US Army Corps' Donlin Review: Dam Failure Could Cost Lives, Destroy Villages, and Decimate Salmon
BETHEL, AK — The Mother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition today issued an urgent warning to all Yukon-Kuskokwim communities following the release of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ court-ordered Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) for the proposed Donlin Gold Mine. Forced by a federal court order to evaluate a larger, catastrophic tailings dam failure, the federal government only looked at an up to 27% spill scenario (not a full release scenario). Even so, the Draft SEIS validates a terrifying reality of what our Tribes have warned about for years: even a partial failure at the 471-foot-high mine waste dam could permanently poison our rivers, wipe communities off the map, and render the Village of Crooked Creek “uninhabitable."
The federal government’s own scientific modeling paints an apocalyptic picture for the Kuskokwim River watershed. If the tailings storage facility (TSF) fails, a toxic wave of mining sludge would strike the Village of Crooked Creek in just 90 minutes, leaving little time for emergency evacuation.
“The findings in this document are a validation of our deepest fears and a clear signal that this project is far too dangerous for western Alaska. While we implored the federal government to consider a total failure scenario, which they did not do, they are confirming that a dam failure of just 27% could kill people, poison our drinking water for decades, and wipe out salmon for generations. We cannot, and will not, trade the safety of our children and our rivers for a gold mine that will last only 27 years,” says Ashlynn Simeon, Deputy Director of Mother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition.
“A tailings dam failure is a low-probability, but high-consequence event, and a threat which exists at every mine with a mine waste facility. Even though a dam failure is a low-probability event, the potential consequences must be disclosed in order to protect public safety and the environment as much as is reasonably possible. Public safety is the main consideration. Schools, hospitals, rest homes, police and fire facilities should not be built in areas that could be flooded. Areas safe for public evacuation need to be identified. If you don’t know how deep the flood might be, and how fast it will arrive, you cannot be prepared to save people’s lives,” says Dr. David Chambers with the Center for Science and Public Participation.
The Mother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition highlights the following catastrophic conclusions from the newly released Draft SEIS:
A Catastrophe for Salmon and Fisheries
Generational Collapse of Fish Populations: The report admits that fish habitat, stream connectivity, and spawning areas would be severely affected. Under the worst-case 27 percent release scenario, the damage would cause permanent, "generational effects" on fish populations in Crooked Creek. (Draft SEIS Executive Summary, Page vii)
Decades of Continuous Toxic Poisoning: The immediate spill would cause acute, lethal spikes in dissolved metals. Once settled, the heavy mining waste is projected to continue leaching contaminants into our waters for "years to decades.” (Draft SEIS Executive Summary, Page vii)
Suffocation of River Ecosystems: Millions of tons of fine sediment would instantly choke local waterways, with 66% to 93% of the total solids depositing directly into Crooked Creek. The federal government explicitly admits this heavy sediment load will "clog fish gills, bury spawning habitats, and disrupt benthic ecosystems." (Draft SEIS Executive Summary, Table ES-4, Page vi; Chapter 2, Section 2.2.1, Page 2-7)
An Immediate Threat to Human Life and Tribal Survival
Village Rendered "Uninhabitable": For the first time, federal regulators admit the sheer scale of physical and chemical destruction. The report explicitly concludes that the 27% scenario failure "could render parts of the Village of Crooked Creek uninhabitable." (Draft SEIS Executive Summary, Page viii)
Potential Loss of Human Life: The document strips away any corporate public-relations framing, explicitly listing "potential loss of life in heavily affected areas" as a direct public safety consequence of a large-scale breach. (Draft SEIS Executive Summary, Page viii)
Poisoned Tribal Drinking Water: The massive wave of toxic mining slurry would seep deeply into local water tables. The SEIS notes that floodwaters and toxic tailings would "infiltrate shallow aquifers" and create groundwater mounding, leaving the Crooked Creek drinking water source protection area severely compromised. (Draft SEIS Executive Summary, Page vii)
Evacuation Networks Cut Off: If a failure occurs, communities will be entirely trapped. The toxic wave would instantly bury local roads, bridges, and river routes. Crucially, at Crooked Creek, the airport itself would be completely inundated under the 27 percent scenario, making aerial rescue or incoming emergency aid impossible. (Draft SEIS Executive Summary, Page viii)
The Mother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition calls on all tribal citizens, regional residents, and allies to stand together during the upcoming public comment period to demand that federal and state agencies reject these catastrophic risks to our homeland.