ANTHC’s Alaska Rural Utility Collaborative (ARUC) program has been selected as a semifinalist for the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Governance Honoring Nations award. ARUC is noted for its Tribal partnerships that empower rural villages to sustainably provide safe water and sanitation services that positively impact the health of our people. Honoring Nations is an awards program that identifies, celebrates, and shares outstanding examples of Tribal governance. Eighty-three applications were received and 18 were selected as semifinalists for ...

Public health concerns about lead in drinking water have increased due to recent reports detailing contamination of the public water supply in Flint, Michigan. Lead can enter the drinking water supply when pipelines or fixtures containing lead materials corrode. Drinking water can corrode pipes or fixtures when water in the system has high acidity or mineral content. A recent article in an Anchorage newspaper highlighted the issue in Michigan and referenced a number of locations around Alaska where testing has ...

ANTHC construction crews recently started work on a heat recovery energy project for the Noorvik water utility that is projected to save 16,000 gallons of heating fuel annually once completed. The project will capture excess heat energy from the community power plant and use it as an alternative energy source. Construction is scheduled to wrap up before the beginning of winter. This heat recovery project is one of dozens of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects from ANTHC’s Rural Energy ...

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 ...