At a public presentation at the Nolan Center on Monday, staff with the Department of Environmental Conservation and its contractors updated Wrangell on the status of a proposed monofill site on the island.
A designated monofill to house around 18,500 cubic yards of contaminated earth from the former Byford junkyard is planned to be sited at a state-owned rock pit. Accessible by Forest Service roads along Pats Creek, the project’s nearness to the popular fishing stream has been a point of contention for some residents. Wrangell Cooperative Association has maintained its objection to the project due to the traditional importance of the stream system to subsistence activities.
Responding to those concerns, the project has been put on hold since last summer. During Monday’s presentation, DEC program manager Sally Schlichting fielded questions about the project from residents, the majority of whom expressed concerns about the safety of the project and its possible impact on the nearby creek.
A recurring question concerned the science behind EcoBond, the phosphate-based material used to stabilize lead present in the contaminated soil. A pair of engineers spoke to that, explaining lead binds to the pellets chemically. Short of separating the element with a powerful acid, the molecules would stay that way indefinitely.
Other comments were critical of the department’s handling of public outreach in the lead-up to the project. Schlichting was apologetic, explaining the department had considered it sufficient to keep in contact with Wrangell city staff during the project.
“We see that this was a flaw in our process,” said Schlichting.
The material pulled from Byford was not always destined to remain on Wrangell Island. Before its cleanup in 2016, the scope of the project was considerably smaller. The discovery of further debris and contamination at nearby properties ratcheted up the cost of the cleanup to around $6 million. While 62 containers full of the most heavily-contaminated soil and debris was able to be barged south for disposal, costs to similarly dispose of the remaining soil would top $9 million. As a result, a monofill costing $5.5 million was considered the next best option.
Of the site options available, engineers selected Rock Pit #2, owned by the Department of Natural Resources. But due to its proximity to Pats Creek – 0.2 miles – a popular fishing and recreation site along with nearby Pats Lake, local concerns prompted a delay of the monofill’s construction, set to begin last August.
In the months since, DEC has reportedly been exploring other options Other sites were deemed to be unsatisfactory for the project, usually for drainage or grading reasons. However, a request to the Legislature by Gov. Bill Walker for additional funding may help close the shortfall in resources to the cost of barging out the rest.
Of the $5.5 million allotted to the second phase of the Byford cleanup, around $1.5 million has been spent. With the remaining $3.5 million or so left, Schlichting explained another $5.5 million would be needed to ship the remaining soil out. If given the resources, DEC would be willing to take up that option, she said.
Walker’s office reportedly requested $5 million more for the project in the upcoming capital budget, of which $2.5 million has made it into versions put forward by the House and Senate finance committees. House Finance was due to take testimony on the budget Tuesday afternoon, and with the Legislature intending to wrap up its session by Sunday a decision is expected soon.
“Right now in the Senate version of the capital budget there’s $2.5 million in the budget, and the governor supports another $2.5 million which would make it $5 million,” explained Rep. Dan Ortiz (I-District 36), who sits on Finance.
Speaking before Tuesday’s hearing, he said it would be difficult to predict whether the extra funds would be made available as requested. Legislators are at the tail-end of available savings as they deal with an ongoing spending deficit, and resources for projects have been scarce.
Until a definite answer on the extra funds is received, Schlichting said the monofill construction would remain on hold.
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