Gustavus residents worry that airport work with stir up contaminated soil

JUNEAU (AP) - A plan to upgrade the Gustavus airport faces criticism from residents as contractors plan to begin work on the $20 million federally funded project this month.

Residents and organizations such as the Gustavus PFAS Action Coalition want more state accountability after toxic chemicals were found at the airport in 2018, Alaska public radio reported Monday.

The contaminants are known as PFAS, a group of toxic chemicals found in firefighting foam that used to be required at airports and U.S. Defense Department sites.

They are also called “forever chemicals”because they do not break down. The chemicals were discovered in water, soil and wells around the Gustavus airport.

There is evidence the contaminants are linked to cancer, thyroid problems and other negative health effects, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

The contaminants also have been found in the soil around airports in Yakutat, Fairbanks, Dillingham and King Salmon.

Members of the Gustavus PFAS Action Coalition said they do not believe the environmental oversight by the state will do enough to keep residents safe.

Nicole Grewe is among residents suspicious of the project that will move and spread some of the contaminated soil during the airport work, which includes expanding a runway safety area, realigning drainage ditches and rerouting a small stream to accommodate the expanded safety zone around the runway.

More than a dozen households in the city have been drinking bottled water for years after learning that their wells were poisoned with PFAS.

“There is no permanent disposal plan for the contaminated ground,”Grewe said. “There is no permanent solution to this.”

The state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities runs the airport and is responsible for the contaminants, but there is no requirement to clean up the chemicals.

The department has a plan — that was approved by state regulators in March — to prevent contaminated soil from spreading.

A spokesperson from the department, Sam Dapcevich, said the agency is taking the community’s concerns seriously. “We’re not going to do any construction work until we resolve those issues,”Dapcevich said.