&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
ANNUAL REPORT 2012
Alaska Native Villages Program
Alaska Native Villages
Program
Collaborating with federal, state and
local partners to address the basic
water and sanitation needs of remote
Alaskan villages since 1996.
Public Health Benefits:
Reduction in waterborne
and respiratory illnesses
through increased access to
safe drinking water and
sanitary sewer services.
Environmental Benefits:
Reduction in the amount of raw
sewage discharged to the
environment, benefiting Alaska
Natives and the fish and wildlife
that they depend on.
Economic Benefits:
Water infrastructure investments
generate large economic gains
due to reduced health care costs
and gains in productivity from
public health benefits.
Infrastructure construction
projects also stimulate local
economies and create local jobs.
Many Alaska Native Villages (ANVs) do
not have access to safe drinking water or
adequate wastewater treatment, nor do
they have the resources to address their
infrastructure needs on their own. ANVs
face many unique challenges, including
high unemployment, low incomes,
remoteness and permafrost. EPA's ANV
program directs critical funding to the
most underserved communities in rural
Alaska, making these basic services
possible.
Since 1996, EPA's ANV program has
provided over $460 million in grant funding
to help these communities address their
basic water and sanitation needs through
facility construction, training and technical
assistance. In collaboration with federal
and state funding partners, EPA has
efficiently targeted the most underserved
communities, yielding dramatic results.
Between 1996 and 2010, EPA funds
supported more than 600 projects. During
this period, the percent of rural Alaskan
homes with drinking water and wastewater
service grew from 50% to 92%*.
In fiscal year 2010 alone, the ANV
program provided 333 households with
new or improved access to safe drinking
water and/or wastewater treatment. The
state and federal government continue to
work with ANVs and local governments
to fulfill their responsibility to protect
human health and the environment
through the provision of safe water and
wastewater disposal to villages in rural
Alaska.
* National Average is 99.33%
-------
Annual Report 2012
http://www.epa.gov/alaskanativevillages
Collaboration
between
Federal, State,
and Alaskan
Native Village
Governments
The ANV program serves approximately
240 Alaskan Native Villages and 60 non
-native communities. To ensure that all
eligible homes are served and to
minimize the administrative burden on
these communities, EPA closely
coordinates the provision of water and
wastewater infrastructure with program
partners, including the Indian Health
Service (IMS) Sanitation Facilities
Construction Program, the State of
Alaska Department of Environmental
Conservation and the U.S. Department
of Agriculture—Rural Development.
To streamline administrative
requirements while expediting the
delivery of services, the funding partners
designate a lead agency for each
community. The lead agency typically
takes responsibility for all projects in that
community including project
development, design and construction,
regardless of the source of funding. The
designation of a single lead agency also
allows the recipient community to
adhere to a single set of reporting
requirements, such as requirements for
engineering reports and environmental
reviews.
Public Health
and
Environmental
Benefits
Investments in
wastewater and drinking
water reduce health
impacts from exposure
to contaminants and,
therefore, reduce
health care costs to
the federal government.
Health and sanitation conditions in Alaskan Native
Villages historically have lagged well behind the
United States overall. In 1954, when the federal
government established the IMS agency under the
U.S. Public Health Service, infectious diseases
caused 46% of all Alaska Native deaths. In 2000, one
in every three families in Alaskan villages still used pit
privies or a five-gallon plastic "honeybucket" for a
toilet and hauled water and wastewater manually
to and from their homes.
In 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention published the results of a study
of the relationship between the presence of in-home
piped water and wastewater services and
hospitalization rates for skin, respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract infections
in rural Alaska for children under the age of five. The study concluded that higher
respiratory and skin infection rates were associated with a lack of in-home water
service and that the disparity should be addressed through sanitation infrastructure
improvements. Since 1995, the percent of serviceable rural Alaska homes with
access to safe drinking water and wastewater treatment has increased dramatically,
from about 50% in 1995 to 92% in 2010. Although the state, the communities, EPA
and other federal partners have made significant progress, Alaskan rural villages still
lag behind the national average of 99.33% of homes in the United States with access
to water and wastewater infrastructure, as measured by the U.S. Census Bureau and,
thus, face a higher risk of illness.
&EPA
Alaska Native Villages Program
-------
Annual Report 2012
http://www.epa.gov/alaskanativevillages
The percentage of
serviceable rural
Alaskan homes with
access to safe
drinking water and
wastewater treatment
increased from about
50% in 1995 to 92% in
2010.
Providing wastewater and drinking water infrastructure to communities reduces health
impacts from prolonged exposure to raw sewage and from drinking water
contaminants. The federal government is ultimately responsible for the health care
costs of American Indians and Alaska Natives through the Indian Health Care
Improvement Act.
Not only do water infrastructure investments improve the health of local populations,
they also protect and restore the environment, which benefits the entire ecosystem.
Healthy ecosystems support wildlife and fish upon which Alaska Natives commonly
rely as subsistence food sources. When exposed to bacteria and other contaminants,
fish and wildlife can also be negatively impacted.
Economic
Activity & Jobs
Benefit Rural
Alaskans
The Alaska Native Villages program implements projects that stimulate local
economies through public health-related economic gains and local job creation. EPA
has invested $460 million in infrastructure projects and generated substantial
economic benefits through public health improvements. Safe drinking water and
sanitary sewer services increase economic productivity by reducing exposure to raw
sewage and drinking water contaminants that cause respiratory illnesses, skin
infections and diarrheal and other gastrointestinal diseases. Additional economic
benefits are provided by gains in productivity from improved health, reduced health
care costs and convenience time savings to individuals, which is the time saved that a
patient would otherwise incur in seeking medical attention and treatment.
