Area 23 - Gertrude Cove camp

There were five sites on Kiska Island in 1995 where containerized 

waste presented a potential environmental risk, either in their condition at the time or if released to the environment in the future. The 

report recommended that these wastes be removed. The sites are:

OU 2 - The collapsed shed has four 55-gallon drums of Bunker C oil; 

Kiska

Lower Camp debris and bomb craters on surrounding 

hillside. D.Rudis, USFWS
Contaminant Assessment 63

OU 8 - Lower Camp consists of a collapsed wood building and drums, 

and five drums of kerosene/Bunker C oil based wax/grease; 

Area 15 - Six 55-gallon drums of diesel #2 fuel along the road; 

Area 17 - One 55-gallon drum of diesel #2 fuel; 

Area 21 - A drum pile at Trout Lagoon has five 55-gallon drums of 

diesel #2 fuel.

The Service and the ACOE and its contractors may determine additional areas of concern.

Ordnance and explosives, including small arms, 20 mm or larger 

ordnance, grenades, detonators, fuzes, and blasting caps were found in 

Areas 25 and 29. The report listed eight OUs/Areas on Kiska where the 

contractor recommended that no further action was needed, based on 

a lack of apparent evidence of HTRW and lack of ecological risk. These 

sites are:

OU 10 - Gun revetments, wood and metal debris

OU 11 - Pier tanks and wood debris

OU 13 - North Head Camp garage and maintenance building

OU 14 - – North Head Camp drum dump

Area 18 - South Head trails

Area 19 - Gasoline distribution and storage area

Area 20 - Salmon Lagoon airstrip and road

Area 24 - Mutt and Jeff Coves

Kiska – Act of War Determination

A 2009 Service document on Act of War Concurrence stated as follows,

One of the issues associated with the assessment and cleanup of 

military munitions on Kiska and Little Kiska Islands has been the DoD 

“Act of War” determination. According to the ACOE, its FUDS policies preclude ACOE from undertaking cleanup of munitions hazards 

deemed to be associated with an Act of War or combat operations. 

The MMRP on Kiska Island meets the Comprehensive Environmental 

Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) definition 

of hazardous substance (40 CFR 302.4(b), 40 CFR 261.23). Thus the 

“Act of War” exception in CERCLA 107(b)(2) applies, but this does 

not exclude FUDS eligibility, as portions of the site activities were not 

solely due to act of war considerations.

A legal analysis provided by the Department of the Interior 

Solicitor’s Office, “takes issue with the legal merits of this Act of 

War determination.” 

Kiska

The MMRP on Kiska Island 

meets the Comprehensive 

Environmental Response, 

Compensation, and Liability 

Act (CERCLA) definition of 

hazardous substance
64 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

In a December 29, 2008, memorandum, the Office of the Under 

Secretary of Defense issued an interim policy regarding DERP 

eligibility. In this policy, issued to all the armed services, environmental 

restoration is not to include “Responses to address releases that are the 

result of an act of war.”

Since the DoD’s position has been established by the Office of the Under 

Secretary of Defense, this issue is beyond the scope of what Region 7 can 

effectively address. The Alaska District of the ACOE will follow their 

Departmental policies until those policies are updated or superseded.

Removal and Remediation Activities to Date

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Activities

In 1943, a military task force was sent to Kiska to remove and dispose 

of Japanese ordnance. They disposed of mines and depth charges from 

a beached Japanese transport vessel. The majority of the ordnance was 

detonated on South Pass (ACOE 2004).

Kiska Island Contaminant Sources and Issues

Even though Kiska was set aside as a conservation area at the turn 

of the last century, the island played a major role during WWII, with 

both U.S. and Japanese forces introducing contaminants into the 

environment. Majorities of known contaminant issues are associated 

with the U.S. military forces and associated installations that were 

established by Allied troops. Remediation of these DoD contaminated 

sites will be conducted under the auspices of the Army Corps of 

Engineers, DERP-FUDS program, excepting areas excluded under 

the act of war consideration. 

Kiska Site Descriptions 

The Kiska harbor area is considered to be one of the best preserved 

historical scenes anywhere. The slow erosion processes on the tundra 

have had little effect on the bomb craters still visible on the hills 

surrounding the harbor. Dumps of U.S. and Japanese material are 

numerous. Right-hand drive Japanese truck frames are piled up, along 

with seaplane fighter aircraft engines and other evidence of Japanese 

occupation. Extensive support structures are still present, such as a 

water hydrant. Evidence of U.S. troop occupation remains in the few 

standing structures and numerous collapsed buildings. U.S. dump sites 

contain numerous 3-inch shells and other debris and aircraft wreckage, 

one of which may be the remains of a B-17 aircraft. Much additional 

survey work needs to be done on Kiska to document both its abundant 

cultural resources and numerous contaminant threats.

Some of the most dramatic remains are the numerous tunnels from the 

extensive Japanese underground system; some of these tunnels are 

concrete reinforced. Many are still sound and contain Japanese material. 

A cultural resource investigation conducted in 1996 (Mobley 1996) also 

documented contaminant and hazardous materials. Mobley included 

Kiska
Contaminant Assessment 65

A 1943 Japanese shipwreck sits in Gertrude Cove, Kiska. D. Rudis, USFWS

discussion of previous underwater diver explorations of Kiska 

Harbor that documented nine 

submerged watercraft including 

the Nissan Maru, the Japanese 

submarine RO-65, and the transport Kano Maru. There is also the 

sunken U.S. vessel Abner Read, 

hit by a floating Japanese mine 

during the Allied assault; this 

ship has not been located. Vessels 

visible from the surface include 

the Urajio Maru in Kiska Harbor, 

the deteriorating Borneo Maru in 

Gertrude Cove, and the bow of the 

Nozima Maru that is off shore of 

Trout Lagoon. 

Site descriptions are from the RI 

(Dames & Moore 1996), USFWS 

(Crayton 1990), an SI (Bristol 2012), and field notes taken by the 

author during the August 3–6, 2007, interagency site visit. Latitude/

longitude was not included in the RI (Dames & Moore 1996) or the 

USFWS (Crayton 1990) report.

Site Investigation (Bristol 2012) Site Descriptions

Main Camp

The Bristol SI (2012) Main Camp geographic area includes OU1 

through OU9, OU14, and Area 19 in the RI . This wide low-lying 

approximately 1,500- acre area includes the beach landing area at 

Kiska Harbor to the surrounding hill slopes. This was the focal point 

of WWII operations. There is an extensive amount of WWII artifacts 

and debris from both the Japanese occupation and Allied forces 

throughout the area. The majority of bombing occurred in this area. 

A large underground opening is near the beach and other entrances 

to underground areas are in the surrounding hills. MRFs in the Main 

Camp include anti-aircraft guns, bomb craters, building/revetment 

footprints, excavations, foxholes and trenches, artillery emplacements 

and underground shelters (Bristol 2012).

MEC identified during the SI and previous investigations included an 

electric blasting cap, a fuzed projectile, bomb fragments, an incendiary bomb, a 20 mm high explosive, a British hand grenade, a 5-pound 

incendiary bomb, and other munitions (Bristol 2012).

Salmon Lagoon

The Salmon Lagoon area is almost 2,000 acres and is located north 

of Main Camp and North Head, to the east of Riot and Ranger Hills 

and Barley and Wheat Coves; it is bounded to the east and south by 

the southern shoreline of Kiska Island. This was labeled Area 20 in 

Kiska
66 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Kiska

the RI (Dames & Moore 1996). Sites surveyed for the SI were coast 

gun positions; artillery and ground scars, including numerous bomb 

craters; excavations; building/revetment footprints; and foxholes and 

trenches. Previously identified MEC in Salmon Lagoon included a 

500-pound bomb casing with a 100 series tail fuze with booster, and an 

armed 6-inch amour-piercing, high explosive, base-detonating anti-ship 

projectile. Neither this projectile nor any other MEC was found during 

the SI (Bristol 2012).

Trout Lagoon

This area includes about 600 acres and includes ground scars, excavations, building footprints, machine gun positions, underground shelters, and a large part of a sunken ship near the beach. Main Camp is to 

the north and Submarine Base to the south. Several pieces of munitions debris (MD) were found during the SI, but no MEC was found 

during the SI or previous investigations (Bristol 2012). The RI (Dames 

& Moore 1996) designated this area OU 10 and Area 21.

Gertrude Cove

The Gertrude Cove area is about 3,090 acres and is located southwest 

of Mutt and Jeff Coves. This was an operations and housing center 

during WWII. Gertrude Cove is believed to be one of the areas that 

was cleared of mines and boobytraps by U.S. forces following the 

Kiska reoccupation (ACOE 2004). 

Remains of sunken Japanese ships 

and historic items remain in this 

area of Kiska. This easily accessible beach is posted with a warning sign (in English, Russian, and 

Japanese) of potential explosive 

hazards. MRFs include artillery 

emplacements, tent revetments, 

ammunition storage, underground 

shelters, and a supply dump. The 

dump location is unknown but it 

was shown in a WWI photograph 

(Bristol 2012).

MEC found during the SI was a 60 

mm high explosive mortar; earlier 

investigations reported 75 mm 

active rounds in the surf zone and 

two blocks of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene 

(TNT) in the Gertrude Gun 

Dump (Bristol 2012). Numerous 

unknown subsurface metal 

anomalies were noted across 

Gertrude Cove beaches during the 

SI. This site is Area 23 in the RI 

(Dames & Moore 1996).

Danger signs along the shore of Kiska are posted in English, Russian, and 

Japanese. D. Rudis, USFWS
Contaminant Assessment 67

Kiska

Bukhti Point

This 763-acre area is a peninsula 

south of Mutt and Jeff Coves and 

Gertrude Cove. MRFs at this 

location include an observation 

post, buildings, light anti-aircraft/

machine gun positions, trench 

networks, and underground shelters and foxholes (Bristol 2012). 

During the SI, 21 Japanese 75 mm 

unfired and unfazed projectiles 

were found. It is likely that tundra 

vegetation could hide additional 

MEC (Bristol 2012). There were 

no records of MEC found during 

earlier investigations. This site 

is Area 25 in the RI (Dames & 

Moore 1996).

South Head

This approximately 2,137- acre area of rugged terrain with steep hills 

and valleys is located adjacent to Submarine Base to the west and is 

north of Mutt and Jeff Coves. The SI identified 94 MRFs, including 

anti-aircraft gun positions and ground scars representing trenches, 

excavations, building footprints, revetments, and foxholes (Bristol 

2012). No MEC was identified in the SI or previous efforts. This site is 

Area 22 in the RI (Dames & Moore 1996).

Submarine Base

The Japanese Midget submarine and submarine-base facilities are 

located in a low-lying 1,066- acre area near the beach. These facilities 

included a railroad system that transported the Midget submarines 

into Kiska Harbor. Magnetic subsurface anomalies were detected 

during the SI (Bristol 2012), but their composition remains unknown 

without excavation. No MEC was found during the SI or previous 

investigations. This was referred to as Area 22 in the RI (Dames & 

Moore 1996).

North Head

North Head is the 447-acre peninsula above Kiska Harbor and was 

a strategic defense area that housed most of the coastal defense and 

anti-aircraft guns. The area was heavily used during WWII and has 

an extensive system of underground entrances and tunnels, several 

reinforced bunkers, and camp areas. Structural and metallic debris 

are extensive. MEC and MD were identified in, near, and around 

gun positions, as well as MD and small arms across the area. Bomb 

craters are visible throughout North Head. Identified MEC includes 

numerous rounds, projectiles, a fuze, and a flare (Bristol 2012). North 

Head is OU 12, OU 13, and Area 17 in the RI (Dames & Moore 1996).

North Head camp, Kiska. D. Rudis, USFWS
68 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Kiska

Remedial Investigation (Dames & Moore 1996) Site 

Descriptions

OU 1 - Lower Camp Petroleum Seep and Drums

This one-acre site is located near Trout Lagoon Road in the center of 

Kiska Harbor (Figure 11). Partially buried drums and a petroleum 

seep were found at this location. Stressed vegetation and black 

staining was evident, covering an approximate 4- by 10-foot area. 

Sample analysis indicated that this black staining was over 50 percent 

Bunker C and less volatile fuel components (E & E 1992b). Marsh 

sediment down-gradient of the Trout Lagoon Road seep contained 

diesel #2 fuel, Bunker C, and naphthalene in relatively high concentrations (E & E 1992b). 

A petroleum seep was also found in a marshy area near the intersection of Camp Creek and Front Street. Stressed vegetation and stained 

soil were found, but no sheen was present on the water. Samples collected contained volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds (VOCs 

and SVOCs), Bunker C fuel oil, and sulfides. Preliminary site evaluation of the Front Street seep by Dames & Moore (1995a) concluded 

that diesel #2 fuel, kerosene, and less volatile hydrocarbons associated 

with fuel were present. 

OU 2 – Lower Camp Shed

This site is approximately one-quarter mile northwest of the Kiska Harbor pier on the Canadian 

Road. Remains of the collapsed and burned cold 

storage building included wood, roofing, pipe 

lengths and glass. Six partially buried 55-gallon 

drums were present, four of which were rusted 

through and appeared to contain black petroleum 

oil. Soil staining was present beneath the drums 

in 2007. Results of soil sample analyses by E & 

E (1992d) and USFWS (Crayton 1990) reported 

Bunker C, fluoranthene, and phenanthrene. 

Drum samples contained 100 percent Bunker C.

OU 3 – Lower Camp Garage

This site was not a garage but a warehouse site. 

