BETHEL, Alaska (AP) - State agencies are recommending no subsistence activities in fuel-contaminated areas around the village of Scammon Bay following last month’s spill.
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and the state Department of Health and Social Services have issued a community advisory and posted fact sheets around the town, KYUK-AM reported Sunday.
The Askinuk Village Corporation tank farm last month had 7,000 gallons (26,500 liters) of gasoline spill, some of which escaped the liner and flowed into a nearby creek and then into the Kun River. The escape likely occurred when the corporation pumped water out of the containment area, KYUK-AM reported.
The contaminated areas are important subsistence grounds for the village.
Residents harvest fish, gather bird eggs and hunt migratory birds and marine mammals in the wetlands and waterways. This time of year is important for subsistence activities as the ice is beginning to break.
The corporation is acquiring equipment to clean the water that will have to be pumped out of the area once the snow and ice have melted.
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Information from: KYUK-AM, http://www.kyuk.org
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