DEC Contaminated Sites Program

Ekwok Brownfield site

Bristol Bay Communities with Brownfields Data

Brownfields….. what the heck is a Brownfield? 

One definition of Brownfield is:  a contaminated site (or perceived contamination) that was previously used and has potential for reuse if it is cleaned up. 

Manokotak Brownfields Meeting.

Arla recently flew to New Stuyahok on February 10th and to Manokotak on February 12th to hold Brownfields’ public meetings and to provide assistance with applying for an assessment. The Tribal Environmental Staff and Arla encouraged the Elders and other community members to come to the meetings to bring their knowledge of the past to contribute in locating contaminated sites in the respective villages. The meetings were successful in identify Brownfi elds sites at both villages with the help of the Elders and community members.

At the Brownfields meetings Arla showed a DVD, “Yookeene”, filmed by the Brownfields Program of the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council (YRITWC). The DVD is wonderfully put together and “a down to earth” presentation about the Brownfields Program in the YRITWC area which covers villages from Canada all the way to the Yukon’s final destination at the Bering Sea. Arla will fly to Ekwok and Koliganek in March for Brownfields meetings. Ekwok recently applied for and received a Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) through the EPA. Congratulations Ekwok!

If you have a question about the Brownfields Program please call her at 1-800-478-5257 x 328, or email her at ajohnson@bbna.com. Arla is looking forward to visiting your village.

Pilot Point-Brownfields site.

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Does your village have contaminated sites that have redevelopment potential? 

Are there Elders in your community who know where contaminated sites are?  Some examples of contaminated sites may be:  abandoned dump sites with petroleum based contaminants such as oil barrels, ATV’s, automobiles, etc. Additional Brownfield sites may be abandoned generator buildings or other old buildings that, after removing contaminants such as:  lead-based paint, asbestos materials, or PCB bearing ballast in old lights. For example, Pilot Point and Chignik Lagoon plan to reuse their old canneries. The Chignik Lagoon cannery will be redeveloped for fish processing and tourism and Pilot Point’s cannery will have a museum and information center as well as metalsmithing and woodworking shops.