RELOCATING KIVALINAA 105 YEAR PROCESS
As presented on April 27-29, 2016 to the White House Staff Ambassador Mark Bzrezinski, Janey Bavishi, Raina Thiele, , Congressman Don Young, Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator Dan Sullivan, Libby Jones of Economic Development Administration, Mike Black of Bureau of Indian Affairs.
By Janet Mitchell, City Administrator, Kivalina City Council
1 Kivalina
Kivalina is an 8-mile barrier reef and is located 120 miles above the Arctic Circle. The current population is 464 and growing at an average rate of 15 per year with the birth of newborns. There are only 91 occupied houses with no room to build more. Kivalina people rely almost completely on subsistence activities. According to a study done by ANTHC, 79% of foods consumed by the people come from the land and sea. The village gets their drinking water from the Wulik River. The holding tanks are filled annually from the Wulik River, which amounts to 1,052,000 gallons. Kivalina has no water and sewer. There is no alternative for water source at this point.
1.1 Relocation
Kivalina has long been discussing relocation after the Bureau of Indian Affairs forced the people to relocate to the 8-mile barrier reef from their settlements scattered all around Kivalina. If they did not comply, they would be jailed. Being very trusting, and not having lived with discord because they are so spread apart from one another, they believed the BIA representatives and moved to the barrier reef.
1.1.1 EVENTS LEADING TO THE URGENCY OF RELOCATION
2004 High Winds and Surge
In 2004, the tide was so high and the storm surge so severe, the waves were over-topping the island and filling the streets with water.
Kivalina used to be 9 to 12 feet above sea level in the 1980’s. With the sea level rising, it is unknown how high the level is now.
1.1.2 WHY THE NEED TO RELOCATE
Kivalina has been trying to relocate for various reasons, several which are life threatening. Kivalina is one of few villages without the luxury of water and sewer. Lack of space was the primary reason for relocation efforts. Now there an additional reason and it is the dangers from climate change.
At this point and time, it is imperative that Kivalina be relocated soon and should have been by 2006, according to US Army Corps of Engineer’s master plan. That plans got derailed after a study done by the US Army Corps of Engineers finding that it was rich with permafrost. And with the current trends of climate change and the changes it has been causing to our community, according to predictions made by National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA), all coastal communities should be under water by 2025. That gives us nine (9) years from today to move away from the barrier reef.
1.1.3 FUNDING SOURCES FOR INFRASTRUCTURE
Funding sources can be broken down into programs. For instance:
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) conducted a study from 1953 to 2003, which shows gradual erosion on the barrier reef but it shows accretion at the Kiniktuuraq site.
1.2 Current Situation From Mining DevelopmentKivalina is already living changes to subsistence activities from development and there are no foreseeable changes to the trend any time soon. Development contributes to changes locally from a mining company 80 miles East of Kivalina.
Copyright @ 2015 Janet Mitchell, Owner
As presented on April 27-29, 2016 to the White House Staff Ambassador Mark Bzrezinski, Janey Bavishi, Raina Thiele, , Congressman Don Young, Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator Dan Sullivan, Libby Jones of Economic Development Administration, Mike Black of Bureau of Indian Affairs.
By Janet Mitchell, City Administrator, Kivalina City Council
1 Kivalina
Kivalina is an 8-mile barrier reef and is located 120 miles above the Arctic Circle. The current population is 464 and growing at an average rate of 15 per year with the birth of newborns. There are only 91 occupied houses with no room to build more. Kivalina people rely almost completely on subsistence activities. According to a study done by ANTHC, 79% of foods consumed by the people come from the land and sea. The village gets their drinking water from the Wulik River. The holding tanks are filled annually from the Wulik River, which amounts to 1,052,000 gallons. Kivalina has no water and sewer. There is no alternative for water source at this point.
1.1 Relocation
Kivalina has long been discussing relocation after the Bureau of Indian Affairs forced the people to relocate to the 8-mile barrier reef from their settlements scattered all around Kivalina. If they did not comply, they would be jailed. Being very trusting, and not having lived with discord because they are so spread apart from one another, they believed the BIA representatives and moved to the barrier reef.
- The first discussion of relocation was in 1911, after the people were relocated to the barrier reef in 1905 from the lands they had chosen to settle in.
- Another discussion about relocation was in 1941, this time a memo was written by Tribal Councilman Clinton Swan and sent to BIA. Nothing came of it.
