Several agencies seek water solutions for Tuluksak after water treatment plant destroyed

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Multiple agencies, from village entities to the federal government, are looking at how to get water to Tuluksak after a water treatment plant house in a washeteria was destroyed by a fire in mid-January.

The washeteria that burned down was one of the primary sources of water for the village, according to community officials.

Several ideas are being looked at, according to a release from the state. Ideas include buying and bringing a prefabricated treatment building to the Western Alaska town, bringing in a temporary water plant from Bethel or filtering non-drinkable water at a new temporary laundry facility.

“Living without a washeteria is certainly a hardship. Thankfully, there is potable water in the community for drinking and cooking. Many government and non-government sources have been supplying the community since the loss of the washeteria,” said Paul Nelson, director of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “The state will continue to work with partners, including the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, to ensure that Tuluksak has potable water and other critical needs.”

The agencies working are evaluating other long-term solutions to provide a water treatment facility to the community.

Agencies looking for solutions include the Native Village of Tuluksak, Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp., Indian Health Service, Denali Commission, United States Department of Agriculture, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and several others, according to a release from the state.

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