No evidence of surface oil staining or fuel spills 

were noted in 2007. Several vehicle batteries 

were present. USFWS (Crayton 1990) samples 

confirmed gross lead contamination (see Table 

1 for State of Alaska soil cleanup levels) with 

lead concentrations of 1,890 to 7,010 mg/kg 

and mercury at 101 mg/kg. Selenium was at 

10 times background levels. E & E sampling 

(1992d) results included Bunker C, barium, 

chromium, and lead in the vicinity of the 

batteries at 41,000 mg/kg.

Lead batteries are found at a number of locations on Kiska. 

D. Rudis USFWS
Contaminant Assessment 69

Figure 12. Lower Camp Marsh Area, Kiska

Kiska
70 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Kiska

OU 4 – Canadian Camp Garage and Transformers

A former transformer platform, power generating facilities, five scavenged transformers, and a garage with four vehicle pits were reported 

by Crayton (1990). Garage soil samples contained trace levels of 

naphthalene-based compounds at 0.03 ppm to 0.79 ppm, fluorine at 0.03 

ppm, and phenanthrene at 0.05 ppm. No PCBs were detected. Dames 

& Moore soil samples also showed a notable lack of contamination at 

this site (Figure 12).

OU 5 - Lower Camp Power Station

The power station was a steel Quonset hut; outside and adjacent to the 

hut were rusted remains of an empty 500-gallon AST and five empty 

transformer casings. Surface soil staining and petroleum odor were 

present in 2007. A small petroleum seep was observed in 2007 by the 

author near the stained soil, which created a sheen on ponded surface 

water. This seep was sampled by Crayton (1990) and all 24 PAH 

compounds were detected at elevated concentrations.

Crayton (1990) collected soil samples around two scavenged transformers located on the ground at the west end of a diesel generator 

powerhouse at this site. A PAH scan detected 23 of 24 compounds (all 

but acenaphthylene) in the soils near the power station at low concentrations between 0.01 and 0.23 mg/kg (Crayton 1990). Antimony, lead, 

mercury, copper, nickel, and selenium were observed at concentrations 

greater than 10 times the background levels. 

PCBs were present at the Lower Camp Power 

Generating Facility. Some samples were also 

collected around the fallen transformer platform 

located at the east end of the power station. 

Crayton’s study detected low concentrations of 

PCBs and pesticides in the soil. PCB congeners 

Cl-5, CI-6, Cl-7, and CI-8 ranged from 0.03 to 4.43 

mg/kg (above State of Alaska soil cleanup levels) 

and the pesticides cis-nonochlor and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (2, 4-DDT) ranged from 

0.02 to 0.03 mg/kg, respectively. 

E & E (1992d) collected two composite soil 

samples from soils underlying the transformers 

and two grab soil samples from potential drainage paths down-gradient from the transformers. 

Three grab sediment samples were collected from 

low-lying wetlands between the power station and 

Camp Creek. One composite surface soil sample 

was collected at the northeast end of the power, 

station. Wood and metal debris were scattered 

within this wetland. 

E & E (1992d) results included a fuel oil scan, 

metals, PAHs, and PCBs. Results of the fuel scan 

found that the soil contained Bunker C at concentrations ranging from 610 to 1,000 mg/kg, and 

Barrels are often buried, which can mask their hazardous 

waste. D. Rudis, USFWS
Contaminant Assessment 71

Figure 13. Canadian Camp Garage and Transformers, Kiska

Kiska
72 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Kiska

diesel #2 fuel at concentrations 

ranging from 1,400 to 3,300 mg/kg. 

Sediments were found to contain 

Bunker C at 220 to 1,000 mg/kg. 

Metals in sediments ranged from 

18 to 130 mg/kg. PCBs analysis 

detected Aroclor1260 at a concentration of 0.100 mg/kg. PAHs 

were not detected, and they were 

likely obscured by sample matrix 

interferences. The RI sample 

results did not detect any PCBs.

OU 6 - Lower Camp Electrical 

Debris

In 2007, at least four 10- by 10-foot 

petroleum seeps were found in the 

marshy area southwest of a collapsed warehouse. Surface sheens were present in ponded 

water and in at least one acre of marsh. The four 

seep areas were surrounded by stained vegetation and soil. Large electrical storage batteries 

and wire debris were also present in this OU. 

Sample analyses by Dames & Moore showed 

elevated levels of kerosene and associated 

fuel compounds. Ditches in the area may be a 

pathway for contaminants to enter Camp Creek. 

OU 7 - Lower Camp Debris Pile and Beach 

Road Drums

Two petroleum seeps were present in 2007. One 

was a 5- by 10 area devoid of vegetation, and 

surrounding soil was stained black. At least 

three partially buried and cored steel drums 

were observed at this site. The other seep had 

two barren areas, each approximately five feet 

by five feet in size. A sheen rose to the surface 

when sediment was disturbed. At least three 

drums were found at this site. Large debris 

piles were present, and three large storage batteries were located in the debris pile near a boat 

hull. Crayton (1990) analyzed soil samples and 

reported PAHs, antimony, lead, mercury, copper, 

nickel, and selenium at greater than 10 times 

background levels. Lead levels were 14,000 mg/

kg. E & E (1992d) soil samples contained low 

levels of Bunker C, and samples from the seep areas had high concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons. Drainage path samples contained 

elevated concentrations of gasoline, diesel #2 fuel, naphthalene, and 

petroleum hydrocarbons. Drum samples showed contents to be Bunker 

C and diesel fuel.

Lower Camp debris pile, Kiska. D.Rudis, USFWS

Hydrant from Japanese occupation of Kiska. D.Rudis, USFWS
Contaminant Assessment 73

Kiska

OU 8 - Lower Camp Collapsed Wood Building and Drums

This site is a former generator shed and shoe repair shop (Figure 14). 

Dames & Moore (1996) found five rusty 55-gallon drums that contained a 

yellow grease-like substance that they thought may be petroleum- based 

water repellent shoe wax. Analytical results (Dames & Moore 1996) for 

this substance indicated the material was 52 percent Bunker C and 23 

percent kerosene. They reported that soil samples around the drums did 

not have any contaminants of potential concern (COPCs).

OU 9 - Camp Creek 

A repair shop building foundation contained four large, deteriorated 

storage batteries. Remains of 15 to 20 rusted steel drums were 

observed in the creek and on the creek banks in 2007. No evidence 

of hydrocarbon sheen or stressed vegetation was noted. West of the 

concrete mess hall was a drainage pipe outfall; dark staining was 

present, and a hydrocarbon odor was noted. A sheen and hydrocarbon 

odor was present in a narrow drainage ditch north of the Trout Lagoon 

bridge, but no sheen was found in the creek below this ditch in 2007. 

Crayton (1990) sediment and fish samples from an area beneath Lower 

Camp bridges did not have detectable PAHs or OCs. E & E (1992d) 

water and sediment samples from Camp Creek detected Bunker C in 

sediments, but it was not in water samples.

OU 10 - Gun Revetments, Wood and Metal Debris 

Debris in this area included rusted drums and a variety of metal 

remains. No HTRW sources, COPCs, or other media of concern were 

noted by Dames & Moore (1996).

OU 11 - Pier Tanks and Wood 

Debris 

Crayton (1990) sampled soil 

around the pier tanks, and no 

PAHs or OCs were detected.

OU 12 - North Head Camp 

Transformers 

Four transformers were in this 

area; three transformer casings 

were empty, and no electrical 

components were present. One 

transformer case was open with 

electrical components nearby. Six 

broken large storage batteries 

were also in this area. Crayton’s 

(1990) soil sampling did not detect 

PCBs, but PAHs were found at 

low concentrations. Antimony, 

lead, mercury, copper, nickel, and 

Barrel remains and POL contaminated soil at North Camp area, Kiska. D. 

Rudis, USFWS
74 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Kiska

Figure 14. Canadian Lower Camp and North Head, Kiska
Contaminant Assessment 75

Kiska

selenium were reported at concentrations 10 times above background 

levels for a soil sample collected at transformer #2.

OU 13 - North Head Camp Garage and Maintenance Building

Debris observed in 2007 included four decayed 55-gallon drums, an 

empty compressed gas cylinder, and vehicle remains; a shallow woodlined service pit was noted in the center of the building foundation 

(Figure 14). No evidence of surface soil staining or other evidence of 

fuel spills was noted. Crayton (1990) and E & E (1992d) sampling in 

this area found PCBs and PAHs at low levels. Antimony, lead, mercury, 

copper, nickel, and selenium were reported at concentrations 10 times 

background (Crayton 1990). E & E (1992d) soil samples detected 

Bunker C in concentrations ranging from 320–5,500 mg/kg. Bunker C 

was also detected in a soil sample along the lake shore, which drains 

the area around these buildings.

OU 14 - North Head Camp Drum Dump

Seven drums found at this site in 2007 were rusted, and there was no 

apparent evidence of HTRW. Crayton’s (1990) sampling did detect some 

PAHs; no OCs or metals above background concentrations were reported. 

Dames & Moore (1996) samples (Figure 13) did not identify any COPCs.

Area 15 – Kiska Island Road Net North

This area encompasses an eight-mile long road 

network (Figure 15). Dames & Moore (1996) 

investigated this area and reported several sites 

as potential HTRW sources. These sites are 

described as follows in that report.

Radar Station Camp: This camp was located at 

the west end of the access road and consists of the 

wooden remains of at least 14 building foundations. 

The remains of a shop building were identified using 

an ACOE 1945 drawing. A shallow, wood-lined 

vehicle service pit was observed in the middle of this 

foundation. A slight hydrocarbon odor was noted in 

the surface soil in the pit. Five large storage batteries cracked and in poor condition, were observed 

in the remains of a wood building identified as a 

powerhouse on the ACOE1945 drawing. Numerous 

live rounds of small caliber arms ammunition were 

found in a building footprint identified as a mess hall 

on the ACOE 1945 drawing, and in a wooden box 

located on the northeast side of the camp. Sixteen 

empty, rusted 55-gallon steel drums were located on 

the north side of the camp. The drums were aligned 

side by side in two end-to-end rows and were in poor 

condition. Dark staining and petroleum sheen was 

observed on the ground surface in and around the 

drums, and a strong hydrocarbon odor was noted in 

Spent and unspent munitions on Kiska. D. Rudis, USFWS the area (Dames & Moore 1996).
76 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Kiska

Figure 15. North Head Area, Kiska
Contaminant Assessment 77

Kiska

Figure 16. Kiska Island Road Net North, Kiska
78 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

The ACOE1945 drawings indicate 

that the camp consisted of at 

least nine buildings, including a 

powerhouse, radio hut, mess hall, 

shower room, several barracks, 

and a VHF antenna array. 

Kiska

Radar Station Camp Drum Storage Area: Approximately 155 steel 

drums (55-gallon each) were observed in six groups in the small valley 

located north of the Radar Station Camp. Most of the drums in the six 

groups were aligned side by side in two end-to-end rows. Many of the 

drums were reduced to rusted hoops or were rusted through to the 

ground. The drums were probably liquid storage containers since they 

had bung type openings. “USA GMC” was imprinted on several drums. 

The easternmost and northwesternmost of the six groups of drums 

contain 29 drums each. Five drums in the easternmost group and one 

drum in the northwesternmost group were partially full of a petroleum 

material. Dark staining and an oily sheen were observed on the ground 

surface in and around each of the six groups of drums. A strong hydrocarbon odor was noted in the soil beneath several groups of drums 

(Dames & Moore 1996).

The scattered remains of at least nine drums were located in the small 

creek near the lake outlet. Dames & Moore (1996) reported PAHs at 

25 mg/kg, and PAHs were detected in a stained soil sample. Diesel 

#2 fuel was present in a soil sample from the nine drum group in the 

creek. When the creek sediment near a group containing 25 drums was 

disturbed, petroleum sheen was observed on the creek, and a strong 

hydrocarbon odor was noted in the sediment (Dames & Moore 1996). 

The creek at this location was approximately 100 feet from the group of 

25 drums. 

Other material observed in the drum storage area included a standpipe 

and OE. A three-foot vertical standpipe protruded from a small square 

wooden platform located east of the group of 25 drums. This two-inch 

diameter steel pipe appeared to be buried in the ground in the center 

of the platform. Along the side of the pipe was a brass valve. The 

observed OE consisted of a scattered pile of at least 18 fused and live 

75 mm projectiles on the eastern hillside of the Radar Camp Drum 

Storage Area (Dames & Moore 1996).

Rex Hill Camp: This camp is located on Race Road northeast of the 

Radar Station Camp 

The ACOE1945 drawings indicate that the camp consisted of at least 

nine buildings, including a powerhouse, radio hut, mess hall, shower 

room, several barracks, and a VHF antenna array. The powerhouse 

location contained the remains of a wooden building and a large 

elevated stand. Dark staining and a strong hydrocarbon odor were 

noted at the base of the wooden stand (Dames & Moore 1996).

Dames & Moore reported the remains of a canvas bag contained 

approximately 12 pounds of high explosives. It consisted of four or 

five square bars and two smoke grenades; it was found adjacent to 

the west side of Race Road, north of the powerhouse and south of 

the camp area. Several empty and rusted steel 55-gallon drums, two 

small cans containing a heavy grease, several large vehicle or storage 

batteries, one box containing live small caliber ammunition, and one 

live hand grenade were found in the remains of the barracks buildings. 

An approximately 20- by 20-foot area, identified with a magnetometer, 
Contaminant Assessment 79

appeared to contain partially buried debris. The debris area located 

on the east side of the camp contained live small caliber ammunition; 

two empty and rusted 55-gallon steel drums; and miscellaneous wood, 

glass, and metal debris. 

Area 16 - Kiska Island Road Net South

 This road network is approximately 13 miles long and was investigated 

by Dames & Moore (1996). At one drum pile, soil sheen was noted. 

