Golovin Former Landfill

History:

Site was a former unlined landfill for the city of Golovin, it contains household trash, drums, freezers, car batteries etc.  Landfill is no longer in use.

Concerns:

The Golovin community has deep concerns about their old landfill eroding into Chinik Creek.  The old landfill has five leaking and deteriorating drums of tar on the beach southwest of the village and it is eroding into the creek and is in the flood plain path, meaning when the creek floods or as sea level rises the contaminants will be mixed with the local water supply, which sits a short distance up river.   Fuel barrels, car batteries, refrigerators, freezers, and fuel cell transformers. As the bank erodes, there is debris falling into the creek and since the Chinik Creek is anadromous and used for local water supply, fishing, and bathing. The current village water source is surface water up gradient from the Old Landfill and is gathered from an infiltration gallery located in Chinik Creek.  In the event of flooding or rising ocean levels, water would bring the contaminants straight to the drinking water source.

Actions:

1999: Reported to DEC as a concern for the landfill falling into the creek as bank erodes.

2001: Added to the DEC database

2007: Awarded a DEC brownfield assessment

4/2022: Kawerak Environmental Program Manager met with Golovin Council and tribal members to determine which site was top priority for the community.   It was determined at that time to pursue the cleanup of the former landfill site.

5/2022:  Kawerak Brownfield Program submitted an Eligibility Worksheet to EPA for approval   for conducting a Phase I and Phase II assessment and testing for contaminants

6/2022: Kawerak Brownfield staff conducted a site visit

10/2022: ESA Phase I Completed

5/2023: Kawerak Program Manager and University of New Mexico Indigenous Planning and Design Institute held a visioning re-use planning meeting with community.

6/2023: Kawerak Brownfield staff, contractor and ChemTrack Laboratories staff conducted ESA Phase II testing.

Upcoming:

Phase II Report.

WEAR Trip Report