Christiansen Lake residents may be getting some relief from the high level of industrial activity that has been happening in their neighborhood during the last four years.
In 2017, residents near Christiansen Lake in Talkeetna thought that blasting and extracting rock from a nearby empty lot would be temporary. The lot is owned by the State of Alaska, and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) had approved a contract to use the site for repairs to the Talkeetna River dike, damaged from flooding in 2012.
That summer, residents were awakened during the middle of the night to construction noise. The contractor hadn’t wanted to disrupt tourism during the day on Main Street, so he chose to work at night. Residents in the area thought the project would only last one summer until the dike was repaired.
But during 2019 and 2020, the site was back in use. Residents were frequently awakened to dynamite blasting and industrial truck noise. Resident Rebecca Cozad describes what it was like.
“So actually the worst of the noise that is the most intrusive, is the breaking and sorting of rocks. But the blasting; it was shaking our windows and were like, “Oh my God, earthquake, or where’d that explosion come from? The blasting was really, really disturbing.”
In addition to the noise, last summers’ extraction activities appeared to breach a water table and it became evident that more oversight was needed.
The Mat-Su Borough has extensive conditional use restrictions for industrial activities within the Brough. There are permits to be obtained, specified hours of operation and noise limits. The Borough also requires a SWPPP, a Storm Water Pollution Protection Plan, to protect local drinking water.
But in 2011, the Mat-Su Borough had exempted the State of Alaska from the need to obtain Conditional Use Permits (CUPs) for any State-owned “active material sites”.
The State had compiled a list of their active material sites, and they included the quarry site near Christiansen Lake on their list. However, the lot had not been documented as active for over sixteen years. In addition, no records have been shared that show any environmental assessments having been performed at the site.
This week, the Mat-Su Borough’s Planning and Land Use Department stepped in and informed DNR that a Conditional Use Permit is in accordance with law, and is an important step to take before extracting any further earth materials at the site.
Alex Strawn of the Mat-Su Borough Planning and Land Use Department, explains what might happen next.
“I don’t think this is over. They may just say, OK fine, we’ll just get a C.U.P. if we have to go forward. We’ll see what they have, but this puts it in their court.
With this new development, residents at Christiansen Lake are hopeful that things like drinking water, nesting birds or historical sites will be considered before more extraction occurs at the quarry. A good night’s sleep might also be a potential benefit to Christiansen Lake residents.
