Fairbanks, AK - The Arctic Village of Kivalina may run out of fresh water this winter. Governor Sean Parnell declared a disaster there last month after heavy rainfall flooded the Wulik (wool-ick) River and washed away some of the city’s surface water piping in August. A late fall storm in September, brought more high water. But, it was increasingly cold temperatures that kept the city from filling two water tanks.
Kivalina’s water tanks will remain unfilled this winter. Normally, they would hold about a million gallons. A late season flood washed away the pipes used to fill them. By the time the state Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management had shipped a new high speed pump and a collapseable pipe to the Arctic community, City Administrator, Janet Mitchell, says it was too late.
“There is nothing we can do other than conserve," she says. "I just received word that they’re pulling in the equipment and bringing it back to town. It’s just too cold. The lagoon is frozen over now.”
Slush clogged the pipes and the crew gave up. It’s not clear how much water made it into the tanks. Mitchell, who grew up in Kivalina, says residents have always tried to conserve water. “The only time I get water from the water tanks is to wash my clothes or hand washing, the dishes, that’s the only time I use that water," she says. "I don’t drink it. I get my water from Kivalina River and when I can in the winter time, I melt snow. That’s what we used to do back in the day, before this tank was built.”
But the majority of Kivalina’s 436 residents don’t have boats or snowmachines to access large quantities of fresh drinking water. So they use the local washeteria. It’s unlikely to remain open through the winter.
“Right now, we will still have washeteria, but at a very low scale, maybe two times a week.”
The city normally closes the washeteria in February to conserve water until spring breakup to keep school in session. Flooding in August delayed the start of school for five weeks. Students have returned to a normal class schedule. Mitchell says the city may request more assistance from the state. She’s also been in touch with Kotzebue Representative Reggie Joule’s office and with staff in the office of Senator Donny Olson of Nome.