RC. 280:

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 280

POTENTIAL INDUSTRIAL 

SITES IN THE LYNN 

CANAL AREA, ALASKA
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Douglas McKay, Secretary

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

W. E. Wrather, Director

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 280

POTENTIAL INDUSTRIAL SITES IN THE 

LYNN CANAL AREA, ALASKA

By Arthur Johnson and W. S. Twenhofel

Washington, D. C., 1953

Free on application to the Geological Survey, Washington 25, D. C.
POTENTIAL INDUSTRIAL SITES IN THE 

LYNN CANAL AREA, ALASKA

By Arthur Johnson and W. S. Twenhofel

CONTENTS

Page

Abstract .................................. 1

Introduction .......................... .... 1

Purpose and scope ................... 2

General considerations ................ 2

Maps and aerial photographs ........... 3

Description of sites ........................ 8

Skagway River valley .................. 8

Taiya River valley .................... 10

Ferebee River valley .................. 11

Page

Description of sites Continued

Lutak Met ........................... 11

Haines and vicinity .................... 12

Klukwan and vicinity ................... 14

Haines to Klukwan ..................... 14

Berners Bay .......................... 15

Juneau and vicinity ..................... 16

Recommendations ........................... 17

Literature cited ............................. 17

Figure 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

ILLUSTRATIONS

Page

Lynri Canal area.....................................................

Mean monthly values, precipitation, and temperature at Skagway, Haines, 

Klukwan, and Juneau...............................................

Aerial view of Skagway.

................ 5

............... 9

Aerial view of Haines and vicinity. ........................................................ 13

Aerial view of south end of Berners Bay ................................................ 15

Aerial view of Juneau and vicinity........................................................ 16

TABLE

Table 1. Climatological data

ABSTRACT

Full development of a proposal to divert the 

headwaters of the Yukon River drainage from Canada 

into the Taiya River valley of Alaska would make available more than a half million kilowatts of electrical 

energy. Utilization of this block of power, for which 

there is at present no local market, will require an 

industrial and community development of appreciable 

magnitude. Suitable sites for industrial and community 

development near the proposed power source are limited 

because of the extremely rugged and mountainous terrain of the Lynn Canal area.

This report considers potential industrial areas 

at Skagway, Taiya River, Ferebee River, Lutak Inlet, 

Haines and vicinity, Klukwan and vicinity, Haines to 

Klukwan along the Haines cutoff, Berners Bay, and 

Juneau and vicinity. The factors considered in their 

evaluation are topography, geology, climate, water 

supply, transportation facilities, and transmissionline routes from the source of power.

INTRODUCTION

It has long been known that a large block of 

hydroelectric power could be developed by diverting 

water from the headwaters of the Yukon River in 

Canada to some point in the Taiya River valley near 

Skagway, Alaska. Such a project would involve damming the Yukon River at Miles Canyon near Whitehorse, 

Yukon Territory, to develop storage in a series of 

interconnecting lakes and diverting from one of these 

lakes, Lake Lindeman, by tunnel through the Coast 

Range to a power site, or sites, in the Taiya River 

valley. The potential power would be a half million 

kilowatts or more, the exact amount being dependent 

on the amount of water that can be diverted. This 

plan is generally referred to as the Yukon-Taiya 

Project.

This project has an international aspect, involving the United States and Canada as well as Yukon 

Territory, the Province of British Columbia, and 

the Territory of Alaska. Obviously there must be
proper agreement between the governmental 

units before any actual development can be undertaken.

The Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) 

announced plans in August 1952 (Eng. News Record, 

1952, p. 21) for developing the Yukon-Taiya Project 

at an estimated cost of $400 million. According to 

this announcement the completed project would produce 200, 000 tons of aluminum metal annually, would 

develop more than 1 million kilowatts of power, and 

would require an area of about 20, 000 acres or more 

than 30 square miles. The construction and subsequent 

operation of the project would result in a town having 

an estimated population of 20, 000 or more.

Purpose and scope

The purpose of this report is to present information relating to the various locations in Alaska where 

industrial communities might be established to use the 

power from the Yukon-Taiya Project. These locations 

are discussed considering the topography, geology, 

climatic conditions, water supply, transportation, and 

transmission-line requirements. The following locations are described: Skagway, Taiya River, Ferebee 

River, Lutak Inlet and Chilkoot Lake, Haines and 

vicinity, Klukwan and vicinity, Haines to Klukwan, 

Berners Bay, and Juneau. The general geographic 

and topographic conditions of the areas are shown on 

sheets 8 and 9 of the International Boundary Commission 

maps as well as on the Juneau, Skagway, and Atlin 

quadrangle maps, published by the U. S. Geological 

Survey (scale, 1:250, 000). More details of some of 

the areas are shown on quadrangle maps (scale, 1:63, 360) 

also published by the U. S. Geological Survey. Reference to these maps are made appropriately in the text 

that follows. Aerial views of Skagway, Haines, 

Berners Bay, and Juneau are shown in figures 3, 4, 5, 

and 6. No attempt has been made to delineate specific 

areas or determine available acreages at the locations 

as map information now available makes this impracticable. Furthermore, what might be a suitable site 

for one type of industry would be unsuitable for another. 

Some industries might require a comparatively flat 

area whereas hillside topography would be advantageous 

for others.

General considerations

The entire Alaskan area under consideration is 

mountainous having altitudes that range from sea 

level to more than 5, 000 feet. Deep water fiords, 

ice-free the entire year, extend far into the mountains. The only flat and subdued topography suitable 

for community and industrial use is in the larger river 

and stream valleys and along certain isolated portions 

of the coast. The mountain slopes are invariably too 

steep for the usual types of habitation and industrial 

installations.

All areas that can be described as flat, or nearly 

so, consist of sand and gravel or glacial till, most of 

which is easily excavated but in many cases is not a 

good foundation material for large industrial plants. 

Areas that could provide firm bedrock foundations are 

rare and have a sloping surface, generally quite steep.

Power generated in large blocks generally, can 

be transmitted distances up to 300 miles or more 

(Barrows, 1943, p. 572) to bring it to communities 

and load centers. At present neither large communities nor load centers exist within practicable transmission range. Therefore, an industrial development 

requiring the amount of potential power available must 

be planned and considered as part of the development 

of the project. Owing to the rugged topography and 

adverse climatic conditions the cost of transmissionline construction would be extremely high. Maintenance, 

particularly during winter months would also present 

a difficult problem. The foregoing conditions dictate 

the desirability of considering locations as close to 

the source of power as possible. Consequently, attention is first directed to the possible locations nearest 

the source of power and then working away from there. 

Juneau, 90 miles from the source of power, is the 

most distant.

An adequate water supply, as to quantity and 

quality, is one of the most important considerations 

in evaluating the location of a possible industrial site. 

The demand for domestic water supply can be estimated 

reasonably well by reference to the demands of various 

cities. According to a report of the Water Division of 

Tacoma, Wash., the domestic consumption was 221 gpd 

per capita for the year 1948. Anchorage, Alaska, 

uses between 300 and 400 gpd per capita during the 

winter months. A large part of this demand is due to 

the practice of leaving faucets slightly open during 

cold weather to prevent pipes from freezing. A 

properly designed and constructed system could unquestionably lower this amount appreciably. For 

estimating purposes in this report a domestic consumption of 300 gpd per capita has been used. Assuming 

that a town with a population of 25, 000 will result along 

with the industrial development, the water requirement 

would amount to 7. 5 mgd or 23 acre-feet per day which 

is equivalent to a flow of 11.6 cfs.