That sample had fuel-related BTEX compounds. Ditches with standing 

water were present and could be potentially impacted.

Area 17 – North Head Road Net

This three-mile stretch of road was investigated by Dames & Moore 

(1996), and they identified several HTRW sources.

Transformers: The power pole network depicted on an ACOE 1944 

construction map indicates 16 transformers were used in the North 

Head Camp area. Maps indicate transformers were concentrated at 

one main power station and three temporary power stations. The visual 

assessment of Area 17 identified the remains of five transformers 

associated with standing or fallen power poles.

Both single and three phase transformers were observed during the 

assessment. The single-phase transformer is smaller, and consists of a 

2-foot long steel cast box with removable lid, and an oil fill line marked 

“OIL” is imprinted near the top of the casing. The three-phase transformer is about four feet long with a cylindrical body and a square top. 

The transformer casings were empty of liquid or contained electrical 

wiring, electrical connectors, or insulation. Oil was not found inside any 

of the transformers, but some accumulated rainwater was observed by 

Dames & Moore (1996). 

One pole mounted transformer was 

noted in the RI (Dames & Moore 

1996) approximately 600 feet south 

of Fox Lake, and one large, damaged pole mounted transformer 

was observed 300 feet north of 

King Lake. This transformer was 

marked by what appears to be 

several bullet holes, yet it was still 

mounted on the pole. The transformer contents were not investigated. Three small transformers 

were observed along the road north 

of Cable Lake. Stained soil was not 

observed in 1995. 

Buildings: Dames & Moore (1996) 

identified the foundations of many 

revetted, fallen, wood frame 

buildings along North Head Road 

Kiska

Containers of unknown materials at North Head Camp, Kiska. D. Rudis, 

USFWS
80 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Deborah Rudis with Japanese gun. WWII guns include both 

small and large artillery. USFWS

Kiska

and Loop Road, and throughout the North Head area. Glass, wood, and 

metal building debris; piping; and steel 55-gallon drums were associated 

with the building footprints. Two empty 55-gallon drums and two empty 

boilers were found within the footprint of a former mess hall. No stained 

soil was observed near these drums or within the building footprint. 

Another revetted building foundation located on a steep, short slope 

about 1,000 feet south of Fox Lake contained a drum about one-third full 

of clear liquid, and a strong petroleum odor was noted (Dames & Moore 

1996). The drum was leaking, and the surrounding soil was stained and 

devoid of vegetation. Along North Head Road, three large deteriorated 

storage batteries were observed (Dames & Moore 1996).

Water Distribution Systems: Remains of two shower houses were 

observed along the northern portion of Loop Road (Dames & Moore 

1996). Each shower facility had a concrete slab foundation. Rusted 

steel boilers were located near the former shower facility; these were 

approximately 200-gallon tanks fitted with 2-inch diameter steel 

pipes. A square metal tank with a capacity of about 1,000 gallons was 

found on the east side of “Hill 265” (the hill reference refers to the 

topographic high point elevation). This tank probably supplied water to 

the nearby shower facilities. A suspected water pipeline crosses Loop 

Road between the tanks and the shower houses, and a disconnected 

portion continues underground. In addition to the boiler tanks, five 

steel, empty, 500-gallons tanks were observed south of Fox Lake. No 

evidence of surface soil staining or petroleum sheens were associated 

with these tanks in the RI. 

Miscellaneous: Other potential HTRW source materials reported 

by Dames & Moore (1996) included the remains of two large canvas 

bladders with flexible hoses and brass valves. These bladders appear to 

be part of a fuel storage system. A paint storage area was found on the 

north side of Loop Road within 300 feet of John Lake. The remains of 

approximately 42 paint cans (one gallon each) were within the remains 

of a wood frame building. The cans contained dried paint, some of 

which had spilled onto the adjacent ground surface. 

Gun Emplacements: North Head has the highest 

concentration of gun emplacements. In general, 

these are located along the perimeter of North 

Head Road, in clusters on the hilltops and at 

other strategic positions, such as south of Cable 

Lake, North Head Point, and on top of Hill “275” 

south of Junior Lake. Surface soil staining and 

stressed vegetation were not observed near the 

guns. In addition to the guns, live blasting caps 

and a 40 mm grenade were reported (Dames & 

Moore 1996). Numerous shell casings and munitions were observed alongside guns by the author 

in 2007.

Dames & Moore (1996) samples indicated one 

drum contained diesel #2 fuel, and PAHs associated with the fuel and adjacent stained soil 
Contaminant Assessment 81

was also contaminated with diesel. Three large 

storage batteries, two cans of suspected grease, 

and numerous one-gallon cans of paint were also 

identified.

Area 18 – South Head Trails

No evidence of trails or former structures were 

found in this area, and it was considered as No 

Further Action required in the RI (Dames & 

Moore 1996).

Area 19 – Gasoline Distribution and 

Storage Area

Little evidence of any former fuel distribution 

system (Figure 16) was present, and there were 

no signs of stained soil, stressed vegetation, 

or other fuel related contamination (Dames & 

Moore 1996). 

Area 20 – Salmon Lagoon Airstrip and 

Road (North Head)

No visual HTRW sources were found by Dames 

& Moore (1996). A six-inch projectile and a 500-

pound bomb (with its fuze) were found along 

the road. Debris included steel runway matting 

and wood and metal debris. No other COPCs 

were identified.

Area 21 – Trout Lagoon Camp

Dames & Moore (1996) identified several areas with potential HTRW, 

primarily drums with petroleum products. Sample analyses detected 

diesel fuel, PAHs, VOCs, and some unidentified compounds. One sample 

had PCBs at 15 mg/kg, but the source of the PCBS was not evident, as 

no transformers or heat transfer equipment were found in the area. 

Drum Pile: At the southern corner of Trout Lagoon, approximately 

fifty 55-gallon steel drums were found in a 60- by 20-foot area located 

approximately 300 feet south of Trout Lagoon. Most of the drums were 

rusted through and empty; however, two drums contained oil and accumulated surface water. A hydrocarbon odor was observed in surface 

soil next to a drum; however, stained soil was not observed. Stressed 

vegetation was evident adjacent to the drums, which appeared to 

contain petroleum (Dames & Moore 1996). Two of the five drums found 

are most likely diesel #2 fuel. Elevated PAH levels were found in soils 

around another of five drums.

Scattered Drums: Three scattered 55-gallon steel drums were located 

in the marsh west of the drum pile. The drums appeared to contain oil 

and accumulated surface water, but they were rusted and had holes. 

Two drums were approximately half full, and one drum was one-third 

Kiska

Piles of rusted Marston mat that was used for WWII runway 

surfacing by U.S. forces are found on Kiska. D. Rudis, 

USFWS
82 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Kiska

Figure 17. Gasoline Distribution and Storage Area, Kiska
Contaminant Assessment 83

Figure 18. Salmon Lagoon Airstrip and Road, Kiska

Kiska
84 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Kiska

full. Hydrocarbon odors and surface soil stains were observed next to 

each drum (Dames & Moore 1996).

Debris Pile: A debris pile located on the southeast side of Trout Lagoon 

Spit was identified by Dames & Moore (1996) and consisted of 44 

rusted 55-gallon steel drums, wooden planking and lumber, steel fasteners, nails, bolts, and a wooden trailer bed. The drums were empty, 

and surface soil stains or hydrocarbon odors were not noted. Scattered 

in the debris were .35-caliber shell casings. A reinforced concrete pad 

with electrical cable was observed in the hillside near the debris pile. 

Area 22 - Former Submarine Base and South Head Hill

The Submarine Base remains consisted of the former submarine 

haul-out railway, the repair shop, the Submarine Base camp, a road 

network, various tanks, various debris piles, and revetted structures. 

Several possible HTRW sources were identified during the visual 

assessment of the area by Dames & Moore (1996) and the author’s 

2007 site visit.

Submarine Railway: The submarine railway was completely overgrown 

with dense grass in 2007, beneath which the remains of the gravel base 

and the reinforced concrete launch ramp were located. The remains 

of two Japanese Midget, “Sydney-type,” submarines were observed: 

scattered remnants of one was found in the beach surf zone east of the 

launch ramp, and the second more complete wreck was found in the 

launch ramp. The submarines appeared to be battery powered, and the 

remains of the batteries were near and within both of the submarine 

hulls. Over 100 batteries, several of which are broken and scattered, 

were observed at the submarine on the launch ramp. The submarine 

remains in the surf zone contained several broken batteries, which 

were noted at an extreme low tide in August 2007. 

Submarine Repair Shop: The suspected remains of a submarine repair 

shop were located on either side of the launch ramp. The remains 

consisted of earthen revetments, 

as well as wood and metal debris. 

A gravel road ran between the 

earthen revetments and the south 

end of the Submarine Base. No 

surface soil staining or disturbed 

vegetation was observed around 

the submarine facilities in 2007. 

Submarine Base Camp and Road: 

The Submarine Base Camp consisted of several collapsed wood 

frame buildings, including former 

barracks, a mess hall, and three 

shower houses. Seven 55-gallon 

steel drums were partially buried 

in a revetted bunker north of 

the creek at the end of the road. 

Japanese submarine station, 1943. U. S. Signal Corps photo Eight 55-gallon steel drums 
Contaminant Assessment 85

were scattered along the hillside at the end of 

the road. The drum locations were consistent 

with the location of the former Submarine 

Base power station. Surface soil staining and 

stressed vegetation were not observed at the 

Submarine Base Camp or near the drums in 

2007. 

Tanks: The remains of eight suspected water 

tanks were observed along the side of the road 

and in the marsh. Three 500-gallon tanks were 

present east and southeast of the submarine 

launch ramp. Two 500-gallon tanks were located 

on South Head Hill Road. A 1,000-gallon tank 

and associated water lines, valves, and standpipes were observed at the Submarine Base 

Camp. No surface soil staining or stressed 

vegetation was observed near the tanks in 1995 

or in 2007. 

Debris Pile: Military debris was identified 

around defensive positions along South 

Head Hill Road by Dames & Moore (1996). A 

wooden debris pile consisting of skids, steel 

beams and posts, and large outboard engines 

was found near the beach at the base of South 

Head Hill Road. Several bunkers and a gun 

emplacement were located further east along 

the road. A small, partially covered, debris 

pile was identified in a ravine on the north side of the road near 

the westernmost gun emplacement. The debris consisted of steel 

pipes, vehicle parts, OE, shell casings, glass, brass pump housings, 

an empty compressed gas cylinder, and four empty 55-gallon steel 

drums. 

Area 23 – Gertrude Cove Camp

Several areas with potential HTRW sources were identified during 

the visual assessment of the area by Dames & Moore (1996) and the 

author’s site visit. 

Gertrude Cove Road to Trout Lagoon Road: At the beach in Gertrude 

Cove three live 75 mm projectiles were found in the surf by Dames & 

Moore (1996). 

Gertrude Cove and Trout Lagoon Road Intersection: Several revetted 

building footprints and scattered wood and metal debris were observed 

along both sides of the Gertrude Cove Road east of the intersection 

(Figure 18). A small debris pile containing the remains of numerous 

gas masks, wood building material, various metal machinery parts, and 

other debris was found on the south side of Gertrude Road, 100 feet 

west of the Trout Lagoon Road intersection. Eight empty, rusty 55-gallon steel drums were found approximately 100 feet southwest of the 

gas masks and were either on the surface or partially buried. Evidence 

Japanese submarine WWII, Kiska. D. Rudis, USFWS 

Kiska
86 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Kiska

Figure 19. Gertrude Cove Camp, Kiska
Contaminant Assessment 87

Kiska

Figure 20. Trout Lagoon Camp, Kiska
88 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Kiska

of surface staining or stressed 

vegetation was not observed 

around the drums in 1995 or 2007. 

Trout Lagoon Road: A large 

cleared area west of the road 

(Figure 19) contained the remains 

of a wood platform and two 

large piles of metal, wood, and 

glass building debris. A gun pile 

was located east of the road. 

A large debris pile containing 

numerous wooden skids was 

observed adjacent the gun pile. 

A smaller debris pile, observed 

approximately 300 feet east of 

the skid pile, contained one rusty, 

empty 55-gallon steel drum, three 

empty 5-gallon metal buckets, 

three 75 mm guns, the remains 

of several truck bodies, vehicle 

parts, rubber tires and wheels, 

and miscellaneous metal and wood debris. A strong hydrocarbon odor 

was noted in the area in 1995 by Dames & Moore; the exact source of 

the odor could not be determined, but they noted a grease container in 

the debris pile. Debris along both sides of Trout Lagoon Road included 

numerous revetted building footprints; some contained wood foundations remains. OE located along Trout Lagoon Road included three 75 

mm guns and one 75 mm howitzer cannon. Two blocks of TNT were 

reported in the gun pile (Dames & Moore 1996).

Gertrude Cove East and West Hill Roads: The wooden foundation 

remains of a small revetted building, three rusty 55-gallon steel drums, 

and six 5-gallon gasoline cans were observed on a hillside adjacent to 

the west side of the middle lake. Evidence of possible HTRW sources 

were not observed in this area. 

Area 24 – Mutt and Jeff Coves

A small foxhole contained several 57 mm rounds and several rounds of 

.30- and .50-caliber munitions. Several .30-caliber rounds were found in 

the trench system and foxholes on Cobra Neck (see Figure 20).

