Alaska Delists Oil-Contaminated Sites from Polluted Waters List

0:00It's March 24th. This is Anchorage News Today, AI Powered Stories from Your City. 37 years after the Exxon-Baudet's tankers spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound Alaskan environmental officials. Are now proposing to delist 11 sites from the state's polluted waters list. These spots along more than 1,300 miles of coastline have lingering oil that's too broken down, buried, and stuck to harm water. Quality anymore. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation plans to shift these 11 areas, including well-known ones like Sleepy Bay on the Tush Island, and spots on Night Island, from impaired status with recovery plans to fully meeting water standards. This change comes in their upcoming 20-26 water quality report, required by federal law every two years. The spills remnants highlight the lasting scars from the disaster, where buried oil slowed recovery for sea otters and other species for over two decades.

1:00Officials note that even with traces of oil present, these beaches now pass strict safety thresholds, much like areas near regulated sewage outlets. Meanwhile, the state has consolidated its list of Exxon-Baudet's affected sites from 36 down to 16, with just five still listed as. Impair covering under 16 miles of shoreline on islands like Smith and Knight. A public comment period runs through April 6th, before finalizing and sending it to the EPA. Across Alaska, the draft report suggests other shifts too, by improving two severely polluted rivers to good standing and adding one urban creek to. The worst category due to bacteria issues, showing ongoing efforts to track and clean up water statewide.