Introduction Many remote small villages in Alaska don’t have access to piped water and sewers. Families in these villages continue to use traditional (untreated) water sources including ice/snow melt, rivers, tundra ponds, and rainwater catchments. In some cases, honeybucket bags (containing human waste) are dropped off at temporary hoppers before transportation to open dump sites within close proximity to schools and homes. Research Partner Our partner community is located southwest of Bethel on the Kuskokwim River in western Alaska. The traditional Yup’ik Eskimo village (approximately 300 residents) has a five year history of working with the University of Alaska–Fairbanks (UAF) to develop a greater understanding of traditional water source use and storage. The current 3-year partnership with UAF Water and Environmental Research Center will focus on ways in which drinking water sanitation can be improved. Research Outline Four graduate studies are currently focusing on: i. Pathogen survival and transmittance in the Arctic ii. In-home sanitation, including methods to optimize private water tank chlorination and alternate disinfection methods. Research Completed During 2004 (1) Pathogen Transmittance Broad sweep sampling and subsequent most probable number (MPN) E. coli counts de-emphasized natural background levels in lakes and ponds (likely resulting from waterfowl) while highlighting the most contaminated sites in and around the community. Test samples also confirmed that ATV tires and boots track E. coli from contaminated areas (including the local honeybucket dump) to Eek School and local homes. Source discrimination efforts appear to eliminate village dogs as a significant source, while additional work is needed to determine whether human sewage is responsible.

A village school photographed from the adjacent honeybucket dump and burn area.     Site of partner community in western Alaska.

Pacific Northwest Regional Water Quality Coordination Project Partners Land Grant Universities Alaska Cooperative Extension Service Contact Fred Sorensen: 907-786-6311 http://www.uaf.edu/ces/water/ University Publications: http://www.alaska.edu/uaf/ces/publications/ Idaho University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System Contact Bob Mahler: 208-885-7025 http://www.uidaho.edu/wq/wqhome.html University Publications: http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/Catalog/catalog.html Oregon Oregon State University Extension Service Contact Mike Gamroth: 541-737-3316 http://extension.oregonstate.edu/ University Publications: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/ Washington Washington State University WSU Extension Contact Bob Simmons: 360-427-9670 ext. 690 http://wawater.wsu.edu/ University Publications: http://pubs.wsu.edu/ Northwest Indian College Contact Charlotte Clausing: 360-392-4319 cclausing@nwic.edu or http://www.nwic.edu/ Water Resource Research Institutes Water and Environmental Research Center (Alaska) http://www.uaf.edu/water/ Idaho Water Resources Research Institute http://www.boise.uidaho.edu/ Institute for Water and Watersheds (Oregon) http://water.oregonstate.edu/ State of Washington Water Research Center http://www.swwrc.wsu.edu/ Environmental Protection Agency EPA, Region 10 The Pacific Northwest http://www.epa.gov/r10earth/ Office of Research and Development, Corvallis Laboratory http://www.epa.gov/wed/ For more information contact Jan Seago at 206-553-0038 or seago.jan@epa.gov
	The Project Land Grant Universities, Water Research Institutes and EPA Region 10 have formed a partnership to provide research and education to communities about protecting or restoring the quality of water resources. This partnership is being supported in part by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Our Goal and Approach The goal of this Project is to provide leadership for water resources research, education and outreach to help people, industry and governments to prevent and solve current and emerging water quality and quantity problems. The approach to achieving this goal is for the Partners to develop a coordinated regional water quality effort based on, and strengthening, individual state programs. Our Strengths The Project promotes regional collaboration by acknowledging existing programs and successful efforts; assessing program gaps; identifying potential issues for cross-agency and private sector collaboration; and developing a clearinghouse of expertise and programs. In addition, the Project establishes or enhances partnerships with federal, state and local environmental and water resource management agencies, such as by placing a University Liaison within the offices of EPA Region 10.
	(2) Pathogen Viability in the Arctic Dog fecal matter/soil samples were maintained at temperatures as low as – 28 ± 2°C in the laboratory and at ambient Fairbanks temperatures in the field. Results indicate that coliform bacteria (indicator species), and by extension, some pathogens may survive Arctic conditions with a potential to mobilize when conditions permit. A Lower Kuskokwim School District School administrator, noted that it is not uncommon for students to miss over twenty days of school per year because of chronic illness. “At other times they come through the school doors, but don’t feel good…their learning suffers.”	Untreated drinking water is frequently stored in dedicated 35-gallon non-food grade trash cans for a number of days, sometimes weeks, before use.
	To learn more about the “Protecting Family Drinking Water In Rural Alaska” project, contact the Principal Investigator Daniel White at ffdmw@uaf.edu, 907-474-6222.
	National Water Quality Program Areas The four land grant universities in the Pacific Northwest have aligned our water resource extension and research efforts with eight themes of the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Animal Waste Management Drinking Water and Human Health Environmental Restoration Nutrient and Pesticide Management Pollution Assessment and Prevention Watershed Management Water Conservation and Agricultural Water Management Water Policy and Economics
	This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U. S. Department of Agriculture, under Agreement No 2008-51130-4734.

Download the informational PDF flyer here

HOME | About | Calendar | Contacts | Links | PNW Water Updates | Sitemap NIFA National Water Quality Program This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Agreement No. 2008-51130-04734. all external sites will open in a new browser window page last modified on August 27, 2006