The search for an alternative to piped water and sewer systems in the Alaskan Arctic

Hickel, K.; Dotson, Aaron; Thomas, Timothy K.; Heavener, Mia; Hebert, J.A.; Warren, John

doi:10.1007/s11356-017-8815-x

Cited by 31 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…BRFSS participants were categorized by zip code as having water piped to their home if their community had piped water either from a centralized water service or from wells. Participants were considered to not have piped water if their community had a closed haul system, a washeteria, or other community watering points where individuals bring their own water to their home (25) . Some zip codes included communities with differing water service status ('mixed' zip codes).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lack of in-home piped water and reported consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among adults in rural Alaska

Mosites¹,

Seeman²,

Fenaughty³

et al. 2019

Public Health Nutr.

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Objective:To assess whether a community water service is associated with the frequency of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) consumption, obesity, or perceived health status in rural Alaska.Design:We examined the cross-sectional associations between community water access and frequency of SSB consumption, body mass index categories, and perceived health status using data from the 2013 and 2015 Alaska Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Participants were categorized by zip code to ‘in-home piped water service’ or ‘no in-home piped water service’ based on water utility data. We evaluated the univariable and multivariable (adjusting for age, household income and education) associations between water service and outcomes using log-linear survey-weighted generalized linear models.Setting:Rural Alaska, USA.Subjects:Eight hundred and eighty-seven adults, aged 25 years and older.Results:In unadjusted models, participants without in-home water reported consuming SSB more often than participants with in-home water (1·46, 95 % CI: 1·06, 2·00). After adjustment for potential confounders, the effect decreased but remained borderline significant (1·29, 95 % CI: 1·00, 1·67). Obesity was not significantly associated with water service but self-reported poor health was higher in those communities without in-home water (1·63, 95 % CI: 1·05, 2·54).Conclusions:Not having access to in-home piped water could affect behaviours surrounding SSB consumption and general perception of health in rural Alaska.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lack of in-home piped water and reported consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among adults in rural Alaska

Mosites¹,

Seeman²,

Fenaughty³

et al. 2019

Public Health Nutr.

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“…The temperature of water in the septic tank was 2-4 degrees Celsius in the cold season. This is one of the main reasons for unsatisfactory biological wastewater treatment [2,6,8,9,32].…”

Section: Preliminary Study Of the Initial Wastewater Temperature And mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The tendency of unsatisfactory performance of biological treatment can be found not only in the territory of the Russian Federation but also in the territory of foreign countries, such as Greenland [5], the Canadian Arctic [6,7], the state of Alaska (USA) [8], Northern Norway, Finland, and others. Research revealed that the concentration of pollutants in the conditions of a decentralized wastewater disposal system was two to three times higher in the obtained water compared with in samples from a centralized sewage in other regions [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wastewater Treatment in Remote Arctic Settlements

Vialkova

Glushchenko

2021

Water

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The article deals with improving the sewage systems of small remote settlements in the Arctic climate to prevent industrial pollution of the environment. Preliminary monitoring of the wastewater temperature and quality was carried out. From the laboratory results of the experimental modelling, such as the coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, oxidation, and wastewater chemical precipitation, we developed a substitute for the traditional biological stage of sewage treatment with physicochemical methods. A real sewage water sample, taken for this study from a septic tank in a remote northern village, can be considered as a distinctive feature of the experiment. The best results obtained according to the scheme with the chemical precipitation of nitrogen compounds are demonstrated. In this case, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) index was reduced by 96.6%, the ammonium ions concentration by 99.5%, and the suspended solids concentration by 99.9%. A technological scheme for low-productivity wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in northern settlements is proposed. A comparison of the proposed scheme and the traditional schemes in terms of efficiency and cost was carried out. Further study and implementation of recommended methods of sewage treatment at existing and newly designed stations is expected to improve the effective operation of these treatment plants in arctic conditions.

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“…As a result of the lack of piped infrastructure, Alaska Native residents in unpiped villages conserve water used in the home, using very little water for washing hands, clothes, dishes, and for cleaning purposes, or reusing water multiple times for different hygiene activities (Eichelberger, 2010 ; Thomas et al , 2016 ; Hickel et al , 2017 ). Bucket latrines or pit latrines are used for human waste.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Household Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Practices Impact Pathogen Exposure in Remote, Rural, Unpiped Communities

Mattos

Eichelberger

Warren

et al. 2021

Environmental Engineering Science

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Household water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices in remote, rural, and unpiped communities are likely to impact exposure to pathogens beyond the fecal-oral transmission routes that are typically prioritized in WASH interventions. We studied 43 homes in two remote, rural, unpiped communities in Alaska to evaluate seasonal water haul, water sources, water quality, and water reuse, as well as greywater and human waste disposal over 1 year. Hauled quantities of water reportedly ranged from 3.0 to 5.4 gallons per capita per day (gpcd) depending on the community and season. Natural, untreated water sources contributed 0.5-1.1 gpcd to household water availability. Reported quantities of water hauled were significantly correlated with total water storage capacity in the home. Total coliforms were detected in 30-60% of stored household water samples from treated and untreated sources, and total coliform counts were significantly higher in specific sources and during specific seasons. Exposure to pathogens during periods of low water access, from untreated water reuse, from greywater disposal and from human waste disposal are important pathways of disease transmission in these remote, rural, unpiped communities. We discuss intermediate steps that can be taken at the household and community levels to interrupt exposure pathways before piped infrastructure is installed. This model of examining specific household practices to determine transmission routes can be applied to other remote communities or unique conditions to aid in the recommendation of targeted WASH interventions.

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The search for an alternative to piped water and sewer systems in the Alaskan Arctic

Cited by 31 publications

References 3 publications

Lack of in-home piped water and reported consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among adults in rural Alaska

Lack of in-home piped water and reported consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among adults in rural Alaska

Wastewater Treatment in Remote Arctic Settlements

Household Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Practices Impact Pathogen Exposure in Remote, Rural, Unpiped Communities

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