Center for Environmentally Threatened Communities

We support communities to address environmental threats and achieve their vision for a safe, healthy, and sustainable future.

Newsletter Issue 35, May 2020

Four Things You Should Know From This Issue

1. Utqiagvik, Alaska pursues the state’s longest, largest, and most expensive erosion protection structure in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
2. Early May 2020 flooding in Nunapitchuk, Alaska was the worst the community has experienced in over a decade.
3. A springtime erosion event forced Akiak, Alaska to relocate two homes imminently threatened by erosion.
4. All Alaska Native Tribes are eligible to apply to the Indian Community Development Block Grant for up to $900,000 to prevent, prepare for, or respond to COVID-19.

Utqiagvik Pursues Alaska’s Longest, Largest, and Most Expensive Erosion Protection Structure

Currently, a five-mile gravel berm provides insufficient shoreline protection from coastal erosion in Utqiagvik, Alaska. The berm must be repaired after storms, as shown in the photo above. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) aims to construct a $328.6 million fortified rock revetment to provide long-term protection. The North Slope Borough will contribute $110 million in match funding. Credit: North Slope Borough.

“One of the biggest challenges from climate change is the infrastructure for the North Slope region, mainly water and sewer systems that were built in the coastal plains areas. We brace ourselves every fall when we have a surge of waves eroding our beach line. Millions of dollars is spent every year on the gravel bar, but each time it would disappear due to the wave surge. We can’t fight nature, but we can plan a better future by being proactive, instead of reactive.”  - Charlotte and Eugene Brower, Utqiagvik Elders

Utqiagvik, Alaska is the political and economic hub of the North Slope Borough (NSB) and, with over 4,000 residents, is one of Alaska’s largest rural communities. Utqiagvik experiences frequent and severe coastal storms, resulting in flooding and erosion that threaten public health and safety, over $1 billion of critical infrastructure, access to subsistence areas, and cultural and historical resources. Currently, a gravel berm and sandbags help to prevent flooding and erosion but do not offer any “real protection” according to Scott Evans, Assistant Risk Manager with the NSB. In order to mitigate the erosion threat, the NSB engaged with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to complete a $3 million feasibility study to analyze alternatives to protect the shoreline. The study, which required a 50% non-federal cost share, recommended the construction of a five-mile-long revetment, which would armor the shoreline with rocks weighing nearly three tons each. The next step for this study is to fully develop the design for the revetment. The total construction cost of the project is estimated at $328.6 million, with NSB required to provide 35% or $110.5 million as non-federal cost share. The project will save NSB approximately $8.3 million in annual emergency response costs. Before construction begins, a final agreement will have to be executed between USACE and NSB, and funding will have to be approved by USACE and Congress. If constructed, the structure will be the longest, largest, and most expensive erosion protection structure USACE has completed in Alaska.

Recent Events

Early May 2020 Flooding in Nunapitchuk, Alaska Was the Worst in Recent Memory

In early May 2020, Nunapitchuk experienced the worst flooding in more than a decade, damaging the foundations of two homes, boat docks, and fish racks. The community declared a local emergency. Credit: Jacob Tobeluk, City of Nunapitchuk.

Nunapitchuk, Alaska, a small community in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta, experienced the worst flooding in the past ten years as a result of spring break-up. The community is divided by the Johnson River and surrounded by lakes. Melting ice and snow resulted in high water that flooded two homes, submerged the boardwalk in several places, and damaged fish racks and boat docks. The City of Nunapitchuk has declared a state of emergency in order to try to access state and federal funds to repair the damage. Just a few days after declaring a state of emergency, the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC) confirmed a case of coronavirus in the village, which resulted in a weeklong community-wide lockdown. On May 22, 2020, YKHC confirmed that all tests from the village were negative.

Akiak, Alaska Relocated Two Homes Imminently Threatened by Erosion

A springtime erosion event forced Akiak, Alaska to immediately relocate two homes to a safe location. An additional four homes will be relocated later this spring. Akiak is actively planning for a larger-scale managed retreat to mitigate the long-term impacts of erosion. Credit: Akiak Native Community.

Akiak, Alaska had planned to relocate homes threatened by erosion this summer once the ground was dry. However, an erosion event that resulted in a significant loss of land on May 9, 2020, put the homes in immediate jeopardy and forced the community to take action to relocate homes on May 14-16, 2020. The homes were relocated using steel beams and dollies purchased with funding awarded by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Emergency Watershed Protection Program in Fall 2019. NRCS funding will be used to relocate an additional four homes later this spring. Once the homes are relocated, they need to be reconnected to water, sewer, and power, which is estimated to cost $40,000 per home. Akiak is actively pursuing funding opportunities to meet this need.

Comments on the Next 5-Year Arctic Research Plan are due August 2, 2020

The Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) is accepting comments until August 2, 2020, to guide the development of the next 5-Year Arctic Research Plan. This is an opportunity for community members and partners to share your feedback on the critical issues facing the Arctic and what research needs to be conducted to address those issues. The plan aims to address critical needs in Arctic research and improve the collective impact of Federal agency investments in Arctic research. There are many ways to offer your feedback: submit comments through the Federal Register Notice, submit ideas through an online form, or comment on the IARPC Collaborations Facebook page. Contact Meredith LaValley for more information.

Funding Opportunities

Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) COVID-19 Funding

All Tribes and Tribal organizations are eligible to apply for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus. Nationwide, HUD has made $100 million of ICDBG Imminent Threat funding available through Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES). Alaska Native Tribes are eligible for up to $900,000 to address imminent threats to community health and safety.

• Recommended Due Date: Monday, June 1, 2020, at 3:00 pm Eastern Time
• For more information, read the Implementation Notice.

Upcoming Events

2020 National Tribal & Indigenous Climate Conference

All Tribal members in the United States are invited to attend the first National Tribal & Indigenous Climate Conference hosted by the Institute of Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) with support from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Tribal Resilience Program.

• August 31 – September 4, 2020
• St. Paul, Minnesota
• Register here.

Resources

COVID-19 Tribal Resource Center

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is hosting a Tribal Resource Center with resources for Tribes to respond to COVID-19. The site includes informational resources on how to protect communities from COVID-19, Tribal response strategies, and how to request financial and technical assistance.

News Roundup

Villages Brace for Flooding as Ice Moves Down Kuskokwim River: In early May 2020, communities up and down the Kuskokwim River started to prepare for possible spring break-up flooding by pulling snowmachines and valuable equipment to higher ground.

Elderly Couple Rescued Off Kuskokwim River Near Napaimute: On May 1, 2020, an elderly couple was rescued from a skiff after an ice jam on the Kuskokwim River caused heavy flooding in Napaimute.

About the Center for Environmentally Threatened Communities 

The goal of the Center for Environmentally Threatened Communities (CETC) is to support rural Alaskan communities experiencing infrastructure impacts associated with flooding, erosion, and permafrost degradation. The team does this primarily through grant writing, technical assistance, and project coordination.

ETC@anthc.org | (907) 729-4521 | www.anthc.org/cetc | 4500 Diplomacy Drive, Suite 561, Anchorage, AK 99508

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