Area 25 – Kiska Island OE

Vegetation growth may cover ordnance on Kiska, and unexploded 

ordnance may be buried and only detected with metal detectors and 

trained personnel. A wide range of ordnance may be present, including, Japanese munitions that were abandoned when they evacuated 

their troops, Allied forces munitions that did not explode upon impact, 

and/or ordnance that was left behind following withdrawal of Allied 

forces. At gun sites on Kiska, there are often ammunition piles that are 

extremely hazardous, as many casings are corroded and could easily 

Ordnance is found around some of the Kiska guns. D. Rudis, USFWS
Contaminant Assessment 89

Figure 21. Mutt and Jeff Coves, Kiska

Kiska
90 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Kiska

Figure 22. OE and Gun Emplacements, Kiska
Contaminant Assessment 91

explode if handled. OE found by several investigations consisted of 

small arms munitions, grenades, artillery rounds, and high explosives 

such as blasting caps. 

Additional OE found near the area of the Canadian invasion was reported 

by seabird researchers from Memorial University, Newfoundland. OE 

included mortar rounds, artillery shells and a hand grenade. There is also 

a chance of OE at the United States forces invasion point (Figure 22).

Dames & Moore reported the following observations in the RI. No 

location documentation was included with their site descriptions.

Kiska

Figure 23. Battle of the Aleutians – Allied Landing Areas, Kiska
92 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Kiska

A 500-pound bomb was identified 

north of the airstrip on the steep 

portion of the hillside, 100 feet 

east of the Salmon Lagoon Road 

“switchback.” The bomb was 

2.5 feet long and cracked in the 

center, which is evidence of a low 

order detonation. 

Area 15 - Kiska Island Road Net North: OE was observed at 

former camp locations, around Japanese guns, and at several locations along roads. Numerous live rounds of small caliber munitions 

were found in a building footprint identified as a mess hall in the 

Rex Hill camp area. Along Radar Station Camp Road, four 75 mm 

guns and a 20 mm anti-aircraft gun were observed. Small caliber 

munitions were found in a wooden box. 

A scattered pile of at least 18 fused and live 75 mm projectiles was 

observed on the hillside on the eastern end of the Radar Station 

Camp Drum Storage Area. This ordnance was next to the road 

bed and spread around an area 30-feet long and 10-feet wide. 

The projectiles appeared rusted and weathered, but the box-like 

protection on the projectile fins was not weathered. 

The remains of a canvas bag containing approximately 12 pounds 

of high explosive in four or five square bars, and two smoke grenades, were found adjacent to the west side of Race Road, north 

of the powerhouse and south of the camp area. The high explosive 

appeared severely weathered. In addition, a hand grenade lying on 

its side and moderately corroded was found in the remains of one 

Rex Hill barracks. 

Area 16 - Kiska Island Road Net South: One 6-inch, unexploded 

projectile and machine gun munitions were found in Area 16. This 

corroded ordnance was lying in the center of Trout Lagoon Road. 

Area 17 - North Head Road Net: Three types of OE were observed 

at Area 17, including blasting caps, unexploded artillery, and a grenade. The live blasting caps were around two gun emplacements 

on top of Hill 265. A 6-inch artillery shell was found on a steep, 

short slope roughly 1,000 feet south of Fox Lake. A 40 mm grenade 

was found on the south side of Hill 265. 

North Head had the highest concentration of gun emplacements. 

In general, these were located along the perimeter of North Head 

Road and in clusters on the top of hills and other strategic positions. (See Spennemann 2008 for Kiska gun details.) Gun locations 

were south of Cable Lake, North Head Point, and the top of Hill 

“275” south of Junior Lake. No OE was found around these gun 

emplacements by Dames & Moore, but a 6-inch unexploded shell 

was found northwest of Gun A during the 2007 interagency Kiska 

gun investigation (Spennemann 2008). A partially buried shell was 

also found near a Gun A, and several shells, some of which may be 

live, were reported around Gun C (Spennemann 2008).

Area 20 - Salmon Lagoon Airstrip and Road: OE was observed 

along the Salmon Lagoon Road between the airstrip and the 

Salmon Lagoon Spit. A 500-pound bomb was identified north of 

the airstrip on the steep portion of the hillside, 100 feet east of the 

Salmon Lagoon Road “switchback.” The bomb was 2.5 feet long 

and cracked in the center, which is evidence of a low order detonation. The bomb base plate and fuse were located near the bomb 

casing and described as a 100 series fuse with the booster remains. 
Contaminant Assessment 93

A 6-inch diameter projectile was found approximately 1,000 feet 

northeast of the airstrip. 

Area 22 - Former Submarine Base and South Head Hill Road: 

Small arms munitions and ordnance casings were identified at a 

debris pile located along the South Head Road, southwest of the 

Former Submarine Base. Several rounds of .30-caliber munitions 

were found in the debris pile. One 45 mm coastal defense gun was 

located on the beach approximately 50 feet south of the former 

submarine railway. Another 40 mm gun was located on South Head 

Hill, positioned to defend the harbor from points south. No OE was 

found around these two guns. 

Area 23 - Gertrude Cove Camp: OE high explosives were identified 

at three locations in at this site. OE included 75 mm projectiles, 

three of which were found in the surf at Gertrude Cove Beach near 

Gertrude Cove Camp Road. Several 75 mm projectiles without 

the shell casings were found in two barrels of 75 mm guns at the 

gun pile. One 75 mm shell was found in the barrel of a howitzer 

cannon located under a truck body in the gun pile. Two blocks of 

TNT were found on the ground surface at 

the gun pile. Six 75 mm costal defense guns 

were abandoned along with other military 

debris approximately one-quarter mile from 

Gertrude Cove Beach. 

Area 24 - Mutt and Jeff Coves: Identified ordnance included several 57 mm rounds found 

in a small foxhole located midway between 

Jeff Cove and Trout Lagoon Road. The same 

foxhole contained several rounds of .50- and 

.30-caliber munitions. Several .30-caliber 

rounds were also found in foxholes and in the 

trench system on Cobra Neck. 

Observations of hazardous waste and 

contaminated sites noted during the author’s 

2007 interagency site visit are listed in this 

section. 

North Head Road. This area had power 

poles, building debris, and scattered, corroded, 55-gallon steel drums. 

North Head Camp. Building debris, power 

poles, and two propane canisters were found, 

and broken batteries (four) were present on 

bare, rocky soil; three were together and the 

fourth battery was approximately six feet 

apart from the group of three. A transformer and power poles remain.

At the North Head Camp airstrip, a wood and 

building debris area and paint cans remains 

Kiska

UXO hazards are commonly found on Kiska, these were found in 

the North Head Camp area. D. Rudis, USFWS
94 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Kiska

were found. Lead-acid battery remains, oily drums with product, and 

one battery were in this area. In the North Head Camp area, munitions, 

bullet casings, and bomb ends with fuzes were scattered around.

A hillside burn barrel was found above Lake Leslie. 

Two 100-gal tanks were empty, and no sheen was noted. 

A boiler, empty heating tank, and building remains are also in this 

area. Adjacent were five corroded 55-gallon steel barrels and one 

corroded tank.

Anti-aircraft guns and four bullet piles were found. Adjacent to this site 

was an approximate three-foot by four-foot area with broken pieces of an 

unknown solid white substance, along with additional bullets.

Truck and trailer remains, one intact battery under the truck wheel, 

and an additional broken battery were noted. A propane tank was 

downhill of these items.

Suspected lead-coated cable was on the ground along power poles. 

Other items included building debris and a propane tank.

A gun hill and machine gun parts remain, along with a battery and 

building debris.

In a wetland, there was an open fuel barrel; there was sheen on the 

water, emergent vegetation with a sheen coating, and a fuel odor in 

the wetland. 

Four guns remain in place.

There was a broken battery, a pump with fuel, and a possible distribution pipe.

Canadian Camp

Along a stone wall in the Canadian Camp was a box with empty 

cartridges; a broken battery was nearby. A cement walled structure, 

approximately a 10-foot by 8-foot site, was a possible munitions storage 

area for nearby guns. Three fuel drums had oil, odor, and some semisolid product. There was stained soil below the drum. Drums were just 

above some electrical debris. A debris pile contained miscellaneous 

debris, including rusted drums, ship parts, and an old vehicle. At this 

campsite, there was a drum with a viscous oily product and other scattered empty drums. 

Shoreline

The main dock has creosote-treated pilings and a corroded former 

fuel supply line. There may be a landfill in this hillside berm where 

miscellaneous debris, including cable, drums, and aircraft parts, was 

noted. Above and past the docks were corroded steel tanks, vehicle 

parts, and aircraft debris. Creosote-treated logs were in a pile in dunes 

above beach. Three additional creosote-treated log piles were found 

No sampling information from 

any prior investigations could be 

found for this area.
Contaminant Assessment 95

in an adjacent swale. A dump of 

corroded drums was in the dunes 

behind the beach. No sampling 

information from any prior 

investigations could be found for 

this area. A small stream had oily 

sheen present. 

In the Kiska harbor area is 

the well-documented Japanese 

mini-submarine with 50 or more 

batteries. At the Japanese submarine base were three large tanks; 

one was known to be empty, 

contents of the other two are 

unknown. There was no visible 

staining or stressed vegetation. 

On the beach, remains of a second 

Japanese mini-submarine (one 

section) and batteries were visible 

only at low tide.

A small shipwreck is partially buried in the sand at the mouth of Trout 

Lagoon. Heavy equipment (unidentified) and one intact lead acid battery are in this area. 

The maintenance shed area had a battery, propane tank, and unidentified machinery. Also in this area were a much corroded transformer 

and old power pole remnants. Nearby was a Quonset hut and a corroded fuel tank. 

A group of about 35 corroded drums were in Trout Lagoon Valley. None 

appeared to be intact.

There is also a single drum with some soil staining and weathered 

POL product. 

• Other observations include:

• In an upper drum dump, approximately 60 corroded drums were 

noted.

• Spent shell casings were found on the hillside of Pinnacle Rock 

area.

• Noted in the same area were vehicle debris and two or possibly 

more corroded drums.

• The ravine above Trout Lagoon has miscellaneous debris scattered 

in tall grass.

• One power pole has a broken and open transformer; nearby was an 

unexploded artillery shell.

 A munitions cache(s) was found on the north side of Kiska Island 

near Witchcraft Point in 2007. The following location description came 

from Dr. Ian Jones, a seabird biologist, who took the photographs the 

Service sent to the ACOE in May, 2008:

Spent shells in the Canadian Camp area, Kiska. D. Rudis, USFWS

Kiska
96 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

“... a large US dump area located where the cross-island road 

hits the beach just north of Witchcraft Point. The dump is mostly 

covered with sand and earth (and vegetation) but items are eroding 

out at the beach and there is a small stream that runs through it that 

has oil sheen and ordnance in it. Size: about 2-5 Ha.” (5-12 acres)

Arnica blooming amidst WWII building debris on Kiska. D. Rudis, USFWS

Kiska
Contaminant Assessment 97

Little Kiska Island encompasses 1,833 acres; it lies just south of Kiska 

Island and has three areas of potential contaminant concerns. Little 

Kiska Head is on the northern part of a peninsula (Figure 2) and was 

investigated by Crayton (1991), and during the RI and SI. Crayton 

(1991) reported six drums and machinery stacked at the lower end of 

Sluff Lake, but no evidence of these items or any HTRW was found 

during the RI (Dames & Moore 1996). On Little Kiska Head, large 

bomb craters are located near the edge of Sluff Lake and continue 

westward towards the gun emplacement hill. Two soil samples collected during the RI did not have detectable concentrations of PAHs.

On the west central side of Little Kiska is a gun emplacement, and 

bunker and building footprints. A road from the beach leads to this 

site (Figure 23). North of the road origin, three bunker footprints were 

located by Dames & Moore (1996) along the base of a hill. The bunkers 

appeared to be connected by a tunnel system (Dames & Moore 1996). 

Seventeen 55-gallon drums were scattered throughout a marshy area; 

all appeared empty and rusty (Dames & Moore 1996). One bunker 

contained 13 rusty, empty 55-gallon steel drums. Other drums were 

scattered around the road access and at the top of Gun Emplacement 

Hill. They did not see any signs of HTRW around any of these drums. 

Guns at this site are three 6-inch coastal defense guns, three 25 mm 

anti-aircraft guns, one gun turret, and one wheeled cannon. Rounds of 

OE were found at the base of one of the 6-inch guns. Additional rounds 

discovered by Dames & Moore (1996) were found on a lower southeast 

facing slope near a lake. The interagency team visit in 2007 located 

the guns and some of the OE, including artillery shells, spent shell 

casings, and artillery rounds. We also relocated the remains of a truck 

and battery that were noted in the RI (Dames & Moore 1996) report. 

Soil samples from this area collected for the RI did not have detectable 

PAHs (Dames & Moore 1996). Crayton (1991) collected sediment and 

fish samples from the lake east of Gun Emplacement Hill. Those fish 

samples had low concentrations of DDT. PAHs were detected at low 

concentrations in Gun Emplacement Lake sediments.

Orient Point is located at the easternmost end of Little Kiska. Remains 

of buildings and a powerhouse were located approximately 3,000 feet 

west of Orient Point (Dames & Moore 1996). On top of the bluff are 

the remains of about 15 buildings and their footprints. Building debris, 

including scrap wood, siding, roofing, and door and window frames, 

are scattered around the area. Overgrown foxholes, power poles and 

overgrown roads are located near the hilltop. Dames & Moore (1996) 

also found two groups of approximately 13 and 15 rusty 55-gallon steel 

drums. Drums were all empty, and no signs of HTRW were noted. Two 

soil samples from this area did not have detectable PAHs or PCBs 

(Dames & Moore 1996).

