Strength for the future of a community Project: Connect homes to the new water and sewer system.

 

Imagine your family has made its home on the banks of the same river for a thousand years. To you, every piece of the local geography bears a family story. Every bend of the river is deeply significant to your understanding of the world and your personal identity.

 

Every summer since time immemorial, your river has hosted the return of great runs of Pacific Salmon. Every winter, the river freezes and becomes a conduit of travel.

 

Lately, though, the salmon runs have diminished. At the same time, the cost of heating oil has skyrocketed and the community environment is becoming unhealthy.

 

Communities like Akiak face unique environmental challenges. Absent sanitation facilities, environmental contaminants like human waste can threaten a community. The thawing of unstable permafrost renders traditional water and sanitation systems challenging. Installation of customized water and sewer systems takes unique arctic engineering expertise.

 

That’s why Akiak has been working with DEHE.

 

Now every home in the community service area has access to a running water and sewer system. The entire system is constructed with arctic pipe and a circulating, heat-added water plant that ensures the system won’t freeze even in the coldest conditions.