Environmental overview and hydrogeologic conditions at Federal Aviation Administration facilities near Fairbanks, Alaska

Abstract

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operates facilities at several sites in and near Fairbanks, Alaska. This report was prepared to assist the FAA in its investigations of the hydrogeology of these sites. Most sites are located on the alluvial plain of the Tanana and Chena Rivers. The alluvial aquifer supplies high yields of hard, calcium bicarbonate water which can contain excessive quantities of iron. Several outlying FAA facilities are located on hillsides or in stream valleys of the uplands near Fairbanks. These sites are situated on loess deposits overlying bedrock of muscovite-quartz schist. Ground water at these sites is usually at depths greater than 60 meters, except for the Fox FAA facility, which has a shallower water table. Water yields in these upland sites are about 0.6 to 1.0 liters per second of hard, calcium bicarbonate water which can contain iron and arsenic in excess of drinking-water regulations.