Midnight Sun Environmental, LLC

Our Work

Transformer Spill Response and Cleanup
Anchorage, Alaska

While excavating conduit during the installation of underground power cables at the Chugach Electric Association, Inc. (CEA) Dowling Substation in Anchorage, Alaska, a piece of conduit snapped in half and hit the northernmost fin of Transformer T1. Transformer oil began spraying out of the 2,500-gallon transformer, and MSE was called out to site to assist with managing and reporting the spill. Spill containment and response activities were immediately initiated, and the transformer was emptied of its contents. The transformer oil which did spill impacted an area of approximately 278 square feet. A total of 45 CY of impacted soils were excavated and placed into 1 CY supersacks before being sent to Alaska Soil Recycling, Inc. (ASR) for thermal treatment. Through initiating immediate spill response activities, guided excavation, soil confirmation sampling, and open correspondence with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC), the spill was managed and the impacted area remediated. ADEC issued a No Further Action (NFA) for the site. The spill response and cleanup efforts were conducted while the case was in the Spill Prevention and Response (SPAR) department, which prevented the site from ever being listed as a contaminated site.

Alaska Railroad Corporation (ARRC) Water Upgrade Phase I Environmental Compliance and Oversight
Anchorage, Alaska
The Alaska Railroad Corporation (ARRC) Yard Water Upgrade Phase I project involved replacing approximately 2,300 feet of 70 year old water main located at or below the groundwater level in the ARRC Anchorage Terminal Reserve Yard. The project consisted of approximately 200 feet of auger boring, 900 linear feet of open trenching, and 1,420 feet of horizontal directional drilling. Out of the 4,600 cubic yards (CY) of excavated material, 2,480 CY required characterization, sampling and proper disposal. The 930,000 gallons of groundwater dewatered over the course of the project were treated for contamination using sediment filters, carbon-impregnated filters, and granular activated carbon (GAC) filters. Sampling over the course of the project ensured the groundwater treatment system’s efficiency in removing water pollutants.
Midnight Sun Environmental provided the environmental compliance and sampling oversite for this project. As the ARRC Yard has a long history of industrial use and documented environmental spills and contaminated sites, managing excavated soils and dewatering discharge in an environmentally-sensitive manner was imperative. MSE obtained all necessary permits for the project, wrote the Contaminated Soil and Groundwater Work Plan, conducted all soil and groundwater sampling required by local, state and federal authorities, and produced a final report documenting soil and groundwater management. MSE duties included providing guidance on Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) protocols and requirements, conducting field screening and sampling, reviewing and validating laboratory analytical reports, reporting soil and treated groundwater discharge sampling results to proper authorities, and obtaining soil transport and disposal approvals through ADEC and the Anchorage Regional Landfill. Additionally, MSE staff monitored the water treatment system, the soil staging areas and laydown yards, and provided general environmental oversite to ensure the client remained in compliance with environmental permits and regulations.

Clean Water Act Mitigation Planning for the Shepard Point Oil Spill Response Facility Mitigation Planning, Wetlands, and Permitting
Cordova, Alaska

Following the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS), the civil settlement of 1992 Alyeska Consent Decree (U.S. District Court, Alaska) designated funding for and agreed upon the construction of a new road and an Oil Spill Response (OSR) facility at Shepard Point. This new OSR facility at Shepard Point would enhance Cordova’s OSR capabilities and maximize the efficiency with which Cordova could support a response effort. The 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill had a devastating cultural and environmental impact on Prince William Sound (PWS). In order to protect PWS, in 2013 the Native Village of Eyak (NVE) submitted an application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for a Clean Water Act Section 404 permit to construct an OSR facility at Shepard Point. The proposed access road to the Shepard Point OSR facility would begin at the end of the existing Orca Cannery Road and would continue for 4.5 miles to Shepard Point.

As part of and in accordance with the requirements of USACE 33 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 332 – Compensatory Mitigation for Losses of Aquatic Resources, the NVE contracted Midnight Sun Environmental, LLC to prepare a wetland mitigation plan to provide sufficient compensation to offset unavoidable wetland impacts resulting from the construction of the Shepard Point OSR facility and access road.

As required CFR 332 the wetlands mitigation plan included a description of the baseline ecological characteristics, evaluation of compensatory mitigation options for unavoidable impacts, and description of the applicants proposed mitigation strategy.  The plan included an evaluation of the functions and values of impacted wetlands and assigned mitigation ratios based high, medium and lower ecological values.

Glenn Highway Continuous Lighting Project - Stormwater Management and Compliance
Palmer, Alaska

MSE is the Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) developer, administrator, and manager for the project contractor, NPC Energy Services (NPCES), for the installation of high-intensity lighting along milepost 27 – 31 of the Glenn Highway. MSE has developed the project SWPPP (including a Hazardous Materials Control Plan [HMCP]) and, in Alaska Department of Transportation (ADOT) requirements, will perform weekly dual inspections. MSE has developed the SWPPP in accordance with the Alaska Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (APDES) 2011 Construction General Permit (CGP) and in accordance with ADOT requirements. MSE is also responsible for preparing all necessary permits required for site access and/or dewatering (if required), and preparing the Notice of Intent (NOI). MSE will also coordinate and all scheduling and inspection of Best Management Practices (BMPs) installed by subcontractors to ensure all work meets ADOT specifications related to temporary and permanent stabilization requirements.

Fire Island Wind Environmental Compliance and Project Permitting
Fire Island, Alaska

MSE acted as the environmental representative for Fire Island Wind, LLC for project compliance and permitting for the Fire Island Wind 53-megawatt renewable wind energy project located three miles off the west coast of Anchorage. Project planning included scoping and obtaining all required project permits - including coastal zone, wetlands US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) section 404 and associated National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Environmental Assessment (EA) permits, US Fish and Wildlife Service Eagle Take Permits, Federal Aviation Administration obstruction evaluation, and endangered species among almost 60 other project permits. MSE staff also wrote the project Post Construction Mortality Monitoring Plan in accordance with the USACE permit, and conducted the post construction mortality monitoring surveys and aerial Bald Eagle nest surveys.