The SI team surveyed building locations, storage, artillery positions, 

a range fan, heavy anti-aircraft gun positions, ground scars, machine 

gun positions, and underground shelters (Bristol 2012). MEC found 

included an unfired 25 mm anti-aircraft round, a 6-inch unfuzed and 

unfired round near a 6-inch coastal defense gun, and several unfuzed 

6-inch rounds near another 6-inch gun. These 6-inch rounds were also 

Little Kiska

North of the road origin, three 

bunker footprints were located by 

Dames & Moore along the base of 

a hill. The bunkers appeared to be 

connected by a tunnel system.
98 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

reported in the RI. A cache of over 600 rounds of .50-caliber small 

arms ammunition was found in an estimated 12-foot square area. The 

ammunition crates were visible, and additional rounds were located 

under the vegetation. Little Kiska sites are OU 26, OU 27, and Area 28 

in the RI (Dames & Moore 1996).

Vegetation reclaims the past on Kiska and Little Kiska, such as the remains of 

this Japanese stove on Little Kiska. D. Rudis USFWS

Little Kiska
Contaminant Assessment 99

Little Kiska

Figure 24. Little Kiska Gun Emplacement and Dames & Moore sampling locations.
100 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Seafood Harvest and Processors

The Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea Management Area supports some 

of the largest and most valuable commercial fisheries in the United 

States. Important fisheries are conducted for red and golden king crab, 

Tanner crab, Dungeness crab, Pacific cod, several species of flatfish, 

sablefish, Atka mackerel, walleye pollock, and Pacific salmon species. 

Finfish and shellfish stocks in this area provide year-round commercial 

fishing opportunity. 

Seafood catcher-processors carry a number of hazardous chemicals 

associated with fish and shellfish processing. They include chemical cleaners such as ammonia, chlorine, caustic soda and nitric acid. 

Discharges authorized by ADEC for the Alaska Pollution Discharge 

Elimination System general permit for seafood processors include 

processing wastes, process disinfectants, and sanitary wastewaters, 

including domestic wastewater, cooling water, boiler water, gray water, 

freshwater pressure relief water, refrigeration condensate, water that 

is used to transfer seafood to a facility, and live tank water. All processors must route all processing wastes through a waste conveyance and 

treatment system before discharge. 

• AKG520000 Seafood Processors in Alaska GP. (Expired/

Administratively Extended) Covers shore based facilities and 

vessels operating within 3.0 nautical miles (nm) of shore at mean 

lower low water or baseline. No new permittees can be authorized 

under this permit.

• AKG521000 Coastal Fish Waste Discharges to Marine Water 

GP. (Under Development) ADEC is developing this general permit for shore-based facilities and vessels discharging to marine 

water within 0.5 nautical miles (nm) of shore at mean lower low 

water.

• AKG523000 Alaska Offshore Seafood Processors GP. Covers 

currently permitted seafood processors discharging in Alaskan 

waters between 0.5 and 3.0 nm from shore at mean lower low water 

or baseline.

• AKG524000 Offshore Seafood Processors in Alaska GP. Covers 

seafood processors that discharge more than 3.0 nm from shore at 

mean lower low water or baseline.

The majority of crab processing activity occurs between January 

and March, with some activity in September and from November to 

December. Halibut processing generally occurs during the summer 

months, while Pacific cod and other miscellaneous fish may be processed at any time during the year. 

Sensitive biological areas that are excluded from processor discharges 

are listed on the ADEC Web site. An interactive Google Earth map 

delineates these excluded areas where there is a one or three nautical 

mile buffer, dependent upon resource sensitivity.

Marine Environment
Contaminant Assessment 101

Aleutian Canada geese nests are vulnerable to rat predation. 

D. Rudis, USFWS

• Steller and Spectacled Eiders 

o Stellar Eider Concentration Areas 

o Spectacled Eider Critical Habitat 

o Steller Eider Critical Habitat 

• Stellar Sea lion 

o Sea Lion Haul Out 

o Sea Lion Haul Out 3nm Buffer 

o Sea Lion Rookery 

o Sea Lion Rookery 3 nm Buffer 

o Sea Lion Haul Out Rookery 

o Sea Lion Haul Out Rookery 3 nm Buffer 

• Seabird Colonies greater than 1K 

o Alaska Seabird Colonies 

o Alaska Seabird Colony 1 nm buffer 

• Alaska SW DPS Sea Otter Critical Habitat 

• Alaska State Game Refuges, Critical Habitat, Sanctuaries 

• Alaska National Wilderness Areas 

• Alaska National Parks, Preserves, Monuments 

• Alaska National Wildlife Refuges 

Direct and unknown indirect effects to seabirds 

from discharged seafood processor wastes 

could occur from changes in the benthic 

community due to organic matter deposition, 

excess nutrient input leading to changes in 

the phytoplankton community, and residual 

concentrations of chlorine disinfectants. 

Because coastal waters around the Aleutians 

are generally well oxygenated, assimilation of 

soluble organic wastes and chemicals may buffer adverse effects. However, an indirect and 

unknown effect to bird populations could result 

from solid waste discharges. Discharged suspended matter may attract gulls and increase 

their populations by providing food throughout 

the winter months when natural food is less 

abundant and survival is the most difficult. 

An increase in the local gull population could 

adversely affect the breeding success of other 

birds, primarily from predation on eggs and 

chicks. Another potential secondary effect 

could occur from pathogens and parasites associated with seafood waste. These organisms 

could adversely affect seabirds that consume or 

have contact with seafood waste discharges.

Marine Environment
102 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Oil Spills

Shipwrecks resulting in oil and or cargo spills are another contaminant 

source along coastal refuge lands. Vessel sinking, grounding, and 

accidents are all common in marine waters of Western Alaska. A fleet 

of international ships travels the North Pacific Great Circle Routes 

from Asia to the west coast of the U.S. and back. Ships include a mix 

of large container ships, bulk carriers, car carriers, tankers, and 

others—the majority are foreign flagged and on “innocent passage” 

through these waters. These vessels carry large quantities of fuel oil, 

as each hold between 100,000 and 300,000 gallons, usually Bunker C. 

Various cargoes include chemicals and other hazardous materials. The 

spill risk they pose will grow as their traffic volume increases and as 

new shipping routes emerge to serve future resource development in 

Alaska and other Arctic regions. To improve vessel tracking ability, 

International Maritime Organization regulations (mandated January 1, 

2009) require cargo ships above 300 gross tons to transmit long-range 

vessel identification and tracking data., However, many international 

ships that travel near or through the Aleutians may have no oil-spill 

contingency plans if they have no planned stops at U.S. ports.

Historical data on accidents and spills near the Aleutian Islands show 

that fishing vessels account for the majority of the accidents, most 

of these resulting in small spills, while the large commercial fleet 

has experienced only a few major accidents but with much larger 

spill volumes (Transportation Research Board 2008). Over the past 

20 years, about 20 fishing vessel accidents with spills in excess of 

1,000 gallons were recorded, while just two commercial cargo vessel 

accidents (the M/V Selendang Ayu in 2004 and the M/V Kuroshima

in 1997) spilled 336,000 and 40,000 gallons, respectively. Data for the 

past 20 years on response to spills in the Aleutians have also shown 

that almost no oil has been recovered during events in which recovery 

attempts have been made by the responsible parties or government 

agencies. In many cases, weather and other conditions have prevented 

any response at all (Transportation Research Board 2008).

Other vessel-related pollution concerns include discharge and loss 

of packing straps, trawl nets, and other debris that can kill wildlife. 

(See next section on marine debris.) During 1993 and 1994, the refuge 

conducted beach surveys at numerous locations to determine the 

status of oil pollution on refuge beaches (Byrd et al. 1995). On Attu, 7.6 

miles of coastline in Massacre Bay were searched for oil, and one 0.8 

inch diameter spot of weathered oil was found. In contrast, 5.6 miles of 

beaches were surveyed on adjacent Shemya Island, and 104 weathered 

oil spots were found; over 70 percent were less than one inch in diameter (Krom 1993).

The following history and list of Attu and Kiska shipwrecks was 

compiled by Eric Nelson of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife 

Refuge. Because the majority of these incidents occurred in the past, 

we have no records of the amount of fuel that spilled during the older 

wrecks. The earliest wrecks would have involved sailing ships and 

would not have used fuel for propulsion. It is also unknown whether 

Marine Environment

Historical data on accidents and 

spills near the Aleutian Islands 

show that fishing vessels account 

for the majority of the accidents, 

most of these resulting in small 

spills, while the large commercial 

fleet has experienced only a few 

major accidents but with much 

larger spill volumes
Contaminant Assessment 103

Japanese shipwreck, Kiska. D. Rudis, USFWS

sunken vessels have intact fuel tanks that may eventually fail and 

cause a release. 

Attu Shipwrecks 

Shipwrecks around Attu have been on record since 1850. Of relevance to this report are the following shipwrecks as compiled by E. 

Nelson, USFWS:

Attu Island, January 5, 1943 - the 6,101-ton Japanese ship Kotohiro 

Maru was bombed and sunk off Attu. (History of U.S. Naval 

Operations in WWII, vol. VII)

Attu Island, July 19, 1943 - the U.S. Army cable ship Dellwood

sank in Massacre Bay after striking a pinnacle rock. (Minerals 

Management Service)

Attu Island, March 5, 1981 - the 291-foot, 1,500-ton Korean M/V Dae 

Rim wrecked one-half mile east of Cape Wrangell on the north side. The 

vessel previously suffered a collision with a Soviet vessel, caught fire, 

and was abandoned by its crew 90 miles west of Attu. Twenty-four of 

the crew of 26 died after abandoning ship. The Dae Rim, still afloat, was 

taken under tow by another Soviet vessel, the towline was subsequently 

lost or cut loose, and Dae Rim drifted ashore. A U.S. Navy Explosive 

Ordnance Disposal team, using the USCG cutter Boutwell as a platform 

for operations, set high explosives on the wreck’s fuel tanks to vent 

them and burn off about 110,000 gallons of fuel oil. All but two tanks 

were ruptured and burned by the explosive charges, with the Boutwell

firing its guns to vent the remaining two. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

memorandum, June 2, 1981; Anchorage Daily News, March 26, 1984) 

Kiska Shipwrecks 

The earliest documented shipwreck off Kiska was in 1758. More 

relevant wrecks include the following:

Kiska Island, June 19, 1942 - 

Japanese oiler Nissan Maru

bombed and sunk in Kiska Harbor.

Kiska Island, July 5, 1942 

- Japanese destroyer Arare

torpedoed and sunk at entrance of 

Kiska Harbor by U.S. Navy sub 

USS Growler (SS-215).

Kiska Island, July 15, 1942 - 

Japanese subchaser SC-25 sunk in 

Kiska Harbor by U.S. submarine 

USS Grunion (SS-216).

Kiska Island, July 15, 1942 - 

Japanese subchaser SC-27 sunk in 

Kiska Harbor by U.S. submarine 

USS Grunion.

Marine Environment
104 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Kiska Island, July 30, 1942 - U.S. 

Navy submarine USS Grunion

was lost in vicinity of Kiska Island 

and presumed sunk by a Japanese 

torpedo. The imploded remains of 

the Grunion were found in 2007. 

(History of U.S. Naval Operations 

in WWII, vol. VII; Wikipedia)

Kiska Island, August 8, 1942 - the 

8,572-ton Japanese cargo vessel 

Kano Maru, previously damaged 

by a torpedo from USS Grunion, 

sunk at Kiska Harbor by U.S. 

Navy Catalina. (History of U.S. 

Naval Operations in WWII, vol. 

VII)

Kiska Island, September 15, 

1942 - the 7,190-ton Japanese 

troop transport Nozima Maru

bombed and sunk at Kiska Harbor. 

Only the bow section remains, 

grounded near the beach; the stern section was re-floated in 1956 by 

the American salvage tug Salvage King and taken in tow to Japan by 

Salvage King and the Canadian salvage tug Sudbury II.

Kiska Island, October 5, 1942 - the 5,863-ton Japanese steamship 

Borneo Maru bombed and sunk at Gertrude Cove, Kiska Island. 

Kiska Island, October 17, 1942 - Japanese supply destroyer Oboro

bombed and sunk at Kiska Island.

Kiska Island, November 4, 1942 - Japanese submarine RO-65 bombed 

and sunk at Kiska Island.

Kiska Island, January 5, 1943 - 6,577-ton Japanese ship Montreal 

Maru was bombed and sunk at Kiska. (History of U.S. Naval 

Operations in WWII, vol. VII)

Kiska Island, April 4, 1943 - Japanese steamship Uragio Maru

bombed and sunk at Kiska Harbor. 

Kiska Island, May 14, 1943 - Japanese submarine I-31 sunk by U.S. 

forces. (Minerals Management Service)

Kiska Island, June 23, 1943 - Japanese submarine I-7 sunk by U.S. 

forces. (Minerals Management Service)

Marine Debris

In 1988, 25 beaches on seven islands—Attu, Agattu, Shemya, Buldir, 

Kiska, Little Kiska, and Adak—were surveyed during a 10-day period 

for all plastic from sea level to high storm tide level. Of the total 2.3 miles 

of beach observed, 3,153 plastic objects were counted, representing 67 

Marine Environment

Japanese shipwreck on Kiska. D. Rudis, USFWS
Contaminant Assessment 105

Forty-four percent of all seabird 

species ingest floating plastic 

while feeding on or near the 

surface of the ocean, picking up 

anything that might resemble 

their natural food

different finished plastic products. Debris was identified from Japan, 

the U.S.S.R., South Korea, People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Norway, 

and the United States. Most prevalent were items from Japan; of those 

that were identifiable, most were fishing related (Manville 1990). If the 

amount of plastic located on these beaches is at all indicative of that 

found elsewhere on Alaska’s 36,000 miles of shoreline, plastic debris 

poses a serious potential problem for fish and wildlife.

