Trout Unlimited asks for highest protection for Koktuli River

Published on February 18th, 2010

By TAMMY JUDD

Trout Unlimited today has nominated the Koktuli River as an Outstanding National Resource Water, a designation which through the Clean Water Act would give the Koktuli River the highest protection to the river.

The Koktuli River is near the site of the proposed Pebble mine, a gold and copper prospect.

If the Department of Environmental Conservation approves the nomination, it would be the first river in Alaska designated an Outstanding National Resource Water.

According to information on a press release, the Clean Water Act has anti-degradation provisions meaning no new pollution can go into the water body. The designation would "ensure that no activity will degrade water quality, so as not to support existing uses; and maintain and protect high quality waters."

Tim Bristol, director of Trout Unlimited in Alaska, said the Koktuli is a "truly special place. It's remote, wild and very well-known by hardcore anglers such as himself and other Trout Unlimited members. "It's also a great spot for outdoors adventures. It's critical and important to commercial fishing and commercial hunting interests out there as well.

"The reason for this nomination is also pretty straightforward. The Koktuli and the river system that it feeds, the Mulchatna and the Nushagak, are at risk, and of course, that risk comes in form of proposed Pebble mine.

"The Kokutli is a very important part of possibly the greatest wild salmon system left in the world as you can see from the map that was provided to you today. The two forks of the Koktuli flow in a northwesterly direction into the Mulchatna which then feeds the Nushagak, which eventually flows out into Bristol Bay. You can also surmise from the map that the north and south forks of the Koktuli flow from the site of the proposed Pebble mine."

The petition was put together by several organizations. In addition to Trout Unlimited petitioners include the Nushagak-Mulchatna Wood-Tikchik Land Trust, Alaska Alpine Adventures, LLC (Dan Oberlatz), SnoPac Products Inc., Alaska Independent Fishermen's Marketing Association, Renewable Resources Coalition and Nunamta Aulukestai.

He said because the watershed is faced by "unprecedented threats" from the proposed Pebble mine and other possible mining development the group came together with the nomination.

"This is an extraordinary place and deserved extraordinary conservation measures.

ONRW is the single best thing Alaska's Department of Environmental Conservation can do to ensure that it's clean water, wild salmon resource and all the interests that depend on those things protected over the long term," Bristol said.

The nomination was in the works for quite awhile, said Paula Dobbyn, of Trout Unlimited. She said the DEC has the authority in Alaska to make the designation, and they are hoping to nudge them on to see that the river needs protection, especially in light of recent news about water-use violations by Pebble Partnership which occurred along the south fork of the river.

According to a press release "the Koktuli is an ecological powerhouse located in the heart of the Bristol Bay watershed. It is a headwater system that feeds Bristol Bay, home to Alaska's largest salmon fisheries, valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The Koktuli also offers world-class sport fishing opportunities, attracting anglers and outdoor enthusiasts from around the globe. In addition to its outstanding ecological capacity and reputation for first-rate recreation opportunities, the Koktuli River system is critical to the subsistence needs of thousands of Bristol Bay region residents."

"The main goal of designating the Koktuli as an ONRW is to make sure that the development of any large-scale metallic sulfide mine will not cause any direct, indirect, or cumulative adverse effects on the river's wild salmon, trophy rainbow trout, and other fish and the main industries and activities these fish support.

The ONRW nomination can be read at the Save Bristol Bay Web site [http://www.savebristolbay.org].