Fishing in AK: PFAS threat continues to plague some parts of the Interior

Introduction

Since 2019, the year before COVID struck hard, a certain collection of waterways have been contaminated with PFAS and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) published an Emergency Order saying these waterways were catch-and-release.

The latest 2022 update to the Emergency Order has been published, and the list has expanded.  The link to the current publication can be found here:

Emergency Orders & Press Releases - Sport Fish - ADF&G (alaska.gov)

What are PFAS?

PFAS stands for Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances.  As defined by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, PFAS are.....

 "a large, complex, and ever-expanding group of manufactured chemicals that are widely used to make various types of everyday products. For example, they keep food from sticking to cookware, make clothes and carpets resistant to stains, and create firefighting foam that is more effective. PFAS are used in industries such as aerospace, automotive, construction, electronics, and military."

Long and short, it's man-made chemicals that have leeched into the water, are dangerous to consume, and we as humans still don't know the far extent of the damages it can cause humans.  There are several thousands of different PFAS, hundreds of ways to create and spread it, and cleaning it up is an ever-present challenge.

NIEHS site about PFAS HERE

EPA site about PFAS HERE

Why does it apply here?

There are very many Alaskans that not only sport fish as a means of entertainment, but also sport fish as a way to supplement their food stocks for their household.  Yes, it's a "sport" but it's also "food."

On another avenue, the polluted areas also have homes and families that function, work, farm, raise families, and otherwise live in these areas.  Although the affected region is small by comparison, it still affects others' lives second-handedly forcefully.  

That's not cool in my opinion.  

One last aspect is the "who" and that is Eilson Air Force Base.  The Emergency Order specifically calls out the AFB is the source of the PFAS in the groundwater of the affected areas.  

I don't look at it from a "military base poisoned the ground" concept.  I look at it from this angle:  Since I returned to Alaska in 2017 I've encountered a lot of Servicemembers out fishing.  Some just getting here, some who have been here for a year or two, and some longer. 

 Sharing information is key to a great day of fishing in my book, so last year when I brought up PFAS to a few Soldiers from Fort Wainwright, they gave me this "oh snap" look, as they had never heard of any Emergency Orders and were just out on Piledriver Slough catching their limit of Northern Pike.

To have people come up here, be threatened by this, and the word not get out beyond just an Emergency Order on a website is a bit much.  I've inquired about this with Fort Wainwright MWR and I got the whole "none of my business, that's state business."  

I also recall that last year, when my wife got her annual fishing license, the person did not mention anything about any active Emergency Orders for Sport Fishing.

I'm beginning to see a problem here.

Summary of Where is Affected?

The areas in question, as outlined by ADFG, are Bear, Moose, and Polaris Lakes, Bathing Beauty Pond, Piledriver Slough, and Moose Creek; Kimberly Lake Closed.

With the exception of Moose Creek, Bathing Beauty Pond and Piledriver Slough, all of these locations are on Eilson AFB.  

Bathing Beauty Pond is a pond that is connected to Piledriver Slough, and both locations can be seen on the map below.  I've also included a link below to Google Maps.

Google Map Location:  Bathing Beauty Pond location

To orient you, the reader, to the picture above:  

** the north waterway is Moose Creek.  

** the southern waterway is Piledriver Slough.  

** Bathing Beauty is marked with a red pin.  

** The city of North Pole is a 10-15 minute drive to the left of the picture along the Richardson, the highway running through the picture.

** The AFB is the just outside of view on the upper-left corner

** When driving from North Pole to Salcha, it is the immediate area just past the AFB

The Best Thing

The best thing to do, in my fisherman opinion, is to just avoid fishing in this area.  Period.  No known contaminated fish is worth your life in the long run.

Every time fishing locations come up, I will strongly encourage people to NOT FISH THIS AREA.  

I will also have an entire chapter dedicated to a book i'm working on that will cover PFAS infected fishing areas and what to do about it.  Fingers crossed, I'll have the book complete by this fall.

If you are reading this following the tags, but don't live here, I encourage you to reach out to your local Fish and Game department, Bureau of Land Management, or similar state entity and find out where is contaminated with PFAS.