 National Rural Water Association 2915 S. 13th Street Duncan, OK 73533 580-252-0629 FAX 580-255-4476 Contact: Chris Wilson, nrwacw@nrwa.org
July 24, 2008 Alaska rural water expert assists village with “river of sewage”
LOWER KALSKAG, Alaska – A river of human waste runs behind 40
homes in the small community of Lower Kalskag. When Scott Lindsey, a
circuit rider from the Alaska Rural Water Association, visited the
village, he was shocked to see untreated sewage from homes running
onto the open ground.
We had to do something. Children were playing in it,” Lindsey said. “There were literally bags of waste lying around, but there was no money to fix things.” Such problems are common for circuit riders, roving technical assistance and maintenance experts that assist small water utilities. Communities like Lower Kalskag, a village of about 270 Alaska native, often have limited budgets and even operate without full-time staff. Lindsey went to the city council to ask for $2,000, using the money to hire a backhoe, backhoe operator and two local residents. They spent a week burying the waste with lime, creating a temporary solution for the collected waste. “The most important thing was to get the wastewater away from the community. About 40 houses were at risk. That’s done now,” Lindsey said. He credited the local tribal organization for assisting in the effort. “Thanks to the efforts of the Alaska Rural Water Association, tribal officials and funding from USDA Rural Development, an Alaska community is safer and cleaner,” said Chad Padgett, Acting Rural Development State Director. “Working together we are accomplishing great things in rural Alaska and it is due to the tireless work of individuals like Scott that we achieve successes like this one.” The community is already planning for a long-term solution to the waste problem. “The next step is to make the solution permanent, to make sure the waste doesn’t collect around homes,” he explained. “We’ll get everyone hooked up.” |
