THE LUTAK DOCK AN UNNECESSARY PROJECT RISKING THE CHILKAT WATERSHED
Explanation All of the information you are about to see is hard-won, gleaned from reading hundreds of pages of technical reports and historical documents, gained through multiple public records requests, and excerpted from news stories dating back more than a decade. All of this information has been checked and rechecked for accuracy. We have made every effort to provide our sources and links to those sources, to make it easier for you to look further into each issue raised. We believe that this information is important for citizens and taxpayers to know, and relevant to the future of this community and landscape.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. 2. 3. 4.
Our freight needs are met .................................................................pg. 10 The Borough is pursuing an ore dock ............................................pg. 18 The Borough's RAISE grant application was inaccurate .........pg. 62 Public opposition .................................................................................pg. 94
We're going to take a quick look at the history of the Lutak dock and what it's like today. We'll touch on a few of the many times borough officials have advocated for its use as an ore dock over the past 10 years, and where that project is at now. We'll get into some of the leverage points we have found. Finally, we'll discuss our options for influencing the outcomes.
2018 "Haines may be in a position to take greater economic advantage of the Yukon mining industry. If port infrastructure capable of handling mineral concentrates is developed in Haines to meet the needs of the Palmer Project, that same infrastructure could serve Yukon mines." — 2018 HEDC Baseline Report
This is the tank farm, which as we know is still a contaminated site. Supplied the 626-mile Haines-Fairbanks pipeline, a Cold War era project that delivered fuel to military bases in the interior.
A brief history
Lutak Dock
The Lutak Dock was constructed in 1953 by the U.S. Army.
1977
The Army gave the Lutak Dock to the City of Haines. The cathodic protection system that the Army maintained and operated over the years was turned off after the City of Haines took ownership of the dock due to the associated operational costs.
1983 The City of Haines added a barge transfer ramp (ro-ro) to the face of Lutak Dock, which is what the town used to receive its freight.
After its installation in 1983, the old ro-ro started to fail over the years. with both the old ro-ro and the old Lutak Dock failing, Haines and Klukwan needed a way to reliably receive freight, and the Lutak Dock project was a top community priority.
1. OUR FREIGHT NEEDS ARE MET Here's a closeup of AML's new ro-ro dock. Before the construction of the new ro-ro, the dock project was essential for supporting our local freight deliveries. Even though the situation has changed and we now have an operational freight dock, many people still hold this belief.
Current view of the ro-ro
2020 AML reached an agreement with the Haines Borough in 2018 for the construction of a new RO/RO ramp, constructed in 2020 for $2.6 million
The new ro-ro is on the borough-owned tidelands parallel to the dock. The borough has a 30-year lease with AML for use of the dock. According to the agreement, use of the ramp cannot be restricted by AML and must remain open to other users. The new ro-ro has been delivering our local freight since 2020 when the old Lutak Dock was closed by assembly order.
This is what the dock currently looks like. A roll-on/roll-off ramp (ro-ro) allows cargo to be efficiently rolled on and off the vessel when in port. As you can see, AML's new ro-ro dock is attached to the land, not to the dock. The heavily reinforced pass-pass is in the central section of the dock. The pass-pass is where forklifts can pass containers or other large items back and forth from dock to barge, so it's redundant to the ro-ro and can move odd-shaped items as well. Delta Western's fuel barge ties up to the fenders along the center of the Lutak dock and pumps fuel up to the tanks on the hill. There are guardrails that prevent heavy equipment from going near the edge of the dock where the sinkholes have historically developed.
Recent view of the Lutak dock
Who are the Lutak Dock's main customers? From 2012-2018, the data shows an average of 69 dockings per year from 2 customers.
CUSTOMER
FREQUENCY
Alaska Marine Lines
Weekly
Delta Western
15-20 times/year
This is just to show who uses the dock (they use different parts of the dock, there are no conflicts).
2. THE BOROUGH IS PURSUING AN ORE DOCK
The dock rebuild project is not about meeting local needs. Although many decision-makers and members of the public have firmly believed that it is, records from at least the past 12 years show a more complex story with mining interests as a consistent force behind the scenes.
"THIS IS STRICTLY ABOUT MEETING THE NEEDS OF HAINES RESIDENTS AND HAVING REDUNDANCY FOR THE FREIGHT AND FUEL BARGES THAT DELIVER GOODS FOR HAINES RESIDENTS. IT IS NOT ABOUT MEETING THE NEEDS OF ANY MINING INTERESTS..."
— Haines Borough manager Annette Kreitzer (at the April 7, 2022 Planning Commission meeting)
Definitions
HANDYMAX
DEEP WATER PORT
105 ft x 625 ft Require a draft of 35-40 ft
Accommodates very large and heavily loaded ships.
Used for the bulk transport of mineral ores, coal, cement, timber, steel, fertilizer, and grains
Required water depth: 30 feet deep or more
Handymax bulk carrier ships are used to transport mineral ores, coal, timber, cement, finished steel, fertilizer, and grains. Handymax is also the design vessel used in the conceptual plans for Skagway's ore terminal, and as you'll see, in past and current designs for the Lutak dock. A deep water port is a piece of industrial infrastructure that serves very large heavily loaded ships such as Handymax bulk carriers, generally traveling overseas.
Handymax ship Footage from Understory (Wild Confluence Films)