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Bokan Mountain Mine

Bokan Mountain is located on southern Prince of Wales Island within the Tongass National Forest. It is the site of the closed and contaminated Ross-Adams Uranium mine, and is currently being explored for new development by U-Core Uranium Inc. for Rare Earth Elements (LINK) (REEs) and uranium. The site is listed as a high priority by the State of Alaska Contaminated Sites Program and has been reviewed for Superfund listing.

This area is drained by Kendrick Creek and boarders Kendrick Bay. Kendrick Creek is listed as an important stream for the rearing and spawning of salmon by Alaska Fish and Game. Kendrick Bay is a significant commercial salmon fishery and is also heavily used for subsistence fish and shellfish gathering.

Decades of uranium mining on Bokan Mountain have contaminated Kendrick Creek and portions of Kendrick Bay with heavy metals and radioactive isotopes that are quickly moving up the food chain. Proposals for re-newed mining threaten to cause new contamination and increase the danger to human health

Existing Contamination at Ross Adams

Significant stream and marine contamination was reported by a study done in 2004. (2004 Preliminary Assessment/Site Inspection Report, USDA Forest Service). This report shows that Kendrick Creek and the tide flats entering Kendrick Bay contain levels of lead, arsenic and radioactive isotopes 3 to 4 times the background levels. This poses a significant threat to wildlife and people who may utilize this area for food.

The company that last mined the Ross-Adams site, Newmont Exploration Ltd. is working with the Forest Service to further assess the site toward developing a cleanup plan. The site is on the Superfund agenda but no cleanup plan has been approved.

It is uncertain how renewed mining activity will affect this process. Kendrick Bay and Creek are both on Alaska’s Impaired Waters list, but discharge restrictions for Kendrick Creek will not be enacted until 2014.

Meanwhile, U-Core continues a drilling and exploration program focused on both Rare Earth Elements (REE’s) and uranium. REEs are crucial for new technologies such as cell phones and wind turbines. Because these minerals are considered of strategic national importance, normal environmental protections can be disregarded.

During the 2010 session the Alaska legislature passed a resolution supporting development of this mine. Bokan Mountain is considered one of the largest deposits in North America. Mining for REE’s will involve disturbing the radioactive minerals associated with the ore as well as open up new pathways for contamination.

What's Next

SEACC was instrumental in getting Kendrick Bay and Kendrick Creek listed on the Impaired Waters list. We would now like to see the mandatory restrictions in place before new development.

Restrictions on further pollution and a plan for the cleanup of the current contamination needs to be in place before any further activity on this site is allowed. SEACC continues to be involved with the EPA pushing for Superfund monies to be available to help the Forest Service and State clean up the site.

We are monitoring this site very closely.

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