Teller waits until 2027 for results of tank site testing on Grantley Harbor

Teller residents who fish Grantley Harbor will wait until 2027 for results of environmental testing at a shoreline tank site where the community suspects leaked petroleum.

Phase II testing at the Teller Shoreline Tank Site took place in August. Phase II is the sampling stage of an environmental site assessment, when soil and water are tested. The site covers 0.4 acres at Front Avenue and Sled Way. Whether the property can be used without restriction remains undetermined.

The EPA pays for two Kawerak programs covering contaminated sites in the region: a tribal response program grant under the Superfund law, and a $2.8 million agreement for lands conveyed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act that runs through December 2027 and pays tribal entities to characterize and assess such sites. The project record shows an eligibility worksheet submitted to the EPA in April and approved in May.

Teller sits on a spit between Port Clarence and Grantley Harbor, and most residents take part in subsistence harvesting there, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Kawerak Inc., the Bering Strait regional tribal consortium tracking the site, states on its project page that "the community is concerned that there is leaked petroleum in the soil at the shoreline that may have leached into the water." That account comes from Kawerak's own documentation, and no EPA or state assessment of the contamination appears in the material.

Testing at another Teller site, the Teller Basketball Court Tank Site, detected no contamination in soil or water, and Kawerak reported the area safe for recreational use.