| Communities: Showcase Community: Metlakatla, AK |
- Download Metlakatla Fact Sheet (2 pages, 204 KB)
Community
Metlakatla is a small town in Southeast Alaska located in the Annette Islands Reserve. The Reserve, a Federal Indian Reservation, is recognized as sovereign territory by the United States. Annette Island was the site of several military facilities during and following World War II. The community was concerned that former military buildings, fuel storage tanks, and landfills are leaking, contaminating beaches and local seafood. In particular, the community was concerned about the safety of eating shellfish and fish caught around Annette Island. As a result, the local population stopped fishing close to shore for fear of consuming unhealthy fish and shellfish. In 2000, Metlakatla was designated a Brownfields Showcase Community by the Brownfields National Partnership Program.
Brownfield Issues
Metlakatla Indian Community identified more than over 90 hazardous waste sites on Annette Island for investigation and/or cleanup. Past military operations, a recently closed sawmill, sanitary sewer outfalls and other activities may be sources of contamination. During World War II, the island supported more than 7,000 service men and contractors who built numerous facilities for the War Department. The Metlakatla Indian Community has been working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and NOAA to get the abandoned facilities surveyed and cleaned up.
Metlakatla’s brownfields activities have spawned numerous partnerships and positive working
relationships among all levels of government, the private sector, and the local community. Working with these agencies, the community has developed and initiated an extensive site investigation and cleanup program to support the revitalization and restoration of Annette Island.NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (ORR) helped the community assess the safety of eating locally collected seafood. NOAA’s ORR in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Agency for Toxic substance and Disease Registry, conducted a survey of the locally available seafood to see if and how it might be contaminated with harmful substances leaking from the land. The local community also contributed by providing the boasts and local guides to help NOAA scientist conduct the survey.
For More Information
Helen Hillman
NOAA/National Ocean Service
Office of Response and Restoration
206-553-2101
e-mail: Helen.Hillman@noaa.gov
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