Marine litter is now 60 to 80 percent plastic, reaching 90 to 95 percent 

in some areas (Moore 2008). The problem of microplastic marine debris 

(plastic particles smaller than 5 mm) has reached the attention of the 

international community (Arthur et al. 2009). Macroscopic plastic 

marine debris is persistent in the environment, shows a high resistance 

to aging, and exhibits minimal biological degradation (Rios et al. 2007). 

Plastics are primarily synthetic organic polymers derived from petroleum. These polymers break into smaller and smaller particles when 

exposed to ultraviolet radiation in sunlight, but they are still present as 

plastic and are accessible to plankton and other marine life. The length 

of time various plastic polymers persist in the ocean is not reliably 

known. Plastic debris and minute plastic particles are found floating in 

the ocean and stranded on beaches. 

Forty-four percent of all seabird species ingest floating plastic while 

feeding on or near the surface of the ocean, picking up anything that 

might resemble their natural food (Minchin 1996; Auman et al. 1997; 

Blight and Burger 1997; Cadée 2002). Plastic items that resemble natural food items fail to provide nutrition and may weaken or kill seabirds 

through ingestion hazard, starvation, stomach lining irritation, and 

failure to develop fat stores needed for migration and reproduction 

(Moore 2008).

Plastic debris fragments adsorb, accumulate and transport persistent 

organic pollutants (POPs) (Rios et al. 2007). Contaminants may be 

accumulated in plastic debris because of its permeable lipophilic 

nature. Plastic debris from the North Pacific Ocean and coastal 

California sites contained detectable amounts of PAHs, (pyrene, fluoranthene, naphthalene, phenanthrene, and acenaphthylene). All samples 

had detectable concentrations of the pesticide DDT and its metabolites 

dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDD) (Rios et al. 2007). Observations made during this 

study and by Mato et al. (2001) indicate the concentration of POPs in 

plastic debris increases with the age of the plastic and demonstrated 

that ambient seawater is the source of these contaminants.

The increasing abundance of marine plastic debris allows marine 

organisms to mistake more plastic for their natural food and ingest 

more plastic while feeding. These plastics are important point sources 

that carry POPs. It is not only the initial organism that ingests the 

plastics that may be affected by the POPs, but also the organisms 

within its food web. Blue mussels were found to transfer plastic particles from the gut to the circulatory system, where they persisted for 

48 days, a phenomenon that has implications for predators (Browne et 

al. 2008). Laboratory trials have shown that amphipods (detritivores), 

Marine Environment
106 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

barnacles (filter feeders), and lugworms (deposit feeders) can ingest 

particles of microplastics (Thompson et al. 2004). Seabirds retain 

plastic pellets in their ventriculus for several months or more, allowing 

more contaminant absorption from greater contact and pellet abrasion 

time (Mato et al. 2001; Browne et al. 2008). Ryan et al. (1988) found 

that the mass of ingested plastic in great shearwaters was positively 

correlated with PCBs in their fat tissue and eggs. 

There is the potential for debris associated with the 2011 Japanese tsunami to impact the Aleutian Islands, including Kiska and Attu. Alaska 

Maritime NWR has sent debris monitoring forms out with some field 

camps, and the R/V Tiglax documents and reports any debris encountered while at sea. 

 Kiska coastline. D. Rudis, USFWS

Marine Environment
Contaminant Assessment 107

Kiska Station, 1943. U. S. Signal Corps photo

The bases and battlefields of Attu and the Japanese Occupation Site on 

Kiska are part of the National Park Service’s Historic Landmarks in 

Alaska. As such, these areas are included in the National Register of 

Historic Places. Portions of Attu and Kiska Islands also comprise part 

of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument. These 

cultural resource designations do not afford complete protection of the 

sites, but they are also protected as refuge property, and development 

is not in the refuge plan. Any cleanup and remediation plans must be 

reviewed by a cultural resources expert.

Future Development
108 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

These refuge lands are rarely used for any recreational or subsistence 

purposes given their remote locations. American and Japanese WWII 

veterans have visited Attu Island in cooperation with the USCG when 

LORAN C Station Attu was operating. Because the USCG station 

is now closed, we anticipate that visitation to Attu will be even more 

limited and infrequent. Small cruise ships, birding groups, and fishing 

vessels occasionally visit Attu and Kiska Islands. When considering 

potential hazards associated with these activities, an oil spill (e.g., vessel grounding) would pose the most likely contaminant risk to refuge 

lands. There is risk to human visitors from UXO and other hazards. 

The NOAA Coast Pilot does not include any information or warnings 

to visiting mariners about these hazards (NOAA Coast Pilot 2012). 

Recreation

WWII dock remnants at Pyramid Cove on Attu Island. D. Rudis, USFWS
Contaminant Assessment 109

Kiska coastline. D. Rudis, USFWS

Commercial Fishing 

Potential contaminant issues associated with the fishing industry 

include fuel spills, marine debris, processor waste discharges, and 

spills of processing-related chemicals. Another issue is the potential for 

invasive species, with the introduction of invasive plants from various 

sources including contractor’s vehicles and other equipment/supplies 

used for site characterization and remediation.

One recommendation would be to ensure all cleanup crews decontaminate equipment before departure from port. In addition, rat kits should 

be onboard all vessels and at field camps.

Hunting and Fishing
110 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Biotic Sources 

Pelagic organisms, migratory birds, marine mammals, anadromous 

fish, and other migratory species are possible biotic sources of contaminants. Because most of these species are highly mobile and migratory, 

they may be exposed to contaminants outside refuge boundaries. When 

these species return to the refuge, they may transport any accumulated contaminants back to the refuge, where they can become available 

to other refuge species and humans. Because many seabirds occupy 

high trophic positions in the marine food web, they often accumulate 

elevated contaminant concentrations due to biomagnifications (Fiske et 

al. 2003; Ricca et al. 2008). Seabirds can also be a vector of contaminant 

transport (Blais 2005; Michelutti et al. 2009), including in the Aleutian 

Islands and in Southeast Alaska, where pesticide concentrations in 

blue mussels were correlated with seabird density (Reese et al. 2012). 

Migratory birds may be exposed to an array of potentially toxic 

chemicals on their wintering grounds outside of Alaska, including 

chemicals that are banned or no longer used in the United States. 

During spring migration, birds may transport these contaminants 

to their nesting grounds in the Aleutian Islands. This migratory 

transport of contaminants provides a potential exposure pathway to 

other organisms that would otherwise likely not be exposed to these 

chemicals (e.g., Reese et al. 2012). Given the very large avian populations found at some of the seabird colonies on Kiska (e.g., 1.8 million 

least auklets that nest at Sirius Point winter in the open ocean), 

biotransport could represent a locally important, but underappreciated, source of environmental contamination. 

Higher trophic level organisms can receive pollutants via this biotic 

contaminant transfer pathway. Because the Pacific Rim is a known 

contaminant point source, overwintering and migratory movements 

of Aleutian seabirds in this area exposure these birds to organic 

compounds such as OC pesticides that are not readily globally diluted 

(Simonich and Hites 1995). 

Marine fish, sea otters, bald eagles, and seabirds from the western 

Aleutians have been included in contaminants studies. Relevant studies 

that included sampling from Attu and/or Kiska are described in the 

following text. 

Aleutian Fish Contaminant Study

A recent study on OC contaminants in fish from coastal waters of the 

western Aleutians examined Pacific cod, Pacific halibut and rock greenling (Miles et al. 2009). Pacific cod and Pacific halibut are commercially 

valued finfish, while rock greenlings are a food species for bald eagles. 

OCs included Total (∑) PCBs, ∑dichlorodiphenylethene (∑DDT), 

∑chlordane cyclodiene (∑CHLOR), ∑other cyclodienes (∑ CYCLO), 

and ∑chlorinated benzenes and cyclohexanes (∑CBCH). Results from 

this study indicated that OCs remain common in the mid-trophic levels 

of food webs of these islands and have the potential for effects on upper 

Given the very large avian 

populations found at some of the 

seabird colonies on Kiska (e.g., 

1.8 million least auklets that 

nest at Sirius Point winter in the 

open ocean), biotransport could 

represent a locally important, 

but underappreciated, source of 

environmental contamination. 

Biotic Sources and Physical Transport
Contaminant Assessment 111

Bald eagle

trophic levels. Contaminant concentrations were compared in resident coastal fishes from islands where there was known point-source 

pollution related to recent military activity (east Adak and northern 

Amchitka), and islands with historic (WWII) military activity, including 

Attu and Kiska. 

Mean ∑PCBs (wet weight) from Pacific cod on Kiska were 1,080 ng/g 

and 365 ng/g from cod on Attu. Total PCBs were highest in cod from 

Adak and Amchitka Islands in areas of more recent military activities, indicating local point sources of these compounds. All halibut 

and cod sampled contained ∑PCBs. Pacific halibut from Kiska had a 

mean ∑PCBs of 335 ng/g, wet weight (range of 90 -1,090); Attu halibut 

samples mean ∑PCBs were similar at 286 ng/g (range 83-1,490). By 

comparison, reference site halibut mean ∑PCB concentrations from 

two locations were 195 (range 111-669) and 159 (range 72-347) ng/g, 

wet weight. Mean ∑PCBs in Kiska rock greenling were 23 ng/g. 

∑PCBs in rock greenling from Attu at 66 ng/g, were above concentrations of Aroclors 1242 and 1254 that caused reproductive toxicities in 

some fish species (Hoffman et al. 1995).

∑DDT concentrations in cod and halibut from Kiska were the only 

∑DDT concentrations that were greater than those from reference 

location fish samples. ∑CHLOR and ∑CBHC were also greater in 

Kiska cod than reference samples. Cod from Attu did not have higher 

concentrations of these OCs than reference samples. The authors concluded that generalized patterns 

of OC concentrations in all three 

fish species in their study indicate 

long-range as well as localized 

input. Concentrations of certain 

pesticides were more elevated 

at Attu and Kiska and reference island groups than at more 

contemporary military locations 

such as Adak; this infers contamination from either global sources 

or possibly regional distribution 

from localized input over time. 

Lighter-chlorinated congeners 

found at historical and reference 

locations implied possible longrange transport.

Bald Eagles and Contaminants

Bald eagles on Attu have not been 

studied, but bald eagle populations 

on several other islands in the 

Aleutians have been the subject 

of contaminant investigations 

(Anthony et al. 1999; 2007; Estes 

et al. 1997). Elevated concentrations of OCs were found in bald 

Biotic Sources and Physical Transport
112 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

eagle eggs from Kiska, Amchitka, Adak, and Tanaga Islands (Anthony 

et al. 1999). Because OCs are primarily associated with agriculture and 

were not known to be used in the Aleutians, high OC concentrations 

were attributed to global aerial transport. An east-to-west increase in 

OC concentrations in eggs reported by Estes et al. (1997) and Anthony 

et al. (1999) suggests an Asiatic pollutant source.

Dietary intake was the probable source of these OC contaminants to 

eagles (Anthony et al. 1999). Reproductive success and productivity of 

these birds were depressed compared with populations from the other 

three islands during this sampling period (Anthony et al. 1999). Estes 

et al. (1997) reported elevated PCB and DDE levels in eagle eggs from 

Adak, Amchitka, Tanaga, and Kiska islands, which are all sites of past 

military activity. Although the productivity of bald eagles was normal 

at Adak, Tanaga, and Amchitka islands, productivity was depressed 

at Kiska. DDE levels in eagle eggs from Kiska were within the range 

known to cause reproductive suppression. The maximum concentration (4.1 mg/kg -1 wet weight) is close to that associated with a 40 to 

50 percent reduction in average productivity of regional populations 

(Wiemeyer et al. 1984).

A subsequent investigation examined a large set of bald eagle eggs 

from these islands and analyzed for OCs and mercury (Anthony et 

al. 2007). They reported higher levels of mercury in eagle eggs from 

Kiska. As with the fish investigation (Miles et al. 2009), total PCBs 

were highest on Adak and Amchitka Islands in areas of past military 

activities, indicating local point sources of these compounds. PCBs 

found in blue mussels on other Aleutian Islands also indicated localized point sources (Reese et al. 2012). PCBs were elevated in eggs 

from all islands sampled; suggesting global transport of these organic 

compounds (Anthony et al. 2007). Two other studies on eagles from the 

Aleutians also showed elevated contaminant concentrations, but most 

concentrations were below threshold levels for reproductive effects 

(Elliott and Harris 2001; Wiemeyer et al. 1984). 

Seabirds and Contaminants

Biota of the Aleutians are exposed to contaminants of distant origin 

due to the intensive atmospheric and oceanic processes characteristic 

of the region (Ricca et al. 2008; Rocque and Winker 2004; Stabeno et al.

1999), as well as to contaminants emanating from point sources associated with military installations from WWII and the Cold War (AMAP 

1998; Anthony et al. 1999, 2007; Ricca et al. 2008; Rocque and Winker 

2004). 

