The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced funding for 24 American Indian and Alaska Native communities to deploy clean energy and energy efficiency projects. ANTHC is among the awardees for energy projects in Alakanuk, Kotlik and Noorvik. As part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to partner with Tribal Nations, these projects provide Indian Tribes and Alaska Native villages with clean energy solutions that will save communities money and reduce carbon pollution. DOE’s funding is expected to be leveraged by ...

In partnership with the statewide Village Safe Water engineering group, ANTHC Tribal Utility Support staff members Darrin Bartz and Pierre Costello provided operator training in the operation of the new Buckland fluoridation system for the Northwest Alaska community. Buckland recently commissioned a new state of the art water treatment plan facility which highlights a fluoridation system installed to improve oral health in the community. Both Bartz and Costello have several years of experience in the application of fluoride systems in ...

Recovering frozen water lines in rural Alaska is an unfortunate necessity and a substantial challenge for many communities. ANTHC’s Alaska Rural Utility Collaborative (ARUC) recently implemented a revolutionary hydronic thaw recovery system for the water and sewer utilities in Kotlik and Upper Kalskag. Previous systems often relied on electrical heat tapes which are costly to operate, fail frequently, and burden the community with excessive electrical expenses when left on. The new glycol-based thaw recovery systems uses circulating anti-freeze to convey ...

The National Tribal Water Center and the Alaska Rural Utility Collaborative (ARUC) are partnering on a project called Water is Life, which promotes healthy water-use behaviors though the development of education and outreach interventions using science, culture, art, and media. Water is Life specifically promotes pride and ownership in Tribal drinking water and water systems, and celebrates the healthy Alaska Native cultural values and traditions surrounding water. The project brings an entire community together with a shared vision and awareness ...

Pre-moistened body and sanitary wipes are gaining popularity, which is unfortunately correlated with a rise in damage to plumbing pipes and costly repairs as a result of these wipes being flushed down toilets. Over the past year, ANMC and other regional hospitals and clinics have had several plumbing clogs, as well as sewer drain damage to village sanitation systems. The most frequent cause of the clogs has been masses of moistened “flushable” wipes. Many brands of these wipes are marketed ...

This week, ANTHC was recognized for innovation in development of the Local Environmental Observer (LEO) Network by Dennis McLerran, EPA Regional Administrator and JoAnn Chase, Director of the American Indian Environmental Office. We share this award with our LEO Network membership, consisting of more than 100 dedicated volunteer local environmental observers located across Alaska and the technical scientific support experts assisting from state and federal agencies. In addition to the award presented at the Alaska Forum for the Environment conference, ...