Clearing Abandoned Barrels From the Gold Hill Mines in Wrangell-St. Elias

A Gold Hill mining claim from the air: historic buildings, some reused by today's miners, beside abandoned debris. NPS / Michael Loso.

The problem

Alaska has a long history of mining, and it continues today. Mine sites are often far from roads, and they collect trash, fuel barrels and contaminated waste that's hard to remove — debris that can harm nearby waterways and communities.

The cleanup

With Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds, the National Park Service will remove six 50-gallon barrels and about 15 smaller containers of contaminated material from abandoned mines in the Yukon-Kuskokwim watershed of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve — non-historic, unsightly refuse that could threaten the environment.

• Where: the Gold Hill placer mining district, in the park's northeast corner, about five miles from the village of Chisana and 60 miles from the road system. It's reachable only by helicopter.
• Who left it: the waste dates from the 1970s, before the park was created. Gold Hill is still worked by permitted gold miners, who aren't responsible for the old debris — and most of them are helping with the cleanup.
• Groundwork: in 2021, a field crew assessed the debris and separated historic from non-historic material.

Abandoned mining equipment before it was assessed and staged. NPS / Michael Loso.

Why it matters

The 2021 survey found no leaking barrels — "yet," says park superintendent Ben Bobowski. They are rusting and could leak at any time. Some have been there 40 years or more, and small releases may already have happened, although the crew found no spill sites.

• Clean water: removing them heads off leaks of hydrocarbons and other contaminants into clearwater streams. It will restore healthy waterways around Gold Hill and protect Chisana, downstream, where residents use water from rivers fed by Gold Hill streams.
• History and safety: the park will keep highlighting the area's culturally significant Klondike-era mining artifacts, while reducing physical hazards for miners and visitors.

Bobowski thanked the current miners for their help with the project.

About the law

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests in the resilience and restoration of America's lands, skies and waters, and in conservation and recreation. Visitors will see the results in repaired trails and campgrounds, invasive species removed, and healthy wetlands, grasslands and forests.

Sources

Based on "Remediating Abandoned Gold Hill Placer Mines," National Park Service; a work of the United States government in the public domain.