Some of the earliest Aleutian seabird contaminant data were reported 

by Ohlendorf et al. in 1982. Aleutian tern eggs from Attu had low OC 

concentrations, but all nine selected OC compounds were detected 

(Ohlendorf et al. 1982). DDE (0.16–0.98 ppm) and PCBs (0.18–0.46 

ppm) were OCs with the highest concentrations. Ricca et al. (2008) 

collected glaucous-winged gulls, northern fulmars, and tufted puffins 

along a natural longitudinal gradient across the western and central 

Aleutian Islands (Buldir, Kiska, Amchitka, and Adak). They found 

Biotic Sources and Physical Transport

A subsequent investigation 

examined a large set of bald 

eagle eggs from these islands and 

analyzed for OCs and mercury 

(Anthony et al. 2007). They 

reported higher levels of mercury 

in eagle eggs from Kiska. 
Contaminant Assessment 113

Sea otter. USFWS

∑PCBs comprised the largest proportion of OCs. Concentrations of ∑

PCBs and most chlorinated pesticides in glaucous-winged gulls consistently exhibited low levels at Kiska and Amchitka. In contrast, concentrations of ∑PCBs and chlorinated pesticides in northern fulmars 

and tufted puffins did not differ among islands. A strong point source 

for contaminants was not found at Kiska. Mercury, ∑PCBs, and DDE 

were biomagnified across seabird trophic levels (Ricca et al. 2008). 

Mercury concentrations increased westward in glaucous-winged gulls 

in the Rica et al. (2008) study. In contrast, mercury increased eastward 

in rock sandpiper (livers) sampled by Rocque and Winker (2004), which 

could indicate an eastern point source. There was a repeated pattern 

of west-to-east declines in some organic contaminants in cormorants 

and rock sandpipers that were attributed to atmospheric sources in 

Asia (Rocque and Winker 2004). The highest PCB concentrations in 

cormorants and the only PCBs detected in rock sandpipers were from 

Attu and Adak. Past military installations at both of these locations are 

the probable point sources of this contaminant.

Feathers from pigeon guillemots (Burger et al. 2007a) and muscle 

tissues from glaucous-winged gulls from both Kiska and Amchitka 

contained elevated mercury concentrations that could pose a risk 

(Burger et al. 2007b). Mean levels of pollutants reported from the 

two Burger et al. studies on Aleutian birds are generally below levels 

considered harmful (Rocque and Winker 2004). These results do not 

negate the fact that contaminants may potentially present problems 

for some birds in the Aleutian Islands, given the high concentrations of 

contaminants at some sites.

Sea Otters and Contaminants

In contrast to most Aleutian seabird species, sea otters (Enhydra 

lutris) and their principal prey 

items (benthic invertebrates and 

coastal fishes) are comparatively 

sedentary. This life history trait 

limits the possibility of contaminant 

uptake to their local environments. 

Estes et al. (1997) reported elevated OC concentrations in sea otters 

from Adak and Amchitka Islands. 

These findings demonstrated that 

potentially harmful OC levels occur 

in the nearshore areas of these two 

Aleutian Islands.

Elevated concentrations of PCBs were also reported in sea otters from 

Adak and Amchitka (Bacon et al. 1999). These concentrations could 

be from point sources, atmospheric deposition, and/or transport by 

oceanic currents.

As stated in other Aleutian biota studies, there are potential local and 

distant contaminant sources for POPs such as OCs and PCBs on these 

Biotic Sources and Physical Transport
114 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

islands. Prevailing westerly winds and ocean currents in this region 

are a potential means of contaminant delivery to the Aleutians. DDT 

residues and metabolites in the Aleutian Islands are from areas of 

more recent use, probably in Asia (Iwata et al. 1993, 1994). 

Physical Transport

The Aleutian Islands are considered to be within the Arctic geographic 

scope of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP). 

Due to their persistence and toxicity, some environmental contaminants of particular concern within the Aleutian Islands are POPs such 

as PCBs, dioxins, DDT, hexachlorocyclohexane, chlordane, toxaphene, 

mirex, and dieldrin; heavy metals, such as cadmium, mercury, and lead; 

PAHs; and radionuclides. POPs are toxic chemicals that are not easily 

metabolized by organisms and are often passed up the food web, where 

they biomagnify. This is particularly true in top trophic-level predators 

where these compounds can bioaccumulate to harmful levels. 

Both atmospheric and oceanic pathways contribute to the global 

distribution of contaminants and are a source of POPs and mercury 

in the Pacific and Arctic (AMAP 1998; Iwata et al. 1993; AMAP 2011). 

The winter Aleutian low pressure system pulls air from Asia across the 

Pacific Ocean and over the Aleutians (Barrie et al. 1992; AMAP 1998, 

2011—in particular, see Figure 2.2.0 in AMAP 2011). Asia is the main 

source for volatile globally distilled contaminants, contributing over 

50 percent of global anthropogenic mercury (Sunderland et al. 2009). 

China is the largest emitter of mercury from fossil fuel use, particularly coal, and is the greatest contributor of mercury to the western 

Aleutians (AMAP 2011). A graphic depiction of the pathway of high 

mercury atmospheric concentrations from Asia in April 2004 over the 

western Aleutians and the northwestern United States is illustrated 

in AMAP 2008, Figure 7.5. Most long-range atmospheric transport 

of mercury is transported as gaseous elemental mercury and occurs 

during the winter and spring due to atmospheric circulation patterns 

(AMAP 2011). A west-to-east decrease in atmospherically transported 

contaminant concentrations along the Aleutian archipelago would be 

expected due to prevailing weather patterns and distance from the 

source (Iwata et al. 1993). We would therefore expect the westernmost 

Aleutians, Attu, and the other Near Islands to be particularly susceptible to atmospheric transport of contaminants from Asian sources.

The role of ocean currents as a distant source from Eurasia is more 

complicated because the Alaska stream flows westward along the 

Pacific side of the Aleutians and then enters the eastward-flowing 

North Slope Alaska current along the Bering side, primarily through 

Amukta Pass in the east and Amchitka Pass in the west (Stabeno et al.

1999). Mercury concentrations in the ocean surface layer tend to parallel trends in atmospheric deposition (Sunderland et al. 2009).

A full discussion of physical pathways of contaminant transport can be 

found on the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) 

Web site (http://www.amap.no/), in the AMAP Assessment Report: 

Arctic Pollution Issues (AMAP 1998), the AMAP Assessment 2002: 

Biotic Sources and Physical Transport

Asia is the main source for 

volatile globally distilled 

contaminants, contributing 

over 50 percent of global 

anthropogenic mercury
Contaminant Assessment 115

Warning signs are a component of institutional controls at contaminated 

sites. Severe weather conditions in the Aleutians can present challenges to 

sign placement and maintenance. USFWS

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the Arctic (AMAP 2004), and 

the AMAP POPs Assessment (AMAP 2009).

Climate Change

Contaminant Fate and Transport 

Based on information from Dames & Moore (1995a, 1995b, 1996), 

contaminant release from military activity contaminated soils on Attu 

and Kiska include the contaminant transport mechanisms of leaching 

and surface water runoff into surface water bodies. Leaching and 

percolation from contaminated subsurface soil into shallow groundwater is of concern where groundwater reaches surface water and forms 

seeps. Lake and creek sediments can be a secondary contaminant 

source for re-release of pollutants to surface waters and aquatic biota. 

Birds that eat fish and/or aquatic invertebrates can take up contaminants through this exposure route. Plant and invertebrate contaminant 

uptake can also occur through exposure to surface and subsurface 

soils. Bioaccumulative compounds such as PCBs can be transferred 

through the food web into higher trophic-level organisms. Surface 

water and soil sheens present a potential physical hazard to birds and 

sea otters through oiling of feathers or fur, leading to loss of insulation 

and resulting in hypothermia. These animals can also ingest oil during 

preening and grooming.

Because contaminants are 

transported globally through air 

and water, climate changes will 

alter contaminant pathways. The 

Aleutian Island chain, as with 

most of the Arctic, is particularly 

vulnerable to airborne contaminants from Asia. Rain and snow 

scavenge aerosols and gases from 

the atmosphere and deposit them 

at the water or ground surface 

(Macdonald et al. 2005). A change 

in relative amounts of snow or rain 

may have opposing effects for different contaminants (Macdonald 

et al. 2005). For example, with an 

increase in precipitation, lead, 

cadmium, and zinc will be more 

effectively trapped in the Arctic. 

Higher water temperatures associated with projected climate change 

may result in enhanced contaminant toxicity and bioaccumulation by 

aquatic organisms (e.g., Schiedek et al. 2007; Noyes et al. 2009). Higher 

temperatures can affect a species’ ability to cope with toxic substances 

(Schiedek et al. 2007). Conversely, contaminant exposure may impair 

the ability of some species to acclimate to temperature increases or 

other ecosystem changes (Noyes et al. 2009). There are species-specific 

Biotic Sources and Physical Transport
116 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

responses to temperature increase and contaminant exposure. For 

example, the Arctic char, a freshwater fish, is extremely susceptible to 

increased water temperatures, which result in higher metabolic rates, 

increased water pumping over gill surfaces, and an increased uptake of 

metals from the water (Macdonald et al. 2005). A combination of higher 

water temperature and a fungicide had a synergistic effect on egg 

survival of a Baltic amphipod (Schiedek et al. 2007), which was more 

than four-fold compared to exposure to only one of the stressors.

Organic contaminants can concentrate and be released to the environment in a variety of ways. Ice seasonality can release OCs such as 

PCBs to the environment (Macdonald et al. 2005). Both ocean and 

atmosphere are important as transport mechanisms for these compounds. Terrestrial system components such as soils and vegetation 

are also reservoirs for many POPs (Simonich and Hites 1995). 

Alterations of wildlife and fish migration pathways or changes in numbers can change the biotransport of contaminants. Apex feeders that 

adapt to habitat changes by switching between land-based and aquatic 

foodwebs have the potential to change their exposure to contaminants 

such as mercury and OCs (Macdonald et al. 2005). If OCs are retained 

in slightly higher concentrations at low trophic levels, any resultant 

biomagnification can have a dramatic effect on apex trophic-level feeders. The balance between food items from aquatic and terrestrial food 

webs will alter exposure to biomagnifying contaminants, as each of 

these food webs are affected differently by contaminants (Macdonald 

et al. 2005; Noyes et al. 2009). 

Arctic Marine Traffic, Environmental Considerations, 

and Impacts 

Trans-Pacific shipments of goods between North America and Asia 

follow the Great Circle Route—the shortest sea route between these 

locations. This ship traffic typically transits from the North Pacific into 

the Bering Sea at Unimak Pass. These vessels then continue through 

the Bering Sea in close proximity to the Aleutian Islands, many of 

which are managed or co-managed by the Alaska Maritime NWR. 

Commercial vessel traffic poses a variety of significant environmental 

risks to refuge resources, including contaminant spills, disturbance of 

marine mammals and seabird habitat, invasive species introductions, 

and direct mortalities resulting from collisions.

Analysis of nine months of data (October 1, 2005, through June 30, 

2006) from the automated identification system (AIS) vessel tracking 

system at Scotch Cap, Unimak Pass revealed that 2,336 vessels, or an 

average of eight or nine deep draft vessels a day (an estimated 3,100 

vessels per year) used Unimak Pass for trans-North Pacific voyages. 

(Over 40,000 vessels worldwide are equipped with VHF transmitters 

that send signals to AIS base stations.) AIS data also reveals that the 

North Pacific Great Circle Route through Unimak Pass is used primarily by vessels traveling west from North America to ports on the East 

Asia coast. Vessel traffic will likely increase in future years with trade 

expansion between Asia markets and the U.S. 

Biotic Sources and Physical Transport

If OCs are retained in slightly 

higher concentrations at low 

trophic levels, any resultant 

biomagnification can have a 

dramatic effect on apex trophiclevel feeders.
Contaminant Assessment 117

Figure 25. U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Domain Awareness Center map 

showing the Northern and Southern Great Circle Routes across 

the North Pacific.

A second, more southern Great Circle Route across the North Pacific 

passes south of the Aleutians and is generally used for voyages from 

East Asia to North America. Commercial ships on trans-Pacific 

voyages generally follow a counterclockwise trade route from North 

America through the Aleutians to Asia, and travel back to North 

America along routes south of the Aleutians to take advantage of the 

North Pacific counterclockwise ocean currents.

AIS transmitters are required 

on vessels over 300 gross tonnes. 

At present, there are two AIS 

receivers in the Aleutians, which 

only cover about 10 percent of the 

islands (Alaska Marine Exchange, 

pers. comm., May 26, 2011). 

United States–flagged vessels are 

required to carry plans for oil spill 

response or salvage, but these 

plans are not requisite for foreignflagged vessels, except for U.S. 

ports where they intend to dock 

(The Economist 2007).

Using the AIS data from Unimak 

Pass collected over nine months 

and the information on fuel oil 

capacity by ship type from the ADEC database, the profile for 92 percent of the ocean-going vessels on international trade passing through 

the Aleutians on great circle voyages can be characterized as follows:

• Approximately 1,200 container ships (39 percent of total) per year

have a median fuel capacity of 1.6 million gallons of persistent fuel oil; 

• As many as 1,300 bulk and general freight ships (41 percent of 

total) have a median fuel capacity of approximately 470,000 gallons 

of mostly persistent fuel oil, 

• About 265 motor vehicle carriers per year (8.5 percent of total) 

have an estimated average fuel capacity of 500,000 gallons of 

persistent fuel oil; 

• About 110 reefer (refrigerated) cargo ships (3.5 percent of total) 

have a median fuel oil capacity of 317,000 gallons of mostly persistent fuel oil. 

The remaining eight percent of vessels transiting Unimak Pass consist 

of tank vessels, passenger ships, towing vessels, and other miscellaneous ships. An additional 400 million gallons of fuel oils are also 

transported each year by the 20 to 22 tankers that use this route. 

Biotic Sources and Physical Transport
118 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Analysis by Nuka Research Group, LLC & Cape International, Inc., 

(2006) showed that some 3,000 vessels transport 2.9 million gallons of 

persistent fuel oil through the Aleutians each day. Calculating fuel consumption that is required to reach the Aleutians from an East Asia or 

North America port, vessels traveling through the Aleutians will carry 

at least 100,000 to 200,000 gallons less fuel than maximum capacity. 

