EPA: Ship Creek is a hot mess

According to an investigation by KTVA-TV, the Environmental Protection Agency has issued a report saying that 600 acres surrounding Anchorage's Ship Creek are full of contaminants like arsenic and lead, chlorinated hydrocarbons, and diesel and gasoline. The land is owned by the Alaska Railroad, but the state-owned line says it wasn't responsible for the contamination. The river has a long history of contamination, and now there's a legal battle over who will clean it up. The railroad is suing the federal government for the cost of cleaning up contamination the railroad seems to have inherited when ownership of the property was transferred. Neither the Alaska Railroad nor the federal government could comment on the ongoing case, but meanwhile, the contamination remains. Watch much more of this disturbing story, here. Sadly, Alaska Beat isn't shocked by this news; we've called Ship Creek "Alaska's Cuyahoga" more frequently than we've called it "an urban fishery."