Cruise ship invasion lands Alaska town on EPA watch list
The explosive growth of Skagway, Alaska as a cruise destination over the past 25 years has been a boon for the local economy. Alas, it hasn"t been nearly such a positive for the community"s sewage system.
As Alaska"s Juneau Empire reported on Thursday, the historic Gold Rush town"s wastewater treatment facilities have been strained by the tourist boom, landing it on an until-recently-secret Environmental Protection Agency watch list of places at risk of violating the Clean Water Act.
Skagway is just one of two Alaska communities on the list, which was made public last week after National Public Radio reported on its existence.
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While Skagway has only 900 year-round residents, its population soars to more than 2,000 in the spring when tourist industry workers arrive for the summer cruise season, and on the busiest tourist days there can be 14,000 visi