[CPEO-MEF] Lead cable in Sitka Sound

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

[Steve reports that the tribe is once again removing WWII era lead cable
from the Sitka Sound. - LS]

Snake in the Sand
Steve Johnson, DoD Lands Investigator, Sitka Tribe of Alaska
February 25, 2005


Standing up on the deck of the 24-foot boat, it's hard to  picture
30,000 military personnel in the Northwest coast  rainforest of Sitka,
Alaska.  My dive buddy, Jeromy  Campbell and myself add a little air to
our dry suits, don  our fins, check our tanks and prepare for the
journey  below. It is a beautiful winter day, azure skies and  turquoise
waters meet on the island-studded canvas. The  41-degree water is warmer
than the 24-degree air. With a  large splash we roll off the side of the
boat into the  frigid waters, and after a moment of adjustment we
descend  into the deep. Light surges of the ocean tidal currents  sway
us about as we sink to the bottom.  Tiny bubbles flow  out of the
breathing apparatus shimmering to the surface.   As we approach the
60-foot bottom, the white bottom sands  of Abalone Island fade into
focus, through the darkness of  the deep a dark line appears on the sea
floor.  There it  rested for more than 60 years. The Cable once
connected  area military sites during WWII. Firing Coordinates from 
radar positions above once raced through it to the heavy  artillery at
the other end.

Bringing the cable back to surface has its own set of  challenges. With
a lift bag in hand Campbell lassos around  the cable and snaps the bag
on. With a shot of air in the  bag the cable lifts off the bottom
dancing in the current.  We give the line a few tugs on the control line
and the  surface crew hauls the cable in.  Miles of the lead,  copper,
creosote and hemp cable run from island to island,  connecting more than
30 defense sites in the Sitka area.   The cable lies across critical
marine habitat poised to  release the thousands of pounds of lead into
the  environment.

To the Tlingit people of southeastern Alaska, hunting,  fishing and
gathering is a way of life. Clams, abalone  seaweed and chitons of the
low tide are important food  sources for the people. For thousands of
years the bounty  of the waters and the woods have sustained the
Tlingit.  Today tribal elders are concerned about the extra  chemicals
and metals creeping into the food chain.  At the  north end of town a
popular shotgun shooting range  recently passed a policy prohibiting
lead shot. Previously  the fall out from this range peppered the clam
beaches  with lead. Through the years the Lead has spread. The same 
concern exists with the lead cable. Over the years a  number of private
individuals have salvaged sections of  the cable, hoping to get rich
from metals recycling. "We dug up a couple hundred yards on Kruzof
Island. We  burned the outer layers off and put the metal in a 17 
gallon drum, the fire stunk really bad we figured we'd  better sell what
we had. The price per pound was too low  so, we quit" ? the late Al
Perkins Jr.

Back on the boat, Deck hand Jim Nielsen and skipper Ben  Johnson stack
the cable as the author and Campbell shimmy  over the stern of the boat
onto the back deck. Climbing  out of the water, in dry suit and fins
takes a certain  finesse that resembles a seal sliding up on the rocks.
The  lead cable is cut into 30-foot sections and tied to the  gunnel
rails of the boat.

The condition of the cable varies greatly depending on the  bottom
composition and depth. Shallower objects tend to  break down quicker
while the deeper sections remained  largely intact.  The deeper you go
the less oxygen is in  the water. The amount of sand and gravel also
play a role.  Water sand blasting whittles the 1-* inch thick into small
 threads while other areas bury it in silt. Once the  creosote coating
is peeled off the salt water, we go to  work on the steel armor. It
rusts away exposing the lead  and copper.

With the sand and wave action, the cable has the potential  to release
massive amounts of lead into the pristine  waters.

The Tribe is taking cleanup in its own hands. Sitka Tribe  of Alaska,
the federally recognized tribal entity for  Sitka is in the process of
removing the lead cable. The  cable will be shipped to Seattle for
recycling.  The Tribe  works cooperatively with the US army Corp of
Engineers and  funding from Native American Land Environmental
Mitigation  program, (a DoD program) to carry out the clean up effort.  
Pat Roth, the Corps' Project Manager, while not diving  with them, is
also excited about the project. "This work  the Sitka Tribe of Alaska is
completing is a shining  example of what can happen when the Department
of Defense  and Tribes work together." Under NALEMP, much of the 
control and managing the project funds are turned over to  the Tribe
that is being impacted by remnants of past  military activity. The Tribe
wins by managing the clean up  that is in their own back yard; the
Department of Defense  wins by having the material removed. Both parties
enjoy a  new relationship of cooperation and trust that hopefully  will
last for many, many years.

The author and Campbell switch air tanks and head back to  the bottom
for more salvage work. As we sink to the bottom  the clicks and thumps
of ocean creatures flow across the  eardrum through the static of
exhaling bubbles. I can't  help but be proud to know the waters will be
better off  with each section we pull.

Steve Johnson is the Department of Defense lands  Investigator for Sitka
Tribe of Alaska.
<spjohnson@sitkatribe.org>
 

-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org
_______________________________________________
Military mailing list
Military@list.cpeo.org
http://www.cpeo.org/mailman/listinfo/military