The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Coast Guard are teaching a series of courses in Bethel this week. These classes show Alaskans from around the YK Delta how to deal with hazardous material spills in rural communities.
At a training site in Bethel Wednesday afternoon, gallons of water pour from holes in the side of a plastic barrel. In a real emergency it might be gasoline, oil, or diesel fuel. Men and women, like Father Isaac of Lower Kalskag, choose tools to try and plug the holes.
“This rubber mallet," said Isaac, holding the tool and demonstrating its use.
“[It's] to pound the wooden wedges in. And also these cone shaped rubber wedges," he said.
Someone tries it out; the wooden plug stops the liquid from flowing.
Isaac has been to one other of these trainings. He knows the tools, but has never had to deal with a real oil spill himself, though others in his village have.
“We had a little oil spill, so we had to clean it out on our own. So that’s why I’m here, to learn more about oil spills," Isaac said.
“DEC closed down three of it’s satellite offices. We closed down our Ketchikan office, we closed down our Palmer office, and we closed down our Bethel office," said Lisa Krebs of DEC. DEC is just the latest organization to leave the area. EPA and the Coast Guard don’t have a presence in the region either. This is why Krebs says that this training matters to rural communities: to empower them to solve problems independently, and to get them to understand what problems they need to call for backup on.
“That’s why it’s important to make connections in the community. To have people that we can turn to for information or to be the eyes on the ground before we can get out here. You know it could take us three hours to get out here," Krebs said.
This training is mostly for response to small spills and clean ups. DEC, or one of the other organizations, should be called in to respond to larger or more critical situations.
Krebs says this trip was also important to her because she wants rural Alaskans to know that DEC is still there to help. She says it’s good to remind people of that.