Alaska Rural Water and Sanitation Working Group

An ALPHA Post-Summit Session Workshop co-sponsored by the US Arctic Research Commission and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Several topics were presented and discussed during this workshop, including: discharge from sewage lagoons (primary treatment) and its relationship to human health and subsistence, sludge accumulation (and its deferred removal/impact on existing infrastructure), the lack of “SNC” list for wastewater issues (SNC = serious non-compliance, which, when water-related, helps establish funding need), ways make the handling of honeybuckets less of a health risk, and the issue of aberrant disposal of honeybucket waste (specifically, the long term accumulation of bags which seriously impedes sewage lagoon function).

Workshop Objectives:

• Characterize the status of wastewater treatment and disposal in the rural Arctic
• Identify opportunities and research needs to improve the delivery, management and performance of wastewater treatment and disposal systems in the rural Arctic.
• Develop a list of health-related wastewater research needs
• Identify areas of concern and opportunities for improvements, including collaborative projects and ways to improve communication