Table 2. Comparisons of persistent fuel capacity for estimated 

annual number of trips, and percentage by vessel type, 

for large commercial ships transiting Unimak Pass in the 

Aleutian Islands via the North Pacific Great Circle Route. 

Vessel Type

Median 

Persistent Fuel 

Oil Capacity/

Ship (gallons)

Estimated 

Annual # of Ships 

Transiting the 

Aleutian Islands

Percentage of 

Total Ships

Container 

ships 1.6 million 1,200 39

Bulk/general 

freight ships 470,000 1,300 41

Motor carriers 500,000 265 8.5

Refrigerated 

cargo ships 317,000 110 3.5

The following information was summarized from the Arctic Council 

2009 Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment Report (Arctic Council 2009).

There are no specifically tailored, mandatory environmental standards 

for vessels operating in Alaska waters. The most significant threat 

from ships to this marine environment is the release of oil through accidental or illegal discharge. Marine casualties involving the larger vessels described previously, including large oil transport tank ships, could 

be exceptionally damaging to the refuge and its natural resources.

Spill prevention should be the highest priority, as a means for ensuring environmental protection. Additional potential impacts from ships 

transiting the Aleutians include ship strikes on marine mammals, 

introduction of alien species and pathogens from ballast water discharge and hull fouling, organism exposure to sewage and wastewater 

discharges, disruption of migratory patterns of marine mammals from 

ship traffic and noise, entanglement in marine debris, and anthropogenic ambient and underwater noise produced from marine shipping 

activity. The predominately low frequency sounds associated with large 

vessels is similar to the general hearing sensitivity bandwidths of large 

whales and many fish species. 

Vessel emissions, including particulate matter and greenhouse gases 

such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and methane 

may have unanticipated consequences for the environment. 

Spill prevention should be the 

highest priority, as a means 

for ensuring environmental 

protection.

Biotic Sources and Physical Transport
Contaminant Assessment 119

This contaminant assessment report analyzed some of the past, present, and future contaminant issues for Attu and Kiska Islands of the 

Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. 

This report documents contaminant sources and issues for the refuge, 

including military properties and oil spills. Military-related contamination and hazards (WWII and later, in the case of Attu), present the 

greatest contaminant threats on these islands to people and wildlife. 

Because the full extent of contamination is unknown on these islands, 

additional sampling is needed to determine the extent of contamination 

and its severity. Because not all areas of Attu, Kiska, or Little Kiska 

have been investigated, potential exists for additional MEC/MD presence anywhere on these islands.

Both wildlife and cultural resources need to be considered and 

addressed during cleanup of contaminated sites and oil spill remediation. As previously noted, some sites should have, at a minimum, 

some initial cleanup and stabilization to prevent continual release of 

petroleum products to the environment and exposure of wildlife to 

contaminant hazards. At some sites, fuel products have been leaking 

since WWII, and will continue to threaten wildlife until cleanup occurs. 

At other sites, munitions and other ordnance are 

prevalent, posing a serious hazard to island visitors, 

Service staff and visiting scientists. The Service has 

neither the funds nor the responsibility to clean up 

and remediate these sites. The FUDS program is 

expected to address site cleanup at the majority of 

sites on Attu and Kiska (excluding the USCG sites), 

but the Service must be fully engaged in the decision process to ensure these lands meet acceptable 

cleanup criteria and natural and cultural resources 

are protected during the cleanup. Any contaminated sites that are currently under another entity 

or agencies management could potentially revert 

to the refuge depending upon outcomes of property 

ownership transfer. 

In 1992, the Alaska Regional Director summarized 

the Service’s concerns at Attu (D. Allen, letter to 

G. Braten, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 19 June 

1992). They are encapsulated as follows.

The Service wants to work cooperatively with the 

ACOE on cleanup of all sites on refuge lands. The 

Service does not believe any materials should be 

placed in landfills on Attu due to easily erodible 

organic acidic soils. Buried materials can surface 

during rainfall or seismic activity. Because there 

is a shallow aquifer at the soil bedrock interface, 

anything placed in the soils or on bedrock could 

eventually contaminate the aquifer. 

Areas of Concern and Future Sampling Needs

Fuel drums and POL contamination into a wetland on 

Kiska. D. Rudis, USFWS
120 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

The Service believes that all contaminated sites on the refuge must 

be remediated. Tanks, associated pipes, and drums must be removed 

due to residual POL remaining in these structures or in soils around 

the structures that result in a continuous source of contamination. The 

Service realizes that removal of these structures will result in extensive landscape disturbance but that disturbance is necessary to reach 

closure on contamination at many of these sites. In addition, in-situ 

bioremediation should be considered for POL contaminated soils as has 

been done at other sites in Alaska. Extensive landscape disturbance 

would be an adverse effect on the National Historic Landmark and 

must be minimized. 

The RI for Kiska (Dames & Moore 1996) includes 10 pages of recommendations for the contaminated sites on Kiska. These concerns and 

comments for Attu and Kiska Islands are still germane at this time. 

The recommendations include details for each site on needs for additional sampling, mapping, pathway identification, hydraulic connection, 

soil and water quality evaluation, removal actions, and ecological characterizations to determine risk. Our field visits also found that some 

materials still need identification and chemical characterization (e.g. 

the white solid material found on Kiska near an anti-aircraft gun and at 

other sites, the creosote-treated log pile above the beach on Kiska that 

has not yet been sampled for contaminants in soil or surface water). 

For areas that contained identified MEC/MD, the SI for Kiska and 

Little Kiska recommended conducting a Remedial Investigation/

Feasibility Study that would include soil sampling and removal and 

disposal of known MEC. Reestablishment of the warning signs at 

accessible beaches was also recommended.

Direct and indirect contaminant exposure pathways to fish and wildlife 

are present at many of the contaminated sites on both islands. Avian 

receptors may be exposed to contaminated soil, sediment, surface water, 

and biota through ingestion, and may also be directly exposed to hydrocarbon contamination through dermal contact with oily wastes. Fish and 

other aquatic organisms can have direct exposure through water or sediment. Plants and invertebrates can uptake contamination through soil. 

Some contaminants on these islands are at extremely high concentrations, and the extent of soil, sediment, or water contamination 

is unknown. Some of these contaminants have a high probability of 

bioconcentration in organisms such as aquatic insects. Biomagnification 

can occur with upper trophic level birds such as bald eagles and 

peregrine falcons. In particular, PCBs and methylmercury have a high 

bioaccumulation probability, while some BTEX and PAHs have more 

a moderate bioaccumulation probability. Both chemical and physical 

hazards exist from some contaminants

A balance will be necessary to determine acceptable disruption of 

historic properties vs. contaminant remediation. The law requires 

minimization of impacts to the National Historic Landmark. These 

potential conflicts of cultural resource protection versus cleanup will 

be exceptionally important at Attu and Kiska, given their National 

Historic Landmark and National Historic Monument status.

Some contaminants on these 

islands are at extremely high 

concentrations, and the extent 

of soil, sediment, or water 

contamination is unknown.

Areas of Concern and Future Sampling Needs
Contaminant Assessment 121

Narcissus anenomes are one of the spectacular wildflowers found in 

the Aleutians. D. Rudis, USFWS 

The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuges remote islands of Attu 

and Kiska are the primary lands where the history of the Aleutian 

Islands Campaign remains relatively undisturbed. These islands played 

a significant role in an important chapter of America’s WWII Pacific 

campaign. Contaminant issues on the refuge are primarily the result of 

these past military activities, which have been identified and highlighted 

in this report. Remedial work on these islands has been limited to 

incomplete site investigations, characterization work, and some collection of UXO. Extensive sampling is still needed to fully characterize the 

extent of contamination on these islands, and cleanup and remediation 

of the most contaminated sites remains an issue for the islands’ wildlife 

and environment. The biggest contaminant threats to these refuge lands 

and resources may come from residual military fuel. Cleanup actions 

should be initiated at some of the most contaminated sites such as Attu’s 

Navy Town and Massacre Valley, where POL contamination continues to 

affect wetlands and coastal areas, threatening wildlife. Other significant 

contaminant cleanup issues may include PCB and lead contamination. Of 

lands managed by the Service in Alaska, these two islands contain the 

most significant munitions hazards. 

The Service should continue to work with 

the ACOE to ensure cleanup of FUD 

sites, and with the USCG regarding 

cleanup issues at LORAN sites on Attu. 

As there is still a land interest (land 

withdrawal) for the Aleut village site 

on Attu, the Service is not the only land 

manager on the island. Additionally, the 

Service should continue working with the 

State of Alaska, the USCG, and others to 

maintain adequate spill response preparedness for these remote islands.

The information gathered during the 

Contaminant Assessment Process should 

help Service personnel make informed 

management decisions about contaminant threats to these refuge lands and 

resources. It is the responsibility of the 

Service to conserve, protect, and enhance 

fish and wildlife and their habitats for 

the continuing benefit of the American 

people. Using CAP is one way in which 

the Service can ensure that our country’s 

National Wildlife Refuges maintain their 

environmental health and integrity.

Conclusions
122 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

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Web References

http://www.alaska.fws.gov/mbsp/mbm/seabirds/pdf/rfco.pdf

http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/fieldoffice/anchorage/endangered/consultation.htm

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http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/SARR/AWC/index.cfm?ADFG=maps.selectMap&Region=SWT

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http://www.amnwr.com/ShipwreckList.htm

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http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/50a/1989c-6

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http://www.dec.state.ak.us/spar/csp/search/IC_Tracking/Site_Report.aspx?Hazard_ID=2624

http://www.dec.state.ak.us/spar/csp/search/IC_Tracking/Site_Report.aspx?Hazard_ID=1029

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Kiska Sites

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http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/Aleutians/USN-CN-Aleutians-13.html

USFWS – Endangered Species

http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/fieldoffice/anchorage/endangered/pdf/Consult_Grid_Block_25.pdf

Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation 

http://dec.alaska.gov/Applications/SPAR/CCReports/Site_Report.aspx?Hazard_ID=2619

http://dec.alaska.gov/Applications/SPAR/CCReports/Site_Report.aspx?Hazard_ID=2626 

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/provinces/alaska_attu.html

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130 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Appendix

Wedge-leaved primrose is one of the 

early spring flowers that are common 

in wet soils of the Aleutians. D. 

Rudis, USFWS

Pyramid Cove barrel and burn pit 

area with POL saturated soil on 

Attu. D.Rudis, USFWS

POL from WWII continues to pollute 

wetlands on Attu. D.Rudis, USFWS

These and other fuel tanks hold 

unknown quantities of POL on Attu. 

D. Rudis, USFWS.

Fuel Tank Farm 2 – lower pump 

station is typical of all fuel pump 

stations on Attu. D. Rudis

Fuel tank farm 2, lower pump 

station POL contamination into the 

downstream swale. D. Rudis, USFWS.

Fuel tank farm 2 with leaking fuel. D. 

Rudis, USFWS.

Collapsed tanks at fuel tank farm 

2 and residual POL. D. Rudis, 

USFWS.
Contaminant Assessment 131

Massacre Valley garage area and fuel 

drums, Attu. D. Rudis, USFWS

Massacre Valley wood and barrel 

dump, Attu. D. Rudis, USFWS

POL slick downslope of barrel area, 

Attu. D. Rudis, USFWS

Fuel tank basin spill, Attu. 

D. Rudis, USFWS

Massacre Creek and tanks, Attu. 

D. Rudis, USFWS

Pump station, Attu. 

D. Rudis, USFWS

Pyramid Cove pier, Attu. 

D. Rudis, USFWS

Machinery debris near old runway, 

Attu. D. Rudis, USFWS

Alexi Point Airfield 1943. One of the 

few sunny days on Attu

Appendix
132 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – Attu and Kiska Islands

Appendix

Attu hospital area, Navy Town 

WWII.

http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/

USN/Building_Bases/bases-23.html

Battery bank in Japanese 

submarine, Kiska. D. Rudis, USFWS

Kiska Village with sections of beach 

and dock in the background. U.S. 

Signal Corps photo 196-3-43-1847. 29 

December 1943

Allied Forces encampment, Kiska. 

U.S. Signal Corps photo, 1943

Japanese submarine base destroyed 

by bombs, Kiska. U.S. Signal Corps 

photo 196-3-43-777. 7 September 1943

Generator site, Kiska, 1943. U.S. 

Signal Corps photo

U.S. Signal Corps photo, Kiska 

196-3-43-668

Along the Kiska coast scattered 

debris dumps include barrels and 

unknown materials. D.Rudis, 

USFWS

You never know what you will find on 

Kiska (Philip Johnson with WWII 

bomb remains). D. Rudis, USFWS

View from North Head camp area, 

Kiska with Japanese shipwreck in 

background. D. Rudis, USFWS
Contaminant Assessment 133

Creosote treated pilings on the Kiska 

dock. D. Rudis, USFWS

An unknown substance stains the 

sand under the Kiska dock. D. Rudis, 

USFWS

Tourists from a small cruise ship 

hike to the guns at Kiska (observed 

from our 2007 field camp). D. Rudis, 

USFWS

Barrels and contaminated soil in 

the Canadian Camp area, Kiska. D. 

Rudis, USFWS

Trout Lagoon area, Kiska. D.Rudis, 

USFWS

Rocky shorelines with marine algae 

are common on Attu and Kiska. D. 

Rudis, USFWS

Appendix
Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge 

Aleutian Island Unit

95 Sterling Highway, Ste. 1

Homer, AK 99603

Phone: (907) 543-3151

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

1 800/344-WILD

http://www.fws.gov

January 2014

Contaminant Assessment • January 2014