by the USFWS
The Bureau of Indian Affairs office based in Anchorage recently allocated approximately $1.3 million to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to move forward in the final demolition phase at the “BIA site” in Bethel.
The Service manages the “BIA site” through the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge and will solicit and accept bids for concrete demolition and clean-up work to be done this summer. Additional work is ongoing to assess soil contamination concerns at the site for the next phase of this cleanup.
“The Service is grateful for the financial support and coordination with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to help get this important work done,” said Ray Born, Acting Refuge Manager.
Prior to 2020, approximately $3 million of BIA funds were allocated to demolish and cleanup the site. Most of the structures were removed by the AHTNA contractor in 2020. In summary, about 2.21 tons of asbestos-containing material and about 227.24 tons of PCB bulk product waste were shipped out of Bethel, and 7,304 cubic yards of inert waste was sent to the landfill. However, asbestos underlayment materials found beneath a concrete foundation prevented its removal from the site. On December 28, 2021, BIA officials met with the Refuge staff at the site to discuss plans on removing that foundation.
Historical Background:
The 45 acres near the City of Bethel are part of lands that the US Air Force (USAF) had withdrawn for military purposes as far back as 1943. In 1957 the USAF constructed facilities which served as the Aircraft Control and Warning (AC&W) portion of the White Alice Communication System. The AC&W site was activated in 1958 and deactivated in 1963. In 1963 the USAF issued a permit granting BIA use of a portion of the site for administrative purposes.
In 1966 a 27-acre parcel part of the lands was formally withdrawn for use by the BIA, via a Public Land Order. This withdrawal included the old USAF barracks, several outlying buildings, fuel tanks, water treatment plant, and sewage lagoon. In 1964 the BIA remodeled the barracks to serve as family living quarters and maintenance facility. BIA used the site until 1987, when they determined that the facilities were no longer suitable for use because of continued vandalism.