DEC presents contaminated‑sites map for Chena River corridor; PFAS, dry‑cleaner solvents, petroleum noted

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation on April 23 showed commissioners an interactive contaminated‑sites web map that identifies active sites, groundwater plumes and cleanup status for parts of the Chena River corridor.

The presentation by Robert Burgess of DEC’s Contaminated Sites Program explained what the map shows, how plume layers work and where DEC is focusing sampling and cleanup. "PFAS is a class of thousands of compounds," Burgess said, describing why the agency treats recent PFAS detections differently than older petroleum or solvent contamination.

DEC’s web map displays active sites (diamonds), closed sites (yellow squares) and sites closed with institutional controls (red stars). Burgess said the map also shows groundwater plumes by contaminant type — petroleum, chlorinated solvents, PFAS and other contaminants — and can link to site files and reports.

Why it matters: commissioners were told the river corridor contains a mix of…