Alaska Rural Utility Collaborative work highlighted in 2018 report on activities
May 30, 2019
The Alaska Rural Utility Collaborative (ARUC) met in Anchorage April 25-26. ARUC partners with member communities to use a strength-in-numbers approach and assists with the management, operations and maintenance of each community’s water and wastewater systems.
Every year, the collaborative publishes a report sharing highlights of the previous year’s work. This year the report highlights activities such as utility assistance, water plant tours, new staff, alternative collection programs for unpaid bills, engineering updates, and various community led projects. The report also shares community financial improvements and decreased energy costs saving communities money.
The 2018 ARUC Report on Activities can be found here.
ARUC is an Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium program created to assist and empower its member communities to manage, operate and maintain water and sewer systems in rural Alaska. Each member community’s system is operated as a stand-alone, non-profit business with money from local customers generated from user fees and local community and regional support. ARUC member community’s finances must be enough to pay the system’s direct expenses and build a reserve account. ARUC’s services include helping set water and sewer rates in each community, billing local water and sewer customers, providing guidance to local water plant operators, and more. Through active management, operations and maintenance support, ARUC continues to pursue its goals of maximizing the public health benefits of sanitation facilities and building local community capabilities.