Ketchikan Pulp Mill Chemical Release; Ward Cove, Ketchikan, Alaska

Ward Cove, Ketchikan, Alaska | 1996-Oct-22

Initial Notification: On October 21, 1996, about 3,000 gallons of a water-treatment chemical, optical, optimer 7128 cation (a flocculant used in the water treatment process), overflowed from its tank at Ketchikan Pulp Corporation (KPC) with an undetermined amount flowing into Ward Cove. Some of the material was recovered but, once in the water, it congealed into white, jelly-like globs, some as large as golf balls. This substance has a density similar to water so the globs dispersed through various depths down to about eight feet. Because the chemical did not stay at the surface, using a water-skimming boom to recover the chemical was not feasible. The substance was still visible the next day in Ward Cove, but seemed to dissipate by that evening. Optimer 7128 is a non-regulated substance, is not listed by the Federal Government as a marine pollutant, and does not pose a hazard to navigation. KPC employees maintained a visual watch over the area and sampled water quality at sites specified by State and Federal agencies. In addition, a monitoring plan is being developed to better understand the full effects of this substance on the environment. The USCG MSD along with MSO Juneau and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) and Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) worked together to resolve this situation. USCG district 17. Keyword: none.