Police are investigating a spike in air pollution that occurred recently in Skagway. They have found the cause of pollution but are waiting for test results from the Department of Environmental Conservation before moving forward.
On Dec. 23, Skagway residents started complaining about the smell of burning plastic and oil. Multiple dog owners discovered grey soot on their dogs’ paws and legs.
According to Reuben Cash, environmental coordinator for Skagway Traditional Council, air quality measurements for the town skyrocketed into the orange and red zones for several hours on Dec. 23 and 24.
Cash: “…this event was pretty bad. I haven’t actually seen the raw data to know how many micrograms of particulate matter we were looking at during this event. But if it’s up in the red above 150 on an AQ (air quality), it must have been up there pretty high. So, certainly unhealthy for anyone. Once you get up into that red, red zone and breathing that stuff for three hours — you know, that’s, that’s not a good thing. And this was all over town. If you look back over the monitors, I think every single one of them popped off, at least on the 23rd for a short period.”
According to a statement from the Skagway Police Department, “the soot originated from a burn that was left unattended and smoldering at Hamilton Constuction.”
Hamilton Construction is located on the Klondike Highway, close to Lazy Daisy Farm and the new community garden.
Jonathon Flood, a scientist, saw the ash in his yard on 11th. He collected samples from two public sites in hopes that the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will test and identify the material.
As a new dad, he is particularly concerned for his son, who often plays in the snow and grass.
Flood: “I have a background in environmental chemistry and specifically water. And thinking of all this material, you know, making it into our aquifer, and then we’ll see it in our faucets and drink it. It just, it really troubles me as a parent. Especially for him and his health outcomes. But you know, also for myself and my wife, for everybody here, who now has this dusting of soot in their yard.”
Police Chief Jerry Reddick said a report had been filed with DEC. He described the investigation as ongoing and noted he had met with the borough manager. Calls to Hamilton Construction were not returned by deadline.