Local construction crew prepares to erect a building to house a new water treatment plant.
Photograph from Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
&EPA
Alaska Native Villages Program
-------
Annual Report 2012
http://www.epa.gov/alaskanativevillages
Alaskan Native Village
grants fund education,
training and
management programs,
providing economic
opportunities for
communities facing
often greater than 50%
unemployment.
In addition to construction activities, ANV grants fund education, training and
management programs, such as the Rural Utility Business Advisor (RUBA) Program
and the Remote Maintenance Worker (RMW) Program. RUBA provides management
assistance and financial training for water and wastewater utilities in cities and
villages. RMW includes a circuit rider program that provides direct, one-on-one
training and technical assistance to local water and sewer operators. Administered by
the State of Alaska, these programs improve the long-term sustainability of the rural
utilities. Community members develop transferable job skills while participating in
construction, operation and maintenance activities.
The majority of the projects hire local village residents to assist with building water
and wastewater infrastructure. In FY 2011,16 remote maintenance workers provided
hands-on training and technical assistance to 188 rural communities in Alaska. Since
1994, nearly 200 communities have received direct administrative and utility
management training under the RUBA program. Moreover, in FY 2011, the ANV
program, in coordination with other federal agency programs, created up to 314 jobs
for Alaska Natives.
Moving
Forward
Two of the biggest challenges facing rural Alaskan sanitation utilities are declining
funding levels and the need to sustain existing infrastructure systems. At the same
time that funding has decreased significantly, the costs to address critical rural
Alaskan sanitation needs have increased dramatically. These needs include homes
without running water and flush toilets, safe drinking water and the necessity for
secondary treatment of wastewater. Water infrastructure in Alaska can be highly
energy intensive, therefore, as energy costs increase, so do the construction and
operational costs of the sanitation systems. Given the limited cash economy of ANVs,
these increased costs are extremely difficult to absorb. A project to increase energy
efficiencies in 10 existing ANV water treatment plants was recently funded through the
2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
CASE STUDIES
The case studies on the following page highlight projects in
two Alaskan Native Villages that demonstrate EPA's efforts
to improve water and sanitation for these communities. One
construction project was funded by the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The second project
highlights the ongoing work of the Remote Maintenance
Worker program.
&EPA
Alaska Native Villages Program
-------
Annual Report 2012
http://www.epa.gov/alaskanativevillages
Alaska Native
Village of
Gulkana
Primary treatment tank installation
for the Gulkana wastewater treat-
ment system. Photograph from
Alaska Native Tribal Health
Consortium
The Alaskan Native Village of Gulkana, located approximately 190 miles northeast
of Anchorage, needed critical improvements to its wastewater treatment and
disposal facility. The community's existing facility had failed, and untreated
wastewater was being discharged directly into the Gulkana River. The river is a
critical resource—known for an abundance of king and red salmon—and is critical
for the village, whose subsistence lifestyle depends on plentiful harvests. The river
also draws sports fishermen from all around the country.
Recognizing the critical need for improvements, EPA, IMS, the Alaska Native Tribal
Health Consortium (ANTHC), and the Native Village of Gulkana worked
cooperatively to develop a wastewater treatment project as a part of the 2009
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. As the harsh climate limits the
construction season to the summer months, construction activities commenced in
July of 2009 and were complete by November 2009. Local vendors provided the
majority of project labor, equipment rental, fuel services, sanitation services, parts
and supplies. Over $600,000 in ARRA funding created jobs and business
opportunities in Gulkana and the surrounding area.
The village is thriving as a result of these critical investments in their wastewater
infrastructure. Untreated wastewater no longer discharges into the river, allowing
wildlife to thrive and ensuring the safety of the community's water supply. With a
bountiful salmon harvest, sports fishermen continue to visit the village.
Kivalina, Alaska
Aerial photo of Kivalina, Alaska.
Photograph from Alaska DCRA
Kivalina is located approximately 630 miles northwest of Anchorage at the tip of a
long barrier island in the Arctic Ocean. Severe arctic winters, coupled with
remoteness, limit the community's access to its only source of fresh water, the
Wulik River. Located 3 miles away, the community is only able to draw fresh water
from the river during the short summer, from June to September. As the winter sets
in, the community's central raw water storage tank is completely filled one last time
and must meet all water needs for Kivalina residents until the following June.
Community water needs such as drinking water, bathing and laundering are
completely dependent on the reserves in the raw water storage tank.
In 2011, despite practicing water conservation measures, the community faced a
potentially catastrophic emergency when they ran out of water. This lack of safe
drinking water posed a serious public health threat to the nearly 400 Alaskan
Natives of Kivalina who did not have the money, capacity, or equipment to remedy
the crisis on their own. Remote maintenance worker John Monville, through the
RMW program funded in part by EPA, and environmental health manager Paul
Eaton worked with various entities to bring attention to the problem and secure
funding to address the issue. The men obtained funding from the Northwest Arctic
Borough and the Maniilaq Regional Health Corporation to purchase necessary
equipment and chartered a plane to bring the equipment to Kivalina and restore the
water service. They trained the operator in water storage tank cleaning, repaired
the raw water transmission line and secured a new raw water pump. Ultimately, the
community regained use of their water system, allowing them to lift water
restrictions and reopen the washeteria, the only location in the community for
potable water, bathing and laundering facilities.
&EPA
Alaska Native Villages Program
-------
For more information, please visit:
http://www.epa.gov/alaskanativevillages
&EPA
ANNUAL REPORT 2012
Alaska Native Villages Program
EPA-832-R-12-003
September 2012
------- |