Runoff pollution poisoning Yukon River

Although blessed with stretches of untamed beauty, the Yukon is in danger of severe pollution

April 19, 1998
Web posted at: 4:30 p.m. EDT (2030 GMT)

GALENA, Alaska (CNN) -- The Yukon River stretches nearly 2,000 miles through some of the most pristine wilderness in North America, but Alaska's lifeline is hazardous to the life it sustains.

The Yukon has become polluted by the three "M's" of arctic pollution: mining, manufacturing and the military.

"Every year it floods, and when it floods the water comes up through the ground, and all of the contaminants that are in the landfill mingle with the water," Steve Howdeshell of Louden Tribal Council told CNN. "When the water recedes, the contaminants go out with the water into the river."

Even at its headwaters, the Yukon is contaminated with creosote and PCBs from manufacturing.

Correspondent Jack Hamman reports on the condition of Alaska's Yukon River 2 min. 17 sec. VXtreme video

The river's troubles date back to the Klondike Gold Rush, and decades of runoff waste from hundreds of mines.

The central Alaskan village of Galena is one of the largest settlements along the Yukon, and one of the most polluted regions.

Howdeshell says the most pressing problem in the area is groundwater contamination resulting from military activities.

Galena was home to three important U.S. Air Force installations for much of this century. All three are now decommissioned or on standby.

Mountains of refuse threaten the Yukon

Most of Galena's residents are indigenous. Like other Alaskans living along the Yukon, the villagers live off the land. The river is the center of their ecosystem.

"I've seen fish with growths on them, fist size," Darrell Walker, another tribal leader, told CNN. "I've seen moose with growths on them, fist size. And that's what pollution does to the animals that we live on."

Some residents say the pollutants are taking their toll on the human population, too.

"All of a sudden, there was this rash of people dying, like from cancer," said Louden member Peter Captain.

No health studies have been done, however, to either prove or disprove the claims of Captain and others.

Galena's leaders say they realize the military is not the sole polluter of the Yukon, and they therefore chose not to go to court to press the U.S. Air Force to pay to clean up the contaminants.

Residents of Galena live off the land which raises concern about eating meat from sick moose or deformed fish

Alaska's climate makes it difficult to dispose of solid waste, and the villagers realize they, too, have contributed to the river's problems.

What the Galena villagers want is a partnership for the river clean up.

"We have developed a very cooperative approach with the military," Howdeshell said. "They ARE the responsible party for most of the contaminants in the Galena area. They know it, we know it."

Indigenous inhabitants of Alaska and Canada recently met in Galena to discuss ways to correct the river's troubles.

The Environmental Protection Agency says federal money and expertise will begin flowing into the region.

EPA officials say they realize a partnership is needed to find a workable solution; that the Yukon will never be protected, unless the government and the tribes find a way to help the region's residents learn a better way to care for their environment.

Correspondent Jack Hamann contributed to this report.

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