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Posted By: Aagaardsporter Curious - 01/23/24
I was watching a National Geographic show on Lake Clark National Park and googled the park on
Google Earth to confirm the park location. Scanning along the coast I found a tank farm with 8 large tanks, 7 together and a single not far away. There was a landing strip and several buildings. The site is near a stream/river mouth but I did not see a dock or other terminal facilities. The river mouth is NW of the N end of Kalgin Island and a bit N of W across the Cook Inlet from Soldotna.

Is anyone familiar with this facility? Is it storage, production from nearby wells, currently in use? What sort of commodity? Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks
Bill
Posted By: ironbender Re: Curious - 01/23/24
Drift river tank facility.

Don’t know the current status of it. There was speculation of removing it and piping the oil directly from platforms to east side facilities because of damage during Mt. Redoubt eruptions.


From wiki:
Renewed concerns over the Drift River Terminal Facility[edit]
The 2009 eruptions of Mount Redoubt renewed concerns over the safety of the nearby tank farm which holds crude oil, known as the Drift River Terminal Facility.[3] During the earlier, 1989-90 eruptions of Redoubt, the facility was inundated and damaged by lahars. Dikes built after the 89/90 activity protected the tanks, although an aircraft hangar and runway were flooded and damaged by the flooding and related debris.[4] In late March the US Coast Guard decided to move the millions of gallons located at the facility to prevent an ecological disaster. The plan called for then refilling the tanks with "harmless" ballast water to prevent them from being dislodged by flooding..[5]

However, on April 5, the Coast Guard stated that filling the empty tanks with ballast water was not possible, because it would create a hazardous waste that the neither the facility nor the Coast Guard was prepared to deal with afterward. Instead, the oil was removed and the empty tanks remained vulnerable to damage from further flooding. In the meantime, oil production in Cook Inlet was suspended, because the tank farms were out of commission while Mount Redoubt remained in an eruptive state.[6]

When the eruptions subsided, the tanks were undamaged and the facility was cleared of debris and subsequently reopened.
Posted By: ironbender Re: Curious - 01/23/24
More on the TANK FARM.
Posted By: bearhuntr Re: Curious - 01/23/24
Correct-a-mundo, IB.

Shot a decent griz less than 2 miles south of there. M. Hamrick had a cabin up from the beach, same distance away but north. Spent a few nights there in comfort after hiking 10 to 15 miles each day looking for black bear. Was quite awhile ago...😉
Posted By: Aagaardsporter Re: Curious - 01/23/24
Thank you Ironbender. Went back to Google Earth and found the offshore terminal. Interesting situation. We have oil field collection tanks, much smaller, and petroleum transfer and refining facilities in Michigan but none at risk from lahar flows!
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