The requirements for industrial water supply 

vary widely with different industries. Until the type 

of industry and types of processes planned for the 

Yukon-Taiya Project are known, reliable estimates 

cannot be made. According to present indications the 

principal installations in the area under consideration 

will be made by the aluminum industry. Studies of 

the requirements for industrial water supply are now 

in progress by the Geological Survey. These studies 

.show (Davenport, letter dated Dec. 24, 1952) that the 

main demand for water in the manufacture of aluminum 

is in the reduction of alumina to the aluminum metal. 

This process requires from 10 to 50 gallons per pound 

of finished aluminum metal. This wide variation is 

due to several considerations. Where water supplies 

are limited or where stream pollution is a factor, a 

high degree of recirculation can be employed in which 

case the demand can be as low as 10 gallons per pound. 

A "once through" system may be used when the demand 

is as much as 50 gallons per pound if water supplies 

are plentiful and stream pollution is not a factor. 

For a plant with a 400 million pound annual production 

of aluminum metal the corresponding water demands 

would range from 17 to 85 cfs.

The production of alumina from the bauxite ore 

requires about 1 gallon per pound of alumina. Two 

pounds of alumina are required to produce 1 pound of
aluminum metal. Eight hundred million pounds of alumina would therefore be required to produce 400 million 

pounds of aluminum metal. Using the relationship of 

1 gallon of water per pound of alumina results in a demand 

of 3.6cfs. For the purpose of this report this figure can 

be disregarded as it is comparatively small in relation to 

the other needs and it seems unlikely that the bauxite ore 

would be shipped to Alaska for reduction to alumina.

As previously stated the main demand for water is 

in the reduction of the alumina to aluminum metal and the 

process may require as much as 85 cfs for the development 

under consideration. For a report of this kind it seems 

advisable to consider the maximum demand that may occur 

or 85 cfs. This value along with the estimated 12 cfs for 

domestic water supply totals 97 or about 100 cfs. This is 

equivalent to 72,000 acre-feet per year. This value is 

for the proposed development by the aluminum industry 

and the supporting community. It is probable that other 

industries may also develop which, along with the supporting community, would also require a large volume of 

water. For longrange development studies water requirements of more than 100 cfs should be considered. 

As final planning stages are approached and if water 

supplies are limited certain conservation measures 

may be employed to bring the requirements within the 

supplies readily available.

The contemplated industrial development will most 

likely fall in the class of electrochemical or electrometallurgical industries. Large volumes and tonnages of material will have to be handled, and the main transportation 

of raw materials to the sites and finished products to points 

of distribution will be by water.' Harbor conditions are 

therefore an important consideration. These are shown 

on many U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey charts.

The Lynn Canal (fig. 1) area has pronounced tidal 

variations. Any harbor construction must be designed to 

accommodate vessels throughout the entire tidal range. 

The elevations of the tide planes at Skagway(U. S. Coast 

and Geodetic Survey, 1941, p. 164) based on observations 

duringthe period September 1908 to August 1911 and referred to mean lower low water are as follows:

Feet

Highest tide (Oct. 30, 1909) 22.32

Higher high water 16.6U

Mean high water 15.66

Half tide level 8.62

Mean lew water - - 1.58

Lower lew water 0.00

Lowest tide (January 16, 191l) - 5.?8

The foregoing table indicates that the extreme tidal 

variation may be close to 30 feet.

Fuel supplies, except wood, are not available at any 

of the locations considered and must therefore be imported. 

Home heating in southeastern Alaska utilizes petroleum 

products extensively. Very little use is made of coal for 

this purpose.

Climatic conditions, although important, will 

not likely be the deciding factor in selection of 

suitable industrial sites. Climate is discussed, 

however, for the various suggested locations. 

Data on precipitation, snowfall, prevailing wind 

direction, and temperature at Skagway, Haines, 

Klukwan, and Juneau are shown in table 1. Mean 

monthly values for precipitation and temperature

for these four stations are also shown graphically 

in figure 2.

Earthquakes have occured in the past throughout 

southeastern Alaska and can be expected to occur in the 

future at all of the locations discussed in this report. 

Yakutat Bay, about 150 to 175 miles northwest of Lynn Canal, 

experienced earthquakes in September 1899 that rank with 

the most intense earthquakes ever recorded in the World 

(Tarr and Martin, 1912, p. 128). In planning any largescale development in the Lynn Canal area the destructive 

effects of earthquakes should be considered.

As a development of this kind can be planned in advance, it seems logical to assume that the resulting 

communities can take advantage of the most up-to-date 

techniques and trends of city planning and avoid some of 

the undesirable features of many industrial centers in the 

United States. Proper zoning should remove residential 

areas from the industrial or factory sites. Among the 

factors to be considered in zoning, mention should be made 

of air pollution, maximum utilization of available sunlight, 

and disposition of industrial wastes.

Maps and aerial photographs

The areas under consideration are shown on the 

following maps:

U. S. Geological Survey: 

Base maps:

Alaska map B, 1952. Scale, 1:1,584,000. 

Also shows adjacent areas of 

British Columbia and Yukon Territory. 

Alaska map E, 1953. Scale, 1:2, 500, 000. 

Also shows adjacent areas of 

British Columbia and Yukon Territory. 

AlaskanReconnaissance Series (scale, 1:250, 000): 

Atlin quadrangle, 1951. Contour interval,

250 feet. 

Juneau quadrangle, 1950. Contour interval,

200 feet. 

Skagway, 1953. Contour interval, 200,

250, and 500 feet. 

Quadrangle maps (scale, 1:63,360):

JuneauB-2, B-3, D-4, andC-3 (in

preparation). Contour interval, 100feet. 

Skagway, A-l, B-l, C-l, andC-2, 1952.

Contour interval, 100 feet. 

Quadrangle maps (scale, 1:24,000):

Juneau and vicinity, 1950. Contour interval, 

40 feet.

U. S. Forest Service:

TongassNational Forest, 1951. Scale, 1:750,000.

U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey:

Charts: 8235 Gastineau Channel and Taku Inlet. 

Scale, 1:40,000.

8302 Lynn Canal-Icy Strait to 

Point Sherman. 

Scale, 1:80,000.

8303 Lynn Canal-Point Sherman to 

Skagway. Scale, 1:80,000. 

8202 Midway Islands to Cape Spencer, 

including Lynn Canal. 

Scale, 1:209,978. 

World aeronautical charts:

116 Mount Hunt. Scale, 1:1,000,000. 

138 Mount Fair weather.

Scale, 1:1,000,000.
TO-ALASKA /HIG
SKAGWAY

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.

6 i I 60

KLUKWAN

i

40

20

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.

10 i un iioo

80

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept.

2 -

Jan. Feb Oct. Nov. Dec.

Figure 2. Mean monthly values, precipitation, and temperature at Skagway, Haines, Klukwan, and Juneau.

5
Table 1. Climatological data 1

Location

No. of

years

record

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sep

Monthly and annual mean precipitation, inches

29-33

15-19

10-12

hf. c.~\

2.06

5.40

1.50

 -r n fi 7.16

1.45

4.53

1.36

5-53

1.30

4.92

1.25

5

r~-\ 

 5-i1.46

3.42

-.63

5-39

Dry 

.07

1.95

 57

5

OO

.92

1.53

.60

4.04

1.41

1.80

1.42

5.14

1.84

2

r~ -i 

ol

1.47

7.38

3.

