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 50

Newsletter Issue 50: 2021 in Review

This is our 50^th newsletter issue! Thank you all for joining us.

Many of Alaska’s environmentally threatened communities made significant progress in addressing erosion, flooding, and permafrost degradation impacts to infrastructure in 2021. This issue shares stories of community successes from the past year.

Chefornak, Alaska Makes Progress to Address Community-Wide Erosion, Flooding, and Permafrost Threats

Leadership and community residents in Chefornak prioritized over two dozen threatened homes for relocation, demolition, and replacement with new construction. The community also substantially completed the design of a new preschool to replace the current threatened building, made progress selecting a site for the managed retreat subdivision site, conducted a geotechnical field investigation to inform the Permafrost Vulnerability Assessment, and began updating an Infrastructure Protection Plan. Here is an excerpt from the draft Permafrost Vulnerability Assessment: “With the exception of structures supported by pile foundations, all structures along the waterfront will experience some sort of failure in the next 50 years.” The community may use insulated gravel pads and adjustable foundations, shown in the image above, to mitigate subsidence at the new subdivision site. Image credit: PND.

Quinhagak, Alaska Addresses Permafrost Degradation Threat to the Water Treatment Plant

Golovin, Alaska Elevates Community Roads to Protect from Flooding

Antone, Nichols, and Amuktoolik roads in the community of Golovin were elevated to protect critical infrastructure from flooding. The project will protect the power plant, fuel tanks, school, clinic, and other critical infrastructure against the 25-year storm surge. The yellow area in the image above shows the buildings with increased flood protection resulting from elevated roads. However, this project does not protect a majority of residential homes and is not a long-term solution. To protect against future flooding, Golovin is planning a new subdivision on the bluffs where infrastructure will be relocated. Photo credit: Bristol Engineering.

Fort Yukon, Alaska Completes Flood Protection Study

Fort Yukon completed a study on flood protection options, which recommended elevating roads and dikes around the entire community. The inundation map above shows that most of the community can be flooded during a 20-year event with current conditions. Photo credit: HDL Engineering Consultants.

Napakiak, Alaska Constructs Five Gravel Pads for Home Relocation

Napakiak constructed five gravel house pads and driveways in a new subdivision site. In 2022 and 2023, the community will purchase more heavy equipment, construct an additional 15 pads, and relocate 20 homes threatened by erosion to the new site. Photo credit: David Fitka.

Shaktoolik, Alaska Constructs 50 Percent of Storm Surge Berm

In 2021, Shaktoolik constructed approximately 50 percent of the community’s elevated storm surge berm. In 2022, the community plans to finish construction of the berm in front of town and at “first and second bends,” where the berm protects the only road from the community to the mainland. Shaktoolik will also plant native grasses on the berm in summer 2022. Photo credit: Native Village of Shaktoolik.

Shishmaref, Alaska Decides to Protect Landfill

Following consecutive fall storms that eroded thousands of feet of land, Shishmaref leadership decided to protect the landfill and landfill access road in its current location. This will require constructing extensive, robust rock revetments, which are being designed now. The landfill may also need to be elevated to protect from flooding.

Kivalina, Alaska Makes Progress Towards Community Relocation

Kivalina continues to make progress in planning the entire community’s relocation. Key accomplishments include a community survey; workshops on energy, transportation, housing, and utilities; youth and elder engagement; interagency meetings; and the development of potential site layouts.

News Roundup

River is Getting Close: Washington Post Magazine published an in-depth story on the erosion threat to the school in Napakiak, Alaska.

Alaska Natives: Infrastructure Act Funds a 'Drop in the Bucket': This article includes perspectives from Shishmaref, Alaska and Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium staff.

The Incoherence of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill: This article explores the challenge of implementing a coordinated federal response to climate change and environmental threats.

The Big Thaw: An investigative deep dive on how permafrost degradation is impacting critical infrastructure in rural Alaska, including Selawik, Alaska.

The Rising Pacific Forces a Native Village to Move. Who Will Pay? “We have to have the resources to implement and execute these very complex strategies if we’re going to survive as a human race.”

Climate change destroying homes across the Arctic: BBC News covers Arctic-wide permafrost impacts.

2 NASA scientists explain what’s driving overall Arctic sea ice decline

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 through community planning, project development, grant writing, project management, grant management, and other technical assistance.

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

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