The Northwest Arctic Borough recently partnered with ANTHC and the Maniilaq Association to manage a $1.8 million utility assistance program for all communities in the region. This program has reduced most residential customers’ water and sewer utility rates by about two-thirds. It is also reducing the number of water/sewer emergencies, providing training and support for operators and administrators, and making communities more competitive for construction grants. Funded by borough revenue, this program completed a joint fuel purchase for all community ...

The ANTHC Environmental Health and Engineering safety program recently completed work on a mobile app, found at https://www.excavation-safety.net, to improve excavation safety. Excavation work is a frequent part of ANTHC’s construction projects to bring water and sanitation services for the health of rural communities. ANTHC developed the application with funding from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Susan Harwood Grant, which provides funding for worker safety training across the U.S. on a competitive basis. When excavation is in progress on ...

On a hillside above the community of Akutan in the Aleutian Islands, an ANTHC Environmental Health and Engineering crew is using hand tools to build an 8-foot-tall concrete dam and accompanying 860-foot-long pipeline to capture community drinking water. The new concrete dam and pipeline, funded by the City of Akutan and the USDA Rural Development, will replace the former plywood structure and leaky pipeline. At the community’s request, the ANTHC crews have avoided using heavy equipment and all-terrain vehicles to ...

ANTHC is committed to strengthening our Alaska Native and American Indian workforce and developing future Alaska Tribal Health System leaders by offering a number of summer internships. ANTHC Environmental Health and Engineering (DEHE) interns are contributing their talents toward the organizational vision that Alaska Native people are the healthiest people in the world. Three interns are busy working on a variety of projects, from helping design a new water storage tank to readying homes for water and sewer service. Henry ...

ANTHC Environmental Health and Engineering employees James Temte and John Nichols were invited arts and culture delegates at the One Water Summit in Minnesota in July, where the two presented on the National Tribal Water Center (NTWC) housed at ANTHC. The summit, attended by more than 900 people from across the U.S., included utility personnel from major cities, federal government officials and Tribal organizations. It focused on finding solutions to make water and sewer service available, reliable and affordable in ...

“My first words were, ‘It’s so nice to have running water!’” said Eek Elder Xenia Black about having running water for the first time. “Before, I had to tell my son to haul water and do laundry, and he had to do it with a wheelbarrow. It’s nice to wash dishes, make coffee, and do lots of laundry. I don’t have to call my niece and nephew to come and take me to the laundromat.” The occasion is meaningful, since ...