5

3.

10

Monthly and annual mean snowfall, inches

Skagway 25-34

1 ^-17 J-.j x (

8 10

35-44

8

1- 

.5

28.2

-, 0 -2

lo.3

oQ ~i

r- 0 

5.0

19-4

13.2

23.8

3.0

ll.l

12.2

14.9

1.5

2.2

5.6

4.6

T

T

T

.1

.0

.0

.0

.0

.0

.0

.0

.0

T

.0

.0

.0

T

T

Monthly and annual prevailing wind direction

Juneau _______________

Monthly and annual mean,

Skagway:

Absolute maximum 

Absolute minimum 

Haines:

Mo fln _ ______

Absolute minimum 

Klukwan:

Mean maximum 

Absolute maximum 

20-22 

14-16 

23

N 

W

s

N 

W

SE

N,S 

W 

S

S 

W

s

S 

SE 

S

S 

SE 

S

S 

SE

S

S 

SE 

S

S 

SE 

S

mean maximum, mean minimum, absolute maximum^ and absolute minimum 

32-35 

18-20 

18-20 

31-34 

31-34

15-19 

15-17 

15-17 

15-17 

15-17

10-12 

6-10 

6-10 

10-12 

in_ifi

21.4 

28.0 

18.3 

50 

-21

23.4 

30.4 

16.8 

54 

-15

11.2 

19-3 

4.1 

42

-PA

24.7 

30.0 

19.7 

54 

-13

25-7 

31.8 

19.6 

50 

-13-

19.3 

27-9 

7.2

47 

- *,*>

31.2 

38.0 

25.6 

63 

-10

31.8 

38.4 

25.2 

63 

-6

27.4 

35-7 

15.4 

60

-PC)

40.1 

48 .-4 

31.6 

71 

7

40.1 

48.5 

31.6 

70 

6

38.4 

47.0 

27.3 

70 

?

48.7 

57.8 

38.8 

8l 

23

48.2 

57-0 

39-3 

83 

26

47.6 

58.4 

34.9 

85

PD

55.2 

65-6 

44.3 

90 

29

55-0 

64.8 

45.1 

88 

30

54.6 

63.7 

42.5 

94 

P8

57-6 

66.4 

48.1 

92 

36

57.6 

66.1 

49.2 

90 

35

57-1 

66.0 

48.4

99 

^fi

55-8 

64.7 

46.8 

92 

26

56.0 

64.5 

47.5 

86 

32

55.1 

64.0

53-7 

86 

PQ

48.

58.

41.

8l 

20

50.

57-

42.

76 

24

49.

56.

40.

75

2^>
Juneau:

M^fm------ -------------- _ ----- -- lili lift

M^ pv-i m *1 Y "t TT1 1 I'm »_». _ » «_ /J/J )Lr^t

Mean minimum 45-47

Absolute minimum 42-47

27-8

 ZT Q 51.o

24.4

54

-15

50.1 

54.5

Of c

<=5«5

err?

57 

-15

 z-z Q

55-0

~zQ r\ 50.9

29.1

61

-5

40.8

47.0

54.5

69

15

47.7

55-5

40.2

Qr\

24

54.2

C.f~\ )i

4fi P

87

55

r-^ T 5°.7 

( -, <-, 65.7

50.0

Qn o9

-zQ 

50

55-4

61.6

49.4

87

^6

5

5

4

7

2

1Data from: Climatic Atlas for Alaska, Rept. no. 444

Publications of the Weather Information Branch 

Headquarters Army Air Forces, Sept. 1943
The most recent aerial photographs of the areas 

considered in this report were taken in 1948 by the 

U. S. Navy. These 9 by 9 inch single lens vertical 

photographs carry the symbol SEA. The photographs 

were taken with a 6-inch focal-length camera at a flying height of 20, 000 feet and have an approximate scale 

of 1:40, 000. The films are on file with the Topographic 

Division, Regional office of the U. S. Geological Survey, 

Denver, Colo.

Another set of aerial photographs was also taken 

by the U. S. Navy in 1948. These photographs were 

obtained at the same flying height, 20, 000 feet, as the 

vertical photography described in the previous paragraph. 

They consist of two wing pictures, the axes of which 

are 18° to the left and right of the vertical. The photographs were taken with a 12-inch focal-length camera 

and have an approximate scale of 1:20, 000. These 

films are on file with the U. S. Forest Service, 

Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.

DESCRIPTION OF SITES

In the following descriptions, the various localities 

have been considered as individual units although some 

of these units may be combined as a larger unit or area. 

The Skagway-Taiya River units could be considered as one 

general area. Similarly, any large-scale development 

in the immediate vicinity of Haines undoubtedly would 

be accompanied in time, by other developments at 

several points on the Chilkat Peninsula, along Lutak 

Inlet, and from Haines toward Klukwan. In describing 

the locations individually several considerations are 

set forth, and from this information the possibility and 

effect of combining localities can be visualized.

Skagway River valley

Skagway is at the mouth of the Skagway River 

which enters the Taiya Inlet 3 miles from its upper end, 

and is about 90 airline miles north-northwest of Juneau. 

The Skagway River valley is shown on the Skagway B-l, 

Alaska quadrangle map and also in figure 3. Skagway 

is the tidewater terminus of the White Pass and 

Yukon Railroad. The inland terminus is Whitehorse, 

Yukon Territory, where connections can be made with 

the Yukon River boats and the Alaska Highway. The 

present population of Skagway is about 700. The 

population during the gold-rush days in the early part 

of the century has been estimated to have been as 

high as 35, 000, although this number may be excessive. 

Whatever the actual census was at that time, it was 

distinctly a gold-rush boom-town type of population, 

and these figures should not be taken as a measure 

of the size of a modern city that could be developed 

there.

The flat bottom of the Skagway River valley for 

2|- miles upstream from its mouth is only half a mile 

wide at the widest point. It narrows and is less than 

a quarter of a mile wide at the mouth of the East Fork 

which enters at about mile 4. The altitude at the 

mouth of the East Fork is slightly more than 200 feet; 

thus the average stream gradient is 50 feet per mile in 

the first 4 miles. Upstream from the mouth of East Fork 

the stream gradient is steep and irregular and large 

flat areas are lacking. The channel of the Skagway 

River is only a few feet below the canyon floor, and 

protective works are necessary to keep it from changing

its course and causing extensive damage to the town 

and railroad bed. At present a gravel levee about 

2 miles long affords this flood protection.

The valley walls of the Skagway River valley are 

composed of quartz diorite, a coarse-grained, massive, 

igneous rock that comprises most of the Coast Range 

batholith extending through the core of the Coast Range. 

The valley floor is composed of stream-laid sand and 

gravel that completely bury the bedrock surface of the 

valley. The depth to the bedrock surface is not known, 

but it is almost certainly several hundred feet. In 

the center of the valley in the town of Skagway, bedrock 

is possibly as much as 600 feet below the surface. 

This valley fill could provide an unlimited supply of 

sand and gravel for construction purposes.

