An orange-colored substance that washed up on the shores of the village of Kivalina and causing concern for residents that it may have been toxic, is not man-made.
Coast Guard Petty Officer David Mosely tells KTUU that it’s not a petroleum substance.
More tests are being conducted, but it might be a type of algae.
Pictures taken by resident Mida Swan show an orange sheen across the harbor and close-ups of the matter on beaches in the village on the state’s northwest coast, about 625 miles northwest of Anchorage.
City Administrator Janet Mitchell told the Associated Press the village is requesting that an algae expert from the University of Alaska Fairbanks investigate.
She also says some residents are dumping water collected in rain buckets for consumption because it too has a color.
