On Jan. 25, board members from the Maniilaq Association and Kotzebue Electric Association (KEA) conducted a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the completion of an innovative energy project constructed in cooperation with ANTHC. The Maniilaq Health Center, located in Kotzebue and the region’s only hospital, is now experiencing the cost- and energy-saving benefits of its new wind-to-heat energy system. The new system utilizes excess wind energy from KEA’s 3-megawatt wind turbine farm and directs this extra energy to a 450-kilowatt ...

ANTHC’s Rural Energy Initiative was recently awarded a National Director’s award from the Indian Health Service for its energy efficiency project work to improve the sustainability and reduce operating costs of rural sanitation systems and health care facilities across Alaska. The program was recognized for its accomplishments in identifying and implementing energy efficiency and renewable solutions through partnerships with rural communities, funding agencies and utility companies. The Rural Energy Initiative brings substantial benefit to the IHS portfolio of public health ...

To address the unique issues of brownfields that our Tribes face, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, in partnership with Kansas State University (KSU), will lead an effort in providing specialized Technical Assistance to Tribal Communities Addressing Brownfields. Brownfields are properties with hazardous substances, pollutants or other contaminants present. As the recipients of this five-year, $2 million U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-funded award, the project team of prominent Tribal organizations and experts, under the mentorship of KSU, will provide Tribal solutions ...

ANTHC construction crews recently completed work on the heat recovery energy project. The City of Noorvik’s water and wastewater system is now reaping the benefits of a heat recovery system. In a celebratory public council meeting Monday, Dec. 19, ANTHC Rural Energy Initiative’s Eric Hanssen, along with the ARUC program’s Chris Cox, Francine Moreno, and Alaska Rural Water Association’s (ARWA) Sean Berry, shared the good news about the completed project and benefits to system customers. Beginning in February, residents will ...

As climate change threatens many locations in Alaska, the village of Newtok in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region prepares to relocate their village to a new site, Mertarvik, which will be protected from erosion and thawing permafrost. ANTHC Survey and Engineering crews recently conducted a site visit to the Mertarvik site to collect topographical survey data for the development of the new community. The team worked through challenging weather conditions and off-grid lodging with limited to no power, heating, and water and ...

Staff from the ANTHC Department of Rural Utility Management Services (DRUMS) presented at the Alaska Rural Water Association (ARWA) conference in Anchorage. The annual gathering, which provides training for water and wastewater operators from across the state, was held Oct. 31-Nov. 3. DRUMS personnel often share their rural sanitation expertise, including new solutions and emerging technologies. Pierre Costello, lead civil engineer, delivered an overview of ANTHC’s custom treatment system for the Selawik water plant. William Hickey, utility operations specialist, presented ...