The main climatic features are summarized in 

table 1. Precipitation and snowfall, 26. 4 inches and 

38. 6 inches respectively, are rather low for southeastern Alaska. Temperatures range from a minimum 

of -22 F to a maximum of 92 F, the annual mean being 

40.2 F. Information is not available on the wind 

velocities, but the winter winds in Lynn Canal may be 

extremely severe having velocities more than 100 miles 

per hour; the stronger winds are prevailing northerly. 

A comparison of precipitation, and temperature for 

Juneau, Haines, Skagway, and Klukwan is shown 

graphically in figure 2.

The present water supply for Skagway is obtained 

mainly from Lower Dewey Lake, but some residents 

have individual wells. The following paragraph on the 

Dewey Creek basin has been abstracted from "Waterpowers, southeast Alaska" (U. S. Federal Power 

Commission and U. S. Forest Service, 1947, p. 75-76).

"Dewey Creek enters the Taiya Met 2. 3 miles 

southwest of Skagway. There are two lakes in the 

basin. Upper Dewey Lake has an area of 34. 4 acres 

at the 3, 073 foot elevation and Lower Dewey Lake has 

an area of 32. 8 acres at the 452 foot elevation. Icy Lake 

has an area of 3. 4 acres at the 765 foot elevation, 

emptying into Icy Creek which flows one mile southeasterly to its confluence with Dewey Creek 300 feet 

upstream from the head of Lower Dewey Lake. 

Snyder Creek originally flowed into Dewey Creek 

600 feet downstream from the outlet of Lower Dewey Lake 

but has been diverted from its natural course and now 

empties into Lower Dewey Lake. Reid Falls Creek, 

a tributary of the Skagway River, has been diverted 

also into Icy Lake, which in turn brings this water in 

to Lower Dewey Lake. The natural drainage area at 

the outlet of Lower Dewey Lake is 4. 2 square miles. 

The drainage of Snyder Creek is 1. 2 square miles, and 

that of Reid Falls Creek is 2. 8 square miles, both of 

which have been diverted into Lower Dewey Lake making the total drainage area at the outlet of this lake 

8. 2 square miles. Comparing the precipitation at 

Skagway with that at Juneau it has been estimated that 

the discharge would be 3. 5 second-feet per square 

mile and the mean discharge for the area draining 

into Lower Dewey Lake would be 29 second-feet. The 

discharge during winter months would be considerably 

below this figure, and there are no storage opportunities 

available whereby this flow could be equalized. "

The foregoing estimate of a mean discharge of 

29 cfs would correspond to a mean annual runoff of 

48 inches. The mean annual precipitation at Skagway
is 26.4 inches. The precipitation over the 

Dewey Lake drainage area is unquestionably 

greater than at Skagway but it seems doubtful 

if it is as great as the foregoing figures indicate. 

Consequently, the above-mentioned discharge of 

29 cfs is considered to be too great. The Dewey Lake 

basin therefore, does not offer adequate water 

supply for an industrial development and the 

supporting community but could probably meet 

most, if not all, of the demands for domestic 

water supply. (Estimated to require 11.6 cfs, 

page 2.)

The Skagway River has a drainage area 

of 149 square miles, 43 square miles of which 

are in British Columbia. An appreciable percentage of this area is covered with glaciers which

affect the streamflow. There is a series of 

cascades 5 miles upstream from the mouth. 

During the winters of 192?26, 28 discharge 

measurements (Water Powers, Southeast Alaska, 

p. 75-76) were made at the cascades to determine 

the low-flow characteristics. The nominal flow 

was 9 cfs, and the minimum discharge was 7 cfs 

on April 24, 1925. It is apparent that the winter 

flows would be insufficient for even a small city 

and industrial development. A^ suitable storage 

site to equalize the flow throughout the year is 

not believed practicable in view of the steep 

gradient of the river. During times of moderate 

and high flows, the presence of sediment load 

from glacial action and stream erosion would 

present a difficult, if not an impracticable treatment problem.

Figure 3. Skagway and Skagway River valley. Photograph by U. S. Forest Service.
One possible source of water supply would be from 

the tailrace or penstock of^the proposed powerhouse on 

the Taiya River. This plan would require a conduit 

about 10 miles long.

Probably abundant ground-water supplies could 

be readily developed in the Skagway River valley. 

Cederstrom (1952, p. 15) reports that several residents have their own wells which range in depth from 

16 to 30 feet, and that the water level in the center of 

town is only 4f feet below the surface. The gravels 

are quite permeable and the ground water level throughout the valley is probably less than 10 feet below the 

surface.

One road from Skagway extends up the Skagway 

River valley about 3 miles. Another road, 7 or 8 miles 

long leads to a point about 2^ miles above the mouth of 

the Taiya River. This road is a narrow mountain road, 

but plans are being considered for its improvement. 

The White Pass and Yukon Railroad is a narrow-gage 

railway. Plans have been considered at various times, 

for the construction of a railroad from Prince George, 

British Columbia to Fairbanks, Alaska. If constructed, 

the railroads would connect at or near Whitehorse.

Proposals, chiefly by Skagway residents, have 

been made from time to time for roads to connect 

Skagway with Haines and Whitehorse. Connections to 

either of these towns would give access to the Alaska 

Highway. The mountainous terrain to be crossed by 

either of these routes creates tremendous difficulties 

for construction and maintenance.

Skagway is serviced winter and summer by oceangoing vessels of the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company. 

A modern well-equipped dock suitable for large vessels 

is maintained by the railroad. Although the Skagway River 

carries considerable sediment, filling of the harbor is 

not considered serious. The main difficulty encountered 

by ocean shipping is the strong north winds in Taiya Inlet 

during the winter. Harbor conditions are shown on 

U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey chart 8303.

There is an airfield at Skagway but it can only 

accomodate small and medium-sized planes. Because 

the valley is so narrow larger planes cannot use this 

field.

The airline distance from Skagway to the powersite location is about 10 miles, and the transmissionline distance would be about the same.

The principal drawback to Skagway as an industrial 

site is the limited amount of available unoccupied land. 

Much of the valley is now occupied by the town of 

Skagway and the railroad and its appurtenances.

Taiya River valley

The Taiya River valley is shown on the Skagway 

B-l and C-l, Alaska quadrangles. The Taiya River 

empties into the head of Taiya Inlet about 2 miles 

northwest of Skagway. For the lower 10 miles, the 

river flows in a flat bottomed canyon the maximum 

width of which is only three-fourths of a mile, and for 

much of this distance only one-half mile or less in 

width. The bottom ends abruptly against steep valley 

walls making avalanches and landslides an ever-present

danger. The gradient of the lower section of the valley 

is flat; the 100-foot contour crosses at about mile 7 and 

the 400-foot contour at about mile 10. The channel is 

only slightly below general ground level, and the additional flow of water coming from the powerhouses might 

cause serious problems of flooding and erosion. The 

normal flow through the powerhouses will be about 

5, 000 cfs, but the flow will vary considerably and 

at times might be as high as 10, 000 cfs. This value 

added to natural streamflow at times of high water may 

exceed the natural carrying capacity of the channel and 

cause flooding of the valley bottom. During the winter 

months the variation in flow coupled with ice accumulations 

and possible ice jams could also cause some difficulties. Establishment of industrial sites in the Taiya 

valley would likely necessitate considerable channel 

improvement and control.

The drainage area of the Taiya River basin upstream from the tributary entering from the west 

3 miles above the mouth is 140 square miles. A large 

portion of this area is covered with glaciers that affect 

the streamflow.