- And again in 1963 with a split vote of 50/50 so the people remain on the island.
- Forty-four years later, in 2000, another vote ensued and the majority voted to relocate off the barrier reef.
1.1.1 EVENTS LEADING TO THE URGENCY OF RELOCATION
2004 High Winds and Surge
In 2004, the tide was so high and the storm surge so severe, the waves were over-topping the island and filling the streets with water.
- The principal’s housing unit, which was beach front, had to be moved inside the island.
- The city’s water plant drain field got washed away before it was completed.
- Several traditional underground storage cache units washed away from underground.
- 2006 High Winds and Surge
- One three bedroom housing unit with 21 family members in it was 22 feet away from the banks after the storm. They were fortunate the storm abated and the tide receded. The 1st Responder volunteers who were fighting to save the building managed to fill the breach with sandbags before the next storm surge.
- The Alaska Village Electric Company, Inc.’s tank farm was endangered by the erosion. There were eleven (11) 10,000 gallon tanks filled with fuel and the banks were six (6) feet away from them by the time the storm abated. They have since been relocated near the other tank farms and strategically placed in a location that was the safest. Sandbags were placed temporarily by the 1st Responder volunteers in an effort to stabilize the banks near the powerplant before the next storm surge.
- The airport began eroding mid-way of the runway. The storm abated before it reached the runway. Sandbags were placed in the breach by the 1st Responder volunteers before the next storm surge.
- 2007 High Winds and Surge: Evacuation
- There were 81 transported by air to Kotzebue. The transport operation had to be stopped because all the pilots had used up all their mandatory flight hours of eight (8) hours a day after nine (9) flights.
- There were 131 residents that were taken by 4-wheeled ATV Honda transport from Kivalina to Red Dog Mine’s Port Site 17 miles away from Kivalina.
- The ATV Honda’s were taken across the channel using 18 foot skiffs in the dark with high winds.
- Some residents went to Noatak on their own. The numbers were unknown.
- There were 86 residents left on the barrier reef once the evacuation operation was ceased after all those who wanted to relocate were taken care of.
- The 1st Responders and City office personnel stayed behind to oversee the erosion operation.
Kivalina used to be 9 to 12 feet above sea level in the 1980’s. With the sea level rising, it is unknown how high the level is now.
- 2010
- The city has to follow stringent statutes imposed by the State of Alaska and one of them is that the turbidity of the water must be at a certain level for consumption. The turbidity level was so high, we were not able to pump.
- Despite the turbidity levels, the city made the decision to begin pumping in late August and had to quit pumping September 6 because the ground was freezing by then and the pipes kept icing up. We were 12 feet shy of filling the tanks but had enough for school to commence.
- 2012
- The lines fell into the river and had to be replaced.
- The cement anchor that holds the intake point fell into the river and had to be replaced.
- 2015 – Erosion of the Runway
- The State of Alaska Homeland Security didn’t accept the declaration of disaster from the Northwest Arctic Borough.
- The Department of Transportation did not come to the aid of the village of Kivalina except to provide their maintenance personnel and a loader to haul bags. The 1st Responders today remain unpaid for all the work they did for one week on the property that the city does not own.
- It was recommended to the Borough that the city let the airport become breached so a declaration of disaster will be accepted.
- The 1st Responders refused to let the airport close down because many events would occur because it was a Catch 22 situation:
- No airlines would be able to land, creating
- All help wouldn’t be able to come in unless they came with helicopters or boats.
- If there was a medical emergency, medivac or commercial airlines would not be able to land to help.
1.1.2 WHY THE NEED TO RELOCATE
Kivalina has been trying to relocate for various reasons, several which are life threatening. Kivalina is one of few villages without the luxury of water and sewer. Lack of space was the primary reason for relocation efforts. Now there an additional reason and it is the dangers from climate change.
- The most pressing reason for relocating is the threat of flooding. With today’s trends of the changing climate, with the Arctic ice melting, warmer temperatures, shorter winters, longer summers, no more shore fast ice for protection during fall time storms, the barrier reef is more susceptible to damage but is threatened with going underwater.
- The land is shrinking. Erosion is now accelerated from lack of short fast ice during the fall storms. The ice used to protect the banks of the island. The lagoon side continues to erode on the South side of the island from river drainage spring time as well as discharge from the Red Dog Mine.
