Escalating erosion prompts move to repair Noatak’s water system, secure fuel tanks and protect airport

After state officials evaluated erosion conditions in Noatak last weekend, local agencies plan to mitigate the threats it is causing to the water, power and airport infrastructure in the village.

In recent weeks, high water levels exposed the village’s water lines and approached its fuel tank farm, threatening critical infrastructure, said Chris Hatch, Northwest Arctic Borough director of public safety.

“It is a threat to life and health safety,” Hatch said. “No one is dying today, but if we don’t work to mitigate (the problems) as an emergency right now, then we could possibly have extreme problems — as in no water or electricity in the community.”

Gov. Mike Dunleavy verbally declared an emergency for Noatak on Sept. 18 in response, according to an Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management situation report.

Officials with the state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities traveled to the village to evaluate the situation, said Katherine Keith, deputy DOT commissioner. The department outlined recommendations for the local water line, fuel farm and the airport, she said.

The issue of erosion in Noatak has been present for years, since a channel branched off the Noatak River and started eroding the barrier island in front of the village, said Jeffrey Luther, the environmental coordinator for the village. Located on that island are the water wells, the town’s only source of water, he said.

The region saw extremely high water levels this year, and the water channel washed away the road that connects the village to the island. The water lines running from the wells to the village’s water plant used to be buried under the road but are now exposed, Hatch said.

“That road is no longer there,” Hatch said. The pipes “are floating on top of the river. They’re anchored because of the efforts of locals, but they’re not in a survivable position. ... If the water line goes out, they only have 12 days’ worth of water.”

Hatch noted that one of the water wells on the barrier island is now less than 30 feet from the river.

“So that’s about to be washed out also,” he said.

Power infrastructure is also threatened by erosion: The Alaska Village Electric Cooperative’s power plant and fuel tank farm are located on the river bank, and the water is now dangerously close — no more than 50 feet, Hatch said.

Luther added that before this year, the island in front of the village deflected the current, but now that it is partially washed away, the cement pillows reinforcing the shore are impacted by the strong current from the river.

As a result, the erosion is also creeping up on the runway at the airport located on the bank, Keith said after the visit.

To keep the erosion at bay and protect the town and the airport, DOT recommended placing super sacks along the coast to provide support to the concrete armor bags underneath, she said.

The highest-priority issue for the village is the water access, Keith said. While the pipe is well insulated from freezing, when the ice shifts in spring, “it’s going to rip away that pipe,” disrupting the water supply to the city, Keith said.

The Native Village of Noatak with the help of outside contractors has been working on a plan to put in temporary water lines on a different route, Luther said.

“We have a bypass project funded by the USDA that will start soon,” Luther said.

In the longer term, the plan is to dig new water wells, Hatch said.

As for the fuel tank farm, the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative is preparing to relocate generators and fuel tanks in spring, said Bill Stamm, AVEC president.

Stamm explained that since the water levels have gone down in the last week and the river is starting to freeze up, the bank should stay stable through the winter. The agency wants to ensure sufficient fuel storage for the winter and prepare to address the issue next season.

“At this point, probably the greatest level of security for the community is having an intact power plant going into winter, so we’re not trying to tear things apart too much before things freeze up,” he said. “We are certainly very nervous about what spring thaw and ice jamming is going to bring, so we are trying to position ourselves so that we don’t have a catastrophe in the spring.”

AVEC staff is now moving some of the equipment and totes with contaminators farther away from the bank, Stamm said.

Throughout the winter, AVEC plans to identify a new location for the fuel tanks and generators, figure out property rights for that location and start rearranging the power distribution to connect the village to the new fuel tank location.

“It’s a foregone conclusion that things are going to have to be relocated,” he said.

In the long term, AVEC plans to have its fuel tank farm next to the new airport, Stamm said. The airport relocation project isn’t scheduled to start until 2026 and may take two to three years, Keith said.

“The longer-term solution for the tank farm and power plant is going to be closer to the new airport, but the river is not allowing us to have to leave everything where it is for that length of time,” Stamm said. “I think we’re gonna have to find an interim solution.”