The Taiya River valley is geologically similar 

to the Skagway River valley. The steep valley walls are 

composed of quartz diorite and the flat valley floor 

is composed of stream-laid silts, sands, and gravels. 

Because of the lower gradient of the Taiya River as 

compared with the Skagway River, the valley floor, 

particularly near the mouth, is made up of a large 

amount of silt. As a consequence the valley floor is 

poorly drained. In other respects the Taiya River 

valley has the same geologic features as the Skagway 

River valley.

Except for one or two homesteaders there 

are no settlers in the valley. During the gold-rush 

days the town of Dyea was at the mouth of the river. 

Dyea has long been abandoned and destroyed.

As far as is known no weather records along 

the Taiya River valley are available. Considering 

the similarity of general features and proximity 

thereto, precipitation, snowfall, temperature, and 

wind direction along the lower part of the Taiya River 

valley no doubt would be similar to those observed at 

Skagway.

Water supply from the Taiya River valley is 

probably impracticable in view of its glacial characteristics. There are no known lakes from which a source 

of water could be obtained. Abundant ground-water 

supplies undoubtedly could be obtained from shallow 

wells dug in the valley fill. As mentioned for 

Skagway, a supply could be obtained from the powerhouse tailrace or penstock.

A narrow gravel roa.d from Skagway leads to 

the lower part of the valley.

No rail or port facilities exist at present. 

A connection to the White Pass and Yukon Railroad 

at Skagway would require 8 to 10 miles of line. 

Dock facilities for steamers could be constructed 

along either side of the Taiya Inlet and less 

easily at the head of the Inlet. Extreme 

winter winds, as high as 100 miles per hour, 

may prohibit year-round docking at the head of 

Taiya Inlet.

10
No air transportation facilities exist. Conditions 

for an airfield are somewhat more favorable than at 

Skagway, but here also the narrow valley would probably 

make it difficult to use large planes.

Industrial development in the Taiya River valley 

would be at the source of power and would have the 

distinct advantage of requiring only short transmission 

lines with their consequent low-maintenance costs and 

infrequent breakdown.

Ferebee River valley

The Ferebee River is shown on the Skagway, 

Alaska Reconnaissance Series quadrangle. It flows 

into Taiyasanka Harbor about 10 miles south-southwest 

from Skagway. The valley is long and narrow and has 

a strip of flat land in the valley bottom only half a mile 

wide. The stream gradient is about 30 feet per mile. 

The area of the drainage basin is 100 square miles. 

Suitable areas for atown and industrial sties are limited.

No climatic records are available for the 

Ferebee River valley. The nearest point that has 

record is Haines, 6 miles to the south. Values for 

precipitation and snowfall will likely fall between those 

for Haines and Skagway, probably being nearer the 

values for Haines than for Skagway. Temperatures 

would likely be quite comparable.

Geologically the valley is similar to the Skagway 

River valley.

Owing to its glacial character, the Ferebee River 

is not a suitable source of water supply. Ample supplies 

of ground water probably could be obtained from shallow 

wells dug in the valley floor. Outside sources would be 

the powerhouse tailrace or penstock on TaiyaRiver which 

would require a conduit more than 20miles long, or Chilkoot Lake which would require a conduit about 8 miles long.

There are no transportation facilities in the 

Ferebee River basin. Conditions are not favorable 

for either highway or railway development nor for 

landing fields for aircraft. Amphibian or floatplanes 

could use Taiyasanka Harbor when tide conditions 

were favorable. At extreme low tide nearly all the 

water flows out of this harbor. The conditions in 

this harbor are shown on U. S. Coast and Geodetic 

Survey chart 8303.

The length of transmission line to reach the 

area at the mouth of the Ferebee River would be about 

20 miles, mostly along steep rugged mountain slopes.

The Ferebee River valley is not a desirable 

industrial and community site because of its isolation 

from transportation facilities and its limited area.

Lutak Inlet

The area adjacent to Lutak Inlet is shown on the 

Skagway, Alaska Reconnaissance Series quadrangle 

map.

Lutak Inlet is 4 miles long and 1 mile wide, lying 

in a northwest-southeast direction. The Chilkoot River 

empties into the head of the inlet. Chilkoot Lake, at 

an altitude of less than 100 feet, occupies the lower

end of the Chilkoot River valley, the lake outlet is 

about 1 mile from the head of the inlet. An area of 

about 1 square mile between the lake outlet and the 

head of the inlet is fairly flat and ranges from 125 to 

175 feet above sea level. It could be used for a small 

townsite and industrial site.

Both shores of Lutak Inlet are very steep; the * 

northeast shore is steeper than the southwest. Any 

possible site locations along the shores of the inlet 

would be limited in extent.

The steep valley walls of Lutak Inlet are composed of massive fresh quartz diorite on the northeast 

side and massive greenstone and hornblendite on the 

southwest side. The valley floor consists of a thick 

fill of stream and glacial-laid deposits of sand and gravel 

intermixed with talus deposits from the steep valley walls. 

The low area that dams the Chilkoot River to form 

Chilkoot Lake is a recessional moraine of the glacier 

that formerly occupied the valley. It consists of the 

typical assemblage of unsorted rock material ranging 

from clay to large boulders.

The Chilkoot River drainage basin has an area of 

117 square miles above the lake outlet, and the lake 

has an area of 2. 5 square miles.

No climatic records are available. The nearest 

records are at Haines,7 miles to the southeast. Precipitation is undoubtedly less than at Haines although snowfall and temperature are probably comparable.

The runoff from the Chilkoot River should provide 

more than an adequate water supply. If river flow during 

the winter should be too low to meet the demand, storage 

could be provided in Chilkoot Lake. As an example; 

raising the lake 25 feet would provide roughly 40,000 acrefeet of storage or more than one-half of the assumed 

annual demand. There are several small glaciers in 

the basin, but their area in proportion to the total is 

small. The lake is turbid with glacial silt, and the 

water would have to be treated to remove the rock 

flour in order to be suitable for domestic or industrial 

use.

Ground-water supplies could be obtained easily by 

wells dug in the valley fill upstream from Chilkoot Lakeit is doubtful if the recessional moraine at the mouth 

of Chilkoot Lake is sufficiently permeable to provide 

ground water.

The outlet of Chilkoot Lake is 9 miles, shoreline 

distance,from Haines. At present a road extends 

5 miles from Haines along the southwest shore of 

Lutak Inlet. Four miles of new road would connect 

this area with Haines and, via the Haines Cutoff, with 

the Alaska Highway.

Extension of railroad facilities from Skagway 

to connect with this area would require about 

35 miles of line, most of which is along precipitous mountain slopes.

Lutak Inlet provides the best harbor for 

anchorage of ocean-going vessels in the entire 

area of Lynn Canal north of Berners Bay. Details are shown on U. S. Coast and Geodetic 

Survey chart 8303. Its long axis is transverse 

to the major air-drainage pattern which is both

11
up and down Lynn Canal. The inlet is sufficiently 

broad and long to permit adequate maneuverability of 

large vessels, and the bottom is deep enough so that 

good holding ground for anchoring can be reached easily. 

Dock facilities are now under construction on the southwest shore of Lutak Inlet at a point 5 miles from Haines. 

The initial facilities are being built primarily for tankers 

to supply the pipeline to the interior of Alaska. These 

facilities probably could be expanded as the demand 

warranted.

