A barge that will haul away tons of marine debris from Alaskan shores arrived in Kodiak Wednesday.
The debris clean-up efforts stem from the 2011 Japan tsunami, caused by the 9.0 earthquake.
Those efforts are largely being funded by $900,000 gifted from the Japanese government, part of a larger $5 million gift to states affected by the debris.
Department of Environmental Conservation Tsunami Marine Debris Coordinator Janna Steward said agencies have been caching the debris up away from tidal patterns over the last few years.
Steward: “Alpine air is going to be using helicopters, we expect as many as 3,000 sling flights. At each beach locations they’ll be loading in some cases hundreds of super sacks, they sling them under the helicopters. It’s a lot of back and forth, there will be crews on the beaches connecting up the long lines with the sacks on them and then dropping on the barge and they’ll be going back and forth.”
Officials say the volume and type of debris seen in Alaska has changed since the tsunami.
The barge is expected to make additional stops as it heads to Seattle, where debris will be sorted for recycling.
Remaining debris will be sent by train for disposal in Oregon.
*Photo: Barge in Kodiak, without bags. By Candice Bressler*