Naturally occurring asbestos was found in the Kanuti Flats mining site used to obtain fill material, located about 30 miles south of Pump Station 5 on Tuesday, June 6. The pit has been used jointly by the Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT) and Alyeska Pipeline for construction and maintenance of the Dalton Highway and the pipeline right-of-way. Alyeska and the DOT have discontinued use of the pit pending its evaluation. 

The asbestos, known as "tremolite", can be harmful when airborne. It was discovered by the DOT as preparations began for a road maintenance project. An environ-mental consulting company has been retained by the DOT and is conducting air and soil testing in the pit and along a 20-mile stretch of the road where the gravel was used. Only a few of the soil samples from the Dalton Highway contained any trace of tremolite. Alyeska is conducting additional geologic evaluations at other fill mining sites adjacent to the pipeline right-of-way. Alyeska employees have not routinely entered the Kanuti Flats gravel pit since last summer.

Back to top