In view of the rather limited area available at the 

outlet of Chilkoot Lake, conditions for the development 

of an airfield to accommodate large landplanes are not 

favorable. Furthermore, the surrounding topography 

is unfavorable. Facilities for floatplanes could readily 

be made available in Lutak Inlet or in Chilkoot Lake.

The airline distance from the head of Lutak Inlet 

to the power site on the Taiya River is 18 miles, and 

the shoreline distance is 30 miles. The length of 

transmission line would be between these two values 

but probably would approach 25 miles, most of which 

would be along precipitous mountain slopes.

Haines and vicinity

Haines is 75 miles north-northwest from Juneau, 

at the upper or northwest end of the Chilkat Peninsula. 

This peninsula juts out from Mount Ripinski and extends 

southeastward 12 miles with Chilkoot Inlet on the northeast and Chilkat Inlet on the southwest. It ranges in 

width from half a mile at the narrowest point to 2 miles 

at the widest point. The maximum altitude attained is 

between 1, 700 and 1, 800 feet at a point 4 miles southeast from Haines. The area is shown on the Skagway, 

Alaska Reconnaissance Series quadrangle. An aerial 

view is shown in figure 4.

Haines lies in a saddle area between the foot of 

Mount Ripinski and the small mountain 4 miles to the 

southeast. At the narrowest point the saddle is threefourths of a mile wide between Chilkoot and Chilkat Inlets 

and less than 100 feet in altitude. From the low point 

of the saddle the ground rises in moderate slopes in 

either direction. There is a compact area of more 

than 2, 000 acres that is below the 300-foot contour 

surrounding this saddle. In addition there are areas 

of limited extent at other places along either shore of 

the peninsula that are considered favorable for industrial sites. The saddle area between the head of 

Flat Bay and Chilkat Inlet, 6 miles southeast from 

Haines, is fairly flat, probably about 200 acres below 

the 200-foot contour.

Topographic conditions in the Haines and vicinity 

area are considered the most favorable of any of the 

locations described in this report. Utilization of the 

maximum amount of available sunlight could be attained 

to a greater degree here than at any of the other localities with the possible exception of Juneau and vicinity. 

This area would permit the location of industrial sites 

and the accompanying city, and would allow adequate 

room for subsequent expansion in keeping with the 

most acceptable precepts of modern city planning.

The bedrock of the Chilkat Peninsula is dominantly massive greenstone that has been metamorphosed 

to a hard dense rock. Most of the low-land areas are

veneered with glacial till and raised beach clays and 

gravels, ranging in thickness from a few feet to 25 or 

30 feet on most of the peninsula except in the vicinity 

of Haines and Chilkoot Barracks. The bedrock lies 

at least several hundred feet below the land surface. 

Several wells (Cederstrom, 1952, p. 14) have been 

dug in this material, one of which reached a maximum 

depth of 512 feet. None of them are now used, and 

local residents are not too sure of their depth.

Weather data for Haines are shown in table 1 

and in figure 2. The mean annual precipitation is 

57 inches. The mean annual snowfall is 107 inches 

and is concentrated in the 4 months from November - 

through February. Extremes of temperature that 

have been recorded range from a minimum of -15 F 

in January to a maximum of 90 F in July.

Haines at present derives its water supply from 

a small creek draining from Mount Ripinski about 

1| miles northwest of the town. This supply is barely 

adequate, and during winter the pipeline often freezes, 

depriving the entire town of water. At such times the 

town obtains water from nearby Chilkoot Barracks 

which is supplied by Lilly Lake, a small lake 2^ miles 

southeast of town. Gravity flow carries the water 

through li miles of 5-inch pipe and IT miles of 3-inch 

pipe to a storage tank at the barracks. It is estimated 

that if leaks in the line were repaired Lilly Lake could 

provide an average of 150 gpm throughout the year. 

This quantity is sufficient water for the present community, but it does not allow for any expansion. At one 

time Chilkoot Barracks obtained its water from 

Haska Creek across Chilkat Inlet. A pipeline was 

laid across the mud flats, but because of damage by 

shifting sands the pipeline was abandoned. Improvements to the water supply and distribution system for 

Haines was in progress during the summer of 1952.

From the limited information available, it appears 

that adequate ground-water supplies are not available 

in sufficient quantities for the size of community 

contemplated in connection with the Yukon-Taiya 

Project. Surface-water supplies are not readily obtainable in the Haines area, and this situation is one 

of the major drawbacks of the area as a site for 

industrial development. Two sources of surface water 

are available: Chilkoot Lake and Chilkat Lake. 

Chilkoot Lake has already been discussed under 

Lutak Inlet. Delivering water from Chilkoot Lake 

to Haines would require a conduit between 9 and 10 miles 

long. The altitude of Chilkoot Lake is less than 100 feet 

and most of this fall would be absorbed in the conduit; 

thus pumping to an appropriate storage reservoir 

would be necessary to obtain a gravity distribution with 

sufficient pressure.

Chilkat Lake is 19 miles northwest of Haines and 

3 miles southwest of Klukwan. It drains into the 

Tsirku River which in turn joins the Chilkat River 

near Klukwan. The lake is between 5 and 6 miles long, 

ranging in width from a few hundred feet to \\ miles. 

The lake has an area of 3. 9 square miles or 2, 500 acres. 

The altitude of the lake surface is about 200 feet and 

is only about 15 to 20 feet above the level of 

Tsirku River. The drainage tributary to the lake 

is 38 square miles. No records are available on the 

outflow from the lake. Klukwan has a mean annual 

precipitation of 21 inches. The mean annual precipitation over the Chilkat Lake drainage area would

12
undoubtedly be greater because of the higher altitudes 

of the basin. Using the value of 21 inches and assuming that essentially all the precipitation appears as 

runoff, the annual discharge from the lake would exceed 

40,000 acre-feet, which is only slightly more than half 

the assumed annual demand. Actual discharge unquestionably would be much greater than the above 

figure but at the same time might not reach the estimated 72, 000 acre-feet annual demand (see p. 2). The 

difference would have to be obtained from some supplemental source. Storage in the lake could be provided 

readily to equalize the flow throughout the year. For 

instance; raising the lake level 20 feet would provide 

more than 50,000 acre-feet of storage capacity. Conveying the water from Chilkat Lake to the Haines area 

would present many problems. The Chilkat River 

would have to be crossed with an appropriate conduit, 

and, in view of the channel conditions, would be difficult. A diversion at or near the outlet of the lake would 

require a conduit about 20 miles long to bring the water 

to the Haines area. This length could be shortened by 

several miles if it were practicable to divert water 

from a point near the head of the lake, by means of a 

tunnel about 2 miles long through the ridge between the 

lake and the Chilkat River. Pumping would be required 

to deliver the water to a suitable reservoir or storage 

tank for gravity distribution. Chilkat Lake has no

glacial drainage, and the water is clear. Removal of 

turbidity would not be necessary as is the case with 

water from Chilkoot Lake.

A highway 154 miles long and originating at Haines, 

known as the Haines Cutoff, connects with the Alaska 

Highway at mile 960, 100 miles west of Whitehorse and 

565 miles southeast of Fairbanks. A road from Haines 

extends down the southwest shore of the Chilkat Peninsula 

between 5 and 6 miles, and crosses the narrow neck of 

the peninsula to the head of Flat Bay. A road also 

extends northwestward along the shore of Lutak Inlet 

for 5 miles.

