North Pole Water System Expanded After Sulfolane Spill

The city of North Pole, AK, has plans to expand its water system to cover residents affected by a major sulfolane spill at a former refinery.

The deal between the state, the city, and Flint Hills Resources, which operated the former refinery, means more than 650 parcels of land affected by the spill will have access to the public drinking water system, according to Alaska Public Media.

North Pole Mayor Bryce Ward said the agreement “provides for an expansion of the full utility system within the city boundaries, as well as outside city boundaries to include the existing sulfolane plume and then also a buffer around that,” according to the report.

“The groundwater contamination was first reported in 2009, and it’s unclear how long area residents were drinking from tainted wells,” the report said.

Sulfolane is “a man-made solvent commonly used in gasoline production and petroleum refining. Flint Hills halted refinery operations in 2014 and began dismantling the refinery last year. Efforts to sell the property have been unsuccessful,” the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported.

Mayor Ward added that construction will begin next year, and operation will begin the following year. In the time since the spill, Flint Hills has provided drinking water to locals, according to Alaska Public Media.

The expansion is expected to cost up to one hundred million dollars, the report said. “Under the current agreement, Flint Hills will cover eighty percent of the cost, while the state covers twenty percent,” the report said.

Alaska Governor Bill Walker praised the agreement in a statement.

“Ensuring Alaskans have access to clean drinking water is a matter of life, health, and safety,” he said. “It is absolutely critical that we resolve this issue and safeguard the wellbeing of residents in this area. I applaud the Department of Environmental Conservation, the Department of Law, Flint Hills and the City of North Pole for coming together to resolve this matter.”

The deal covers the cost of installing service lines, hookup to the system, and transition to the new public water supply for homes currently on an alternative water system, according to the governor’s office. The deal resolves legal disputes between the participating parties, but a lawsuit remains unresolved against Williams Alaska Petroleum, which reportedly owned the refinery while the water was contaminated. A trial is scheduled for May.