- No room to build. The first reason for the need to relocate was lack of space to build and homes were overcrowded. It is worse today. There are only 91 homes and the population continues to grow.
- Population grows an average of 15 newborns per year for the past 10 years.
- This leads to social problems due to over-crowdedness.
- No one has privacy at all.
- A living room doubles as sleeping space for family members.
- It’s a barrier reef built with sand and about four (4) feet of top soil. Much of the grass whose roots holds the top soil together has been trampled on for decades and is mostly gone.
- The landfill has been compromised in the 2009 flood. Debris was all over the lagoon and all the way to Pt. Hope on the Northern coast. The Native Village of Pt. Hope called the city office in Kivalina to ask if we were alright.
- No water and sewage services.
- Raw untreated honeybucket sewage drains into public water.
- Debris drains into both bodies of water during high tide days.
- Raw human waste is stored outside homes until there is a load worthy of making a trip to the landfill to dispose of the untreated waste.
- Homes are too close to fuel tank farms.
- AVEC’s transfer fuel line is several feet underneath Bering St. beginning from the community building to the tank farm on the South side of the island. It runs over the school’s water line, which goes from the water tanks to the school building.
At this point and time, it is imperative that Kivalina be relocated soon and should have been by 2006, according to US Army Corps of Engineer’s master plan. That plans got derailed after a study done by the US Army Corps of Engineers finding that it was rich with permafrost. And with the current trends of climate change and the changes it has been causing to our community, according to predictions made by National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA), all coastal communities should be under water by 2025. That gives us nine (9) years from today to move away from the barrier reef.
1.1.3 FUNDING SOURCES FOR INFRASTRUCTURE
Funding sources can be broken down into programs. For instance:
- Housing can be funded from BIA/HUD. Almost the whole village is eligible for housing because those that are working have moved away to places like Anchorage and Kotzebue.
- Apartment units can be constructed for low income families.
- Water and sewage can be funded from several sources on the federal level or state level. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium is the firm that builds for villages.
- The new school has already been funded through a lawsuit done by Kasayulie vs the State of Alaska and has been funded in the amount of $43M.
- Roads can be funded from several sources on the federal level.
- The grocery store is privately owned by ANICA based in Seattle and can be relocated. When it burned down in 2015, they reconstructed it with relocatable modules.
- NANA has funds for an all-purpose building which can have multiple uses i.e. city office, tribal office, search and rescue office, police office, volunteer fire department. There are other sources for funding on a federal level.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) conducted a study from 1953 to 2003, which shows gradual erosion on the barrier reef but it shows accretion at the Kiniktuuraq site.
1.2 Current Situation From Mining DevelopmentKivalina is already living changes to subsistence activities from development and there are no foreseeable changes to the trend any time soon. Development contributes to changes locally from a mining company 80 miles East of Kivalina.
- The mining company’s discharge goes directly into the Wulik River, Kivalina’s drinking water source.
- Fish kill in 1990
- Mines difficulty of remaining within their discharge permit limits
- Lawsuit in 2005 to bring the mine back to their discharge limits
- When Kivalina won the lawsuit, the State of Alaska began the procedure of raising the Parts Per Million limit from 500 to 1,500 to make it easier for the mine to stay with their discharge limits.
- The migration of the caribou was altered by the haul road making it very difficult for our people to harvest their share for survival.
- Migrating over 100 miles away from Kivalina
- Emission dust in the air and the threat of spills on the haul road.
- Dust testing station in the village (discontinued)
- Not able to harvest wild berries near the haul road
- Revegetated spill areas along the haul road
- Warmer temperatures in the Chukchi Sea.
- No shore fast ice to protect the island of Kivalina
- Hunting in the Chukchi Sea has been altered forever.
- Whaling has become more dangerous
- Hunting for bearded seal is compromised
- Ocean acidification
- Detrimental to the shell casings of the crabs, clams, mollusks.
- Mammals have lesions on their flesh and internal bleeding.
- Earthquakes
- Kivalina has never experienced earthquakes save for the minor ones which barely leave a mark.
- 5.2 on the Richter scale 5 miles out of Cape Thompson in 2005.
- Effects of earthquakes in other countries
- Fukushima’s disaster spill: the major current is 40 miles out of Kivalina and it flows from South to North.
Copyright @ 2015 Janet Mitchell, Owner