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First-Service Communities

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Partnering with communities to bring first-services water projects to rural Alaska

Water is an essential part of our wellness. ANTHC is partnering with communities unserved or underserved by adequate community water service to improve the water and wellness connections for more Alaska Native people. 

ANTHC works closely with communities throughout all phases of these projects – from community assessments, to planning and construction, to operations and maintenance, and beyond. While the project timeline for bringing running water to homes can take years, it ensures that every community receives quality planning, design, and construction services. 

This page highlights four first-service water projects, providing community members, Tribal partners, and other agencies with the latest information and project statuses.  

Communities

Allakaket

ANTHC is working in cooperation with the Native Village of Allakaket to provide a piped water and haul hybrid water distribution system and sewer collection system to improve the public health and safety of the community of Allakaket. 

Funding was secured in 2024 and the project is currently in design.  

The project scope of work describes the components of the upcoming project and the order in which they are planned for construction. The phasing below is preliminary and may change as the design progresses for later phases. Phase I is important to ensure the water source can provide enough water, and these facilities are essential before further development of the project. 

Phase I 

  • Wells & Raw Water Transmission Line 


Phase II 

  • Lagoon & Force Main 


Phase III 

  • Lift Station, Water Treatment Plant, Water Storage Tank, Water Distribution Loop 

 
Phase IV 

  • Old & New Allakaket Residential Water & Sewer Services 
  • 65% design was submitted for review in early August. Review is being accomplished by ANTHC, TCC, UICC, and Allakaket Tribe. 
  • A community meeting will be held to ask questions, provide feedback and learn more about the project, likely in early October. Topics will include the 65% review, project phasing, and the next steps for the project. 
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Mertarvik

ANTHC is working in cooperation with the Newtok Village Council to provide a piped water and haul hybrid water distribution system and sewer collection system to improve the public health and safety of the community of Mertarvik. 

The project scope of work describes the components of the upcoming project and the order in which they are planned for construction. The phasing below is preliminary and may change as the design progresses for later phases 

Phase I 

  • Phase IA – Construct lagoon cells 1 and 2 and access road. Construct gravity sewer collection system.  
  • Phase IB – Construct lagoon cell 3 and lagoon outfall.  


Phase II 

  • Develop wells, well house, raw water transmission line, and water storage tank.  


Phase III 

  • Phase IIIA – Construct gravity sewer collection system and service connections 
  • Phase IIIB – Construct water distribution system, mains, and indoor plumbing 

ANTHC construction is planning a site visit for summer 2026.  

The Phase II & III design is expected to be complete by end of July 2026.   

Stebbins

ANTHC is working in cooperation with the Native Village of Stebbins to improve public health and safety by developing piped water and sewer infrastructure for the community. The project improves water-source infrastructure to establish year-round water access, and provides a new vacuum sewer plant and wastewater lagoon for the collection, treatment, and disposal of wastewater. 

Construction of the core water and sewer facilities is underway. The water distribution and sewer collection loops that will connect homes are currently in design, and ANTHC is seeking the construction funding needed to build them. 

Core Facilities (under construction) 

  • Water — Improved water source facilities, raw water transmission line, water storage reservoir, and water treatment plant improvements with circulating water supply to key community facilities. 
  • Sewer — New vacuum sewer plant, force main extension, and wastewater lagoon. 

Distribution to Homes (in design; construction funding being sought) 

  • Water distribution and vacuum sewer collection mains, service connections, and related interior improvements to connect homes. 
  • Because of ground conditions in Stebbins, much of the piped system is planned to be installed above grade, which allows the community to access and maintain the system over its life. 

 

  • Construction of the core water and sewer facilities is underway. 
  • The design team is advancing design of the water and sewer distribution loops. 
  • A geotechnical investigation and a coastal flood assessment have been completed to inform the design. 
  • ANTHC met with community leadership to discuss project scope, phasing, and the approach to serving different areas of the community. 

 

  • Continued construction of the core facilities. 
  • Continued design of the distribution loops. 
  • ANTHC will continue pursuing the construction funding needed to connect homes, and will continue engaging the community as the project advances. 

Tununak

ANTHC is working in cooperation with the Native Village of Tununak to provide a piped water and sewer collection system to improve the public health and safety of the community of Tununak. The project is currently in construction.  

The project scope of work describes the components of the upcoming project, and the order they are planned for construction. The phasing below is preliminary and may change as the design progresses for later phases. 

Phase I 

  • Crew housing – The construction crew will build 6 housing units for the crew for the duration of the project. These are located at the upper hillside location.   
  • Wastewater disposal – The wastewater disposal method will be a percolation cell system and will be located across the bridge by the old runway. This will include septic tanks for solids to settle to the bottom and wastewater septage to discharge into alternating percolation cells to drain out. The design is complete and construction is underway. Construction is expected to be complete in 2027. 

Phase II 

  • Central Sanitation Facility (CSF) – This CSF facility design was recently completed. The building location will be by the fuel farm and will house the water treatment, pumps for distributing water throughout the community, as well as pumping sewage to the percolation cell.  

Phase III 

  • Water distribution loops, sewer mains and lift stations, service lines, and in-home plumbing.  
  • Crew housing is nearing completion.  
  • Design has started for the CSF fuel tank and fill line.  
  • Brice Construction is mobilizing in the community for making gravel for the project.  
  • Construction hopes to begin ground work at the CSF water plant site this fall with building construction expected in 2027.