The Kuskokwim and Johnson rivers are starting to ice up, and Nunapitchuk is still waiting on a fuel delivery from Vitus Energy. It's expected to arrive today, Nov 1.
CEO and President John Wagner of Northstar Gas, which partners with Vitus Energy, expected fuel to arrive in the community around Oct. 20. But the Vitus barge got stuck in the ice on its way downriver on the Kuskokwim below Kwethluk, a day or two out from Nunapitchuk.
“They got hung up for a couple of days, stuck in the ice, and had to wait for the stuff to move around,” Wagner said. “Finally got it all freed up.”
Once the crew managed to free the barge, they headed to Bethel to wait until the Johnson River by Nunapitchuk had safe enough conditions. On Oct. 31, they flew over the river in a plane and found that conditions were good.
This is great news for Nunapitchuk residents, who've been worried that the barge wouldn’t arrive in time for winter. They ran out of fuel at their current fuel storage facility over Halloween weekend. They have about a month's worth of fuel at their new fuel facility, but it's not operational yet. For now, people can go to nearby villages to top off, but the waiting game has been frustrating so late in the season.
Wagner said that the fuel company delivered to Nunapitchuk last because the community filled out its paperwork last. Wagner mentioned a number of obstacles that delayed barges, including the weather and river conditions.