An automobile ferry service operates between 

Haines and Tee Harbor, which is 18 miles northwest 

of Juneau. This ferry operates only when the Haines 

Cutoff is open.

Connection with the present railroad facilities at 

Skagway would require about 45 miles of line, most of 

which would be along steep mountain slopes.

At present there is a small pier at Haines at 

which large steamers can dock. As far as depth of 

.water is concerned, suitable dock locations are 

readily available along the Chilkoot Inlet side of the

Figure 4. Haines (right) and Chilkoot Barracks (left). Chilkat River in right background. Portage Cove in foreground. Photograph by U. S. Forest Service.

13
peninsula. Winds in the winter cause some difficulty 

in docking. The Chilkat Inlet side is not a favorable 

location as the inlet is filling rapidly with silt from the 

Chilkat River. These two inlets are shown on 

U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey chart 8303.

There is a small airstrip 2 miles northwest of 

Haines which is now used by the planes serving this 

area. These planes are comparatively small although 

a DC-3 plane probably could use the strip. The existing 

airstrip could be enlarged or other locations found 

where a field suitable for larger planes could be developed. Daily air service is now available to Juneau 

and Skagway.

Haines is 23 airline miles from the power site 

on the Taiya River. A transmission-line distance 

somewhat greater, probably nearly 30 miles, would be 

required to reach the Haines area. As previously mentioned, most of the transmission line would be along 

steep mountain slopes.

Klukwan and vicinity

Klukwan, an Indian village, is 23 miles by road 

northwest of Haines along the Haines Cutoff. The area 

is shown on the Skagway, Alaska Reconnaissance Series 

quadrangle map. Klukwan is on the northeast bank of 

the Chilkat River opposite the mouth of the Tsirku River 

and 2 miles downstream, southeast, from the confluence 

of the Klehini and Chilkat Rivers. Limited areas for 

town and industrial sites are available along the left 

bank of the Chilkat River between Klukwan and the 

junction of the Klehini and Chilkat Rivers. On the opposite side of the river are two areas worthy of consideration. One of these is enclosed by the Tsirku River, 

Little Salmon River, Klehini River, and Chilkat River. 

The other is the area between Chilkat Lake, 

Tsirku River, and Chilkat River.

Klukwan is on the outer edge of an alluvial fan 

formed by the rock debris from a small stream that 

drains from the mountain range above Klukwan. The 

fan gradually slopes upwards from an altitude of 120 feet 

at the shore of the Chilkat River to about 800 feet at the 

base of the mountain where the stream spreads out 

over the fan. The material in the fan consists largely 

of sand and silt at the outer margins, and toward the 

mountain front the material is increasingly coarse so 

that at the front the rock and debris contains many 

large boulders. The fan has formed since a glacier 

occupied the Chilkat valley, and, is still being added 

to every time the stream floods. It is reported that 

the village of Klukwan was destroyed many years ago 

when the stream flooded and debris from the mountain 

slopes spread over the village. If any large and valuable installations were constructed on the Klukwan fan, 

means would have to be provided to constrict the stream 

to a fixed channel to prevent damage in time of flood.

The lowland areas across the Chilkat River from 

Klukwan offer some possibilities as favorable sites 

for industrial development. The area enclosed by the 

Tsirku, Little Salmon, Klehini, and Chilkat "Rivers is 

composed largely of river-deposited gravels only 

slightly above river level, whereas the area enclosed 

by Chilkat Lake, Tsirku River, and Chilkat River is 

largely composed of bedrock and rises as high as 

750 feet above river level.

Weather conditions at Klukwan are shown in 

table I and in figure 2. The mean annual precipitation 

is 21 inches, thus showing the effect of its inland 

location. As noted above, the precipitation at Haines, 

23 miles to the southeast, is 57 inches. Although the 

mean annual precipitation at Klukwan is only slightly 

more than one-third that at Haines, it is interesting 

to note that the values for annual snowfall are essentially 

the same, 104 and 107 inches respectively. As shown 

in table 1, the mean values of temperature for Klukwan 

are definitely below those for Haines and Skagway. 

Extreme temperatures, however, vary from -36 F 

to 99 F, both extremes are beyond those for Haines 

and Skagway.

The water supply for any development in the 

Klukwan area would either be from ground-water 

sources, which are entirely undeveloped, or from 

Chilkat Lake, which was described in the previous 

section.

As previously stated, Klukwan is located on the 

Haines Cutoff, 23 miles from Haines. Roads could be 

extended to the two areas mentioned which are on the 

opposite side of the Chilkat River. The wide and 

shifting nature of the river channel would cause some 

problems in bridge location, construction, and maintenance.

Extension of rail facilities to connect with the 

railroad at Skagway seems out of the question. If the 

resulting industrial development requires movement of 

large volumes and tonnages, a railroad from the power 

, sites to connect with dock facilities at tidewater would 

be necessary.

There are no airfields in this area at present. 

It is believed that topographic conditions are such that 

an airfield suitable for large planes could be readily 

located and developed.

The straight-line distance from Klukwan to the 

power site on the Taiya River is 22 miles. This route 

crosses two valleys at points less than 1,000 feet in 

altitude and three ridges more than 5, 000 feet in 

altitude. A transmission line following fairly close to 

the shore from the power site to Haines and then 

following the road would be about 70 miles in length. 

The length of the transmission line would be between 

these extremes, probably about 50 miles.

Haines to Klukwan

Certain areas of limited extent are available 

along the road from Haines to Klukwan. These are 

.the gentler slopes and on some of the flat areas along 

the river channel. Attention should be called to the 

alluvial fan at the abandoned Indian town of Kalwatta 

at mile 18 on the Haines Cutoff. This fan is similar 

to the one at Klukwan.

Climatic conditions along this area would vary 

between the conditions shown for Haines and Klukwan, 

actual conditions depending on the location considered. 

As previously noted the precipitation at Klukwan is 

only slightly more than one-third that at Haines. 

Whether or not the precipitation decreases uniformly 

or irregularly on ascending the valley is not known.

14
Water supply would be from ground-water sources 

or from Chilkat Lake.

Any sites along this area would be near the existing road.

Extension of rail facilities from Skagway to this 

area is not considered feasible because of the rugged 

terrain. However, if industrial development requires 

the movement of a large volume and tonnage, a railroad from the industrial sites to connect with dock 

facilities at tidewater could be constructed.

Whether or not suitable airfields could be developed would depend on the location.

Berners Bay

Berners Bay is on the east side of Lynn Canal, 

35 miles north-northwest of Juneau and 55 miles southsouthwest of Skagway. Portions of Berners Bay are 

shown on the Juneau D-4 and C-3 quadrangle maps,

and in the aerial view in figure 5. The principal 

streams entering the Bay are Berners River, Lace River, 

Antler River, and Cowee Creek, all originating in 

glaciers. Canyon Creek and South Fork Cowee Creek, 

tributaries of the Cowee River, are nonglacial. There 

are comparatively flat areas at several points along the 

shore of the bay and at the mouths of the several streams 

entering it.

Weather records are not available for the 

Berners Bay area but it is believed that conditions are 

similar to those recorded at Juneau.

Possibilities for development of ground-water 

supplies have not been investigated.

The best possibilities for surface-water supply 

appear to be from Canyon Creek and South Fork of 

Cowee Creek, nonglacial tributaries of Cowee Creek. 

