River Bank Erosion

Observation: Erosion on the banks of the Koyukuk River is increasing in the community of Evansville and Bettles. They had to tear down my house and move my Mom's house away from the bank. The erosion came within 35 feet from my former house. The erosion is making people move houses and find new sites to build on. Concerns brought up is that the buildings that they can't salvage goes into the river and floats downriver.

LEO says: Please find attached a pamphlet (pending) that details the capabilities of the Corps under Section 14. As stated in the pamphlet, this program is designed to "plan and construct emergency streambank and shoreline protection projects to protect highway, highway bridge approaches, public facilities such as water and sewer lines, churches, public and private nonprofit schools and hospitals, and other nonprofit public facilities." As we spoke about, "private property" is not included in the list of things we can protect. That being said, I don't want to dissuade Evansville from seeking assistance if they have a need for it. If there are public properties that are being threatened by erosion then they should feel free to send us a letter as detailed by the attached pamphlet requesting assistance under Section 14. In addition, they may explore assistance offered by other agencies such as USDA National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). I am not intimately familiar with NRCS's programs and cannot direct you to one program over another but in my limited research the following links may be worth a look. M. Brubaker

Resources:

Alaska Baseline Erosion Assessments (ABEA) – "The ABEA is a result of study efforts specifically authorized and funded by Congress. The purpose of this study has been to coordinate, plan and prioritize appropriate responses to erosion in Alaska. With an effort of this magnitude, significant focus was given to identify communities experiencing erosion, determine how to best assess the problems within the limits of available funding, and how to best disseminate the information gathered such that local, state, tribal and federal stakeholders will have a useful tool at their disposal." Source: US Army Corps of Engineers Alaska District

USDA Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program – "Through the EWP program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s NRCS can help communities address watershed impairments that pose imminent threats to lives and property. If your land has suffered damage due to flood, fire, drought, windstorm, or other natural occurrence, please contact your local authorities and/or your local NRCS office to find out if you qualify for the EWP program." Source: Emergency Watershed Protection program, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service