Whittier Harbor Strikes Oil

[Alaskanmutt]

From the AP thru ADN

ANCHORAGE, Alaska— A project to expand the harbor in Whittier has stirred up oil spilled from the 1964 earthquake.

The Alaska Public Radio Network says dredges began pulling up gravel that was oily last month.

The unanticipated problem has added to the cost of the $4 million project. Dredging work had to be halted while regulators decided what to do with the contaminated gravel. It was piled up on nearby Alaska Railroad property.

The oil is from a tank farm dating back to the Second World War when Whittier was a military post.

During the earthquake, the tank farm was hit by several tidal waves, one more than 100 feet high. Millions of gallons of fuel were released. While some of it burned, some sank.


I wonder what the launch fees are going to be now??

[Rod in Wasilla]

If it's military oil, shouldn't the military pay for its cleanup?

[Rob B]

Ouch. There goes another couple Military pay check cuts....

[fullbush]

I was there on Thurs saw the gong show and shook my head. Theres a major sheen in the harbor that is escaping out of the dorky little sorbent boom they have set up. They were idiots to automatically assume it was oil from the '64 quake. Doing this totally exonerates FUXXUP from any responsibility even though the 11.5 million gallons of crude they spilled wafted straight into the Whittier harbor pretty as you please.... I wonder who was the genius that came up w/ the earthquake logic? I'd either hand the bill to Exxon or the Ak railroad. I knew when we acquired the that nightmare from the federal government that we were gonna be sorry, I mean there isn't an oil company on the planet that has had as many toxic spills as AKRR, don't kid yourself... Oh well on a bright note the I ran the boat to Cordova and its nice to be w/ my own kind and hear them grumbling about the dam pukes in Whittier lol

[skydiver]

There are ways to determine the age of oil. If someone is looking for the source, then that should not be too difficult to figure out. But then again it could be from several sources.

[fullbush]

well there is bright spot, our trailers will get good and lube when we launch

[skydiver]

Plus it seems like everytime I go there they are trying to make me bend over!

[fullbush]

I heard that skydiver!
300.00 tunnel
740.00 for a 150 gal of gas
600.00 to store the trailer and parking for the season
150.00@ 50.00 per bag of groceries X 3----
$1790.00 later, guess I'm ready to launch!.....:upset::upset::upset:

[dipnet]

Not sure they dug up any oil when they dredged the private marina....you know, the one closer to the tank farm???

[Armymark]

The military creates revenue how? Follow that back to the headwaters and who gets the bill.

[captaindd]

Use the EPA super fund or just light it on fire and watch Whitter burn. Once it burnt to the ground it would be easier and quicker to rebuild.

[leadworm]

I second captaindd's motion....

[Rod in Wasilla]

The military creates revenue how? Follow that back to the headwaters and who gets the bill.

Sure, ultimately the US taxpayer will foot the bill if the military steps in and cleans up their own mess. But the military has a portion of its budget that's discretionary, like any federal agency. So, what, they have to hold off on building one new commissary this year? Or would you rather the 80 or so residents of Whittier, and ultimitely every visitor, foot the bill for a spill they didn't create?

[Armymark]

You got me there.

[Myers]

Surprise, surprise

I would expect this oil leak to get worse, start spraying out like a geyser and shut the harbor down for at least a month. Last year it was the landslide and before that wasn't the docks under construction? I can't imagine what next spring will have in store...

We should have all chipped in money to bulldoze Whittier instead of the stupid flags, we could have fixed the stupid place by now!