Fuel spill at Point Higgins prompts cleanup, air monitoring; reopening awaits state sign-off

Ketchikan — Ketchikan Gateway Borough and school officials say they are containing and cleaning up a diesel fuel discharge near Point Higgins Elementary School after what they estimate was about 2,700 gallons released from a generator area the week of Aug. 20.

Morgan Berry, public works director for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, said the discharge soaked into ground under the generator room and began discharging downhill from the school. "We examined the site on Friday ... we realized that it was not contained," Berry said, and borough and state agencies stood up an emergency operations center to coordinate containment and cleanup. Borough crews and contractors have fenced the affected area and have been assessing and cleaning creeks downstream, Berry said.

The borough and district said they have not found evidence that diesel reached the ocean. "We have not found that any diesel fuel has made its way to the ocean," Berry said.

Nortek Engineering, which is conducting air, water and soil testing, reported indoor air readings at the school well below occupational limits. Jason Ginter of Nortek said early steps — notably turning the school's HVAC off while response teams were onsite — reduced the risk of petroleum vapors being drawn into occupied spaces. He said indoor readings in the school were "consistently under 500 parts per billion" after mitigation steps; by comparison, he cited the OSHA limit for petroleum distillates as about 200 parts per million (200,000 parts per billion). Ginter said some isolated indoor spikes reflected local sources, such as a recently varnished gym floor or uncapped glue in an art room, and that the fenced spill area is downhill of the school and remains closed to the public.

Al Jacobsen, the district's director of maintenance, said the sanitary sewer and local treatment plant do not show diesel contamination. "There's no diesel in it," Jacobsen said when asked whether the sewer or treatment plant had been affected.

Superintendent Ford Slack said the district is coordinating with state agencies and the borough on decisions about reopening. "The Department of Health makes the first call," Ford Slack said; the district also must secure a signed waiver from the state fire marshal if the school's generator and related systems cannot be returned to service before occupancy. That waiver could require a formal "fire watch" while people are in the building.

Officials said they expect regular updates. The borough planned a short public update and said it would issue another update on Friday; Ford Slack said she hoped the Department of Health would provide clearance by late Friday but that the timeline was uncertain. If the site remains active, the district has identified interim classroom options: Clover Pass Church and Holy Name have offered space for short-term use, Ford Slack said.

District and borough officials urged parents and community members to rely on official updates. Borough representatives said they have been posting news releases and updates to a dedicated web page and social media and will continue to provide information as testing and decisions proceed.

Clarifying details compiled from the meeting: - Estimated volume discharged: about 2,700 gallons of diesel (district/borough estimate). - Location/source: fuel discharged into the generator room; soaked into soil under that area and discharged downhill from the school building. - Water/sewer: district director of maintenance said the sanitary sewer and treatment plant "do not have diesel in it." (Al Jacobsen) - Air monitoring: Nortek reported indoor readings consistently under 500 parts per billion after HVAC mitigation; playground reading reported at 14 parts per billion during a daytime check. - Environmental response partners: Ketchikan Gateway Borough incident command, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), EPA, U.S. Coast Guard MSD, Nortek Engineering, Alaska Department of Health, state fire marshal. - School operations: district said teachers, staff and parents will receive updates; the Department of Health and state fire marshal will determine whether and when the building is safe for occupancy. - Contingency spaces: Clover Pass Church and Holy Name offered temporary classroom space if needed.

The district and borough emphasized caution: the spill area remains fenced and closed to public access while cleanup and monitoring continue. Officials asked people to consult official borough and district channels for verified updates.