Canyon Creek has a drainage area of 5 square miles 

and South Fork of Cowee Creek has a drainage area 

of 6 square miles . Owing to the low altitude of the 

basins the runoff will follow closely the precipitation

Figure 5. Berners Bay, left background. Bridget Cove in foreground. Cowee Creek in center. Photograph by

U. S. Forest Service.

15
pattern. Minimum mean monthly precipitation at Juneau 

is 4 inches in June. Assuming an equal amount of runoff 

the combined areas would contribute 2, 300 acre-feet in 

June which is less than one-half the proportionate share 

of the estimated annual demand of 72, 000 acre-feet. The 

other streams are all of glacial origin, consequently their 

suitability as a source of water is doubtful.

At present there are no roads in the area. A road 

from Juneau ends at Eagle River, 10 miles southeast of 

the south end of the Bay. A road could readily be constructed from the south end of Berners Bay to connect with 

the Juneau road at Eagle River.

There are no railroad facilities in the area and construction of any hardly seems justified.

Although there are no dock facilities, shore and 

water conditions would readily permit their construction. 

Berners Bay is shown on Coast and Geodetic Survey 

chart 8302.

At present there are no airport facilities. It is believed 

that topographic conditions at various points around the bay 

are favorable for location and construction of airfields.

A transmission line 60 to 65 miles in length 

would be required to reach from the power site on 

the Taiya River to Point St. Mary, the north end of 

the opening into Berners B'ay. The additional distance 

required would depend on the location of the industrial 

sites around the bay. The transmission line would, 

for the most part, be along steep, rugged mountain 

slopes.

Juneau and vicinity

Juneau occupies a limited and almost fully utilized 

area that does not provide much opportunity for city 

or industrial expansion. There are, however, several 

areas west and northwest of Juneau which are essentially unoccupied and are connected to Juneau by an 

all-weather road. Among these are the northeast 

and north sides of Douglas Island, Lemon Creek, 

Mendenhall Valley, Auke Bay, Tee Harbor, 

Pearl Harbor, and Eagle and Herbert Rivers. 

All of these areas are shown on Juneau B-2, 

B-3, and C-3, Alaska quadrangle maps. Juneau 

and adjacent areas is well shown in the aerial 

view in figure 6.

Figure 6. Juneau and Gastineau Channel. Taku Inlet in distance. Photograph by U. S. Forest Service.

16
The character of the subsurface of suitable 

sites ranges from bedrock veneered with glacial 

till and elevated beach deposits to silt, sand, and 

gravel valley-fill. Metamorphosed slate, graywacke, 

and lava flows can be expected a short distance 

below the surface on Douglas Island, Auke Bay, 

and Tee Harbor. Mendenhall Valley is a flat 

area of 3 to 4 square miles filled with a very 

thick deposit of glacial outwash consisting of 

silt, sand, and gravel. The nature of the materials 

is such that abundant ground-water supplies probably 

could be easily developed. Pearl Harbor, Lemon Creek, 

and Eagle and Herbert River valleys are low areas 

of limited extent largely composed of sand and 

gravel.

The climatic conditions for Juneau are shown 

in table 1 and figure 2 and are fairly representative 

for the areas north of town, except that precipitation values are probably about two-thirds those 

of Juneau. The snowfall at Jurieau is about the 

same as at Haines and Klukwan.

Juneau and Douglas obtain their water from 

surface sources. Juneau has three systems, all 

privately owned, that divert water from streams 

issuing from the mountains back of town. Gold .Creek* 

provides the principal source of water. Douglas 

obtains its water from a stream back of town. 

None of the systems is capable of much expansion 

and any development outside of the present city 

limits of Juneau and Douglas would have to obtain 

its water elsewhere. Possible sources of water 

are Fish Creek and other-' streams draining northeasterly from Douglas Island, Montana Creek for 

the Auke Bay and Mendenhall Valley area, and 

Peterson Creek and Lake for Tee Harbor, 

Pearl Harbor, and Eagle and Herbert River valley 

areas. Ground-water supplies probably could be 

developed, particularly in the Mendenhall Valley 

and the Eagle and Herbert River valleys, but 

these areas should be investigated by test wells 

before definite statements can be made.

An all-weather road extends from Juneau to 

Douglas and 30 miles northwest to Eagle River. 

To extend the road from Juneau to either Skagway 

or Haines is virtually impossible because of the 

rugged terrain. A low-level road from Juneau 

up the Taku River valley to connect with feeder 

roads to the Alaska Highway has been proposed 

and discussed for many years. Such a road would 

require either a ferry or piling roadway across 

the tidal Taku Glacier.

There are no rail facilities at Juneau and 

development of any seems most unlikely.

Juneau has excellent dock and harbor facilities 

as well as a modern airport that accomodates 

four-engine planes. Daily air service is maintained 

to other Alaskan towns and to the States. Harbor 

and airport facilities could be expanded to handle 

increased traffic.

A transmission line from the Taiya River 

valley to Juneau and vicinity would be from 90 to 

110 miles long and would cross very rugged terrain 

from Skagway to Berners Bay. Heavy snows, 

landslides, and icing conditions would make

construction and maintenance a considerable problem. The interval from Berners Bay to Juneau 

is relatively low land and should not present any 

particular problem.

RECOMMENDATIONS

As a step in the further analysis of several 

general locations the following investigations are 

recommended:

1. Installation of recording anemometers 

at Skagway and Haines to obtain data 

on wind velocities and its relation to 

shipping problems. This data would also 

be useful in studying air pollution problems, which would undoubtedly be part 

of any industrial development, and would 

assist in determining the best relation 

between the location of industrial and 

residential areas. Data at these two 

stations would be reasonably applicable 

to other points in the Haines-Skagway area.

2. Installation of stream-gaging stations on

the Skagway River, Taiya River, Chilkoot 

Lake outlet, and Chilkat Lake outlet. The 

streamflow data at the lake outlets would 

be primarily for water-supply studies. 

The streamflow data on the rivers would 

be useful not only for water-supply 

studies but also for Hood control, 

channel improvement, and maintenance 

studies. Sediment and quality of water 

investigations should be incorporated 

with this stream-gaging program.

3. Exploration of ground-water potentialities 

in the locations most favorable for 

industrial sites.

4. Topographic mapping of areas under consideration on a scale of 1:24,000, with appropriate 

contour interval. Such maps would provide 

an adequate base for preliminary engineering 

designs and estimates as well as a base for 

geologic studies.

5. Geologic examination of dam sites at outlets

of Chilkoot and Chilkat Lakes, and other areas 

under consideration for industrial and 

community developments.

LITERATURE CITED

Barrows, H. K., 1943, Water-power engineering, 

3d ed., New York, McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc.

Cederstrom, D. J., 1952, Summary of ground-water development in Alaska, 1950: U. S. Geol. Survey Circ. 169.

Engineering News Record, Aug. 28, 1952, v. 149, no. 9.

Tarr, R. S., and Martin, Lawrence, 1912, The earthquakes at Yakutat Bay, Alaska, in September 1899: 

U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 69.

United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, Sept. 1941. 

Tidal bench marks, southeast Alaska: T-28, p. 164.

United States Federal Power Commission and United States 

Forest Service, 1947, Water powers, southeast 

Alaska: U. S. Federal Power Comm. P-9, p. 75-76.,

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