Selawik
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Week of Aug 24
Juneau's city-owned ski area has an unresolved drinking water violation
EPA records show a March drinking water violation at Eaglecrest Ski Area in Juneau, in the agency's most urgent category, with no resolution recorded.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Week of Jul 6
Smokejumpers parachuted into a roadless village to save its solar array
A landfill fire jumped to the tundra and got within 100 yards of Selawik's solar array, so smokejumpers parachuted into the roadless village to save it.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Selawik landfill fire smoke poses distinct health risk beyond wildfire haze
A landfill fire near Selawik is sending toxic smoke into the air, posing greater health risks than typical wildfire smoke for elders and children.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Selawik fuel tank farm, solar array threatened by landfill fire
A tundra fire that escaped Selawik's landfill Monday grew to 20 acres and now threatens the village's fuel tank farm and solar array, its only source of heating fuel and diesel power.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
About Selawik
Selawik, also called Akuliġaq, is a remote Iñupiaq village in the Northwest Arctic Borough of Alaska. It has no road access and depends on a solar array and diesel power for electricity, with a fuel tank farm holding its heating fuel.
Fire is a hazard to that infrastructure. Fires at the village landfill can spread onto the surrounding tundra, bringing smokejumpers in to protect the solar array and tank farm. Smoke from burning landfill waste carries health risks for elders and children beyond those of ordinary wildfire haze.