Short CommunicationExtreme water conservation in Alaska: limitations in access to water and consequences to health
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Ethical approval
None sought. This paper reports on findings of other published studies or studies in press.
Funding
None declared. This paper reports on findings of other published studies or studies in press.
Competing interests
None declared.
References (15)
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The Alaska permanent fund dividend increases residential payments for water services
2023, Environmental Science: AdvancesWhat impacts water services in rural Alaska? Identifying vulnerabilities at the intersection of technical, natural, human, and financial systems
2022, Journal of Cleaner ProductionCitation Excerpt :Additionally, communities are often challenged to hire and retain certified water operators due to the limited labor pool and certification challenges (Hickel et al., 2018; Sohns et al., 2021). The impact of climate change on physical infrastructure has been widely studied (e.g., ASCE, 2017; Cozzetto et al., 2013; Hickel et al., 2018; Melvin et al., 2017; Sohns et al., 2021; Thomas et al., 2016a), finding that permafrost melt, increased flooding, and erosion, among other climate impacts, will damage (or has already damaged) systems. Suter et al. (2019) quantified the cost of climate change in Alaska, finding that Alaska will incur $2.56 billion in increased maintenance costs and $3.5 billion in climate damages by 2050.
Health-related economic benefits of universal access to piped water in Arctic communities: Estimates for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region of Alaska
2022, International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental HealthCitation Excerpt :Indeed, communities in rural Alaska are particularly expensive to serve given their remote locations and extreme climate and weather conditions. In 2012, the capital costs to construct piped water systems for unserved communities in Alaska was estimated to be $300 million (Thomas et al., 2016a). Unlike communities without access to in-home water and sanitation services in many low- and middle-income countries, many households in rural Alaska have access to high-quality healthcare through the Alaska Tribal Health System.
Implications of inadequate water and sanitation infrastructure for community spread of COVID-19 in remote Alaskan communities
2021, Science of the Total EnvironmentA community approach to promote household water security: Combining centralized and decentralized access in remote Alaskan communities
2020, Water SecurityCitation Excerpt :However, washeterias are not always available when residents need them, some shower and laundry services are unaffordable, and many of the facilities need critical repairs. Several case studies in remote ANCs have described the limited quantity of water used in unplumbed households, around 1.5–2.5 gal/c/d (5.7–9.5 l/c/d), less than the 4.0 gal/c/d (15.0 l/c/d) recommended by the Sphere Handbook (Sphere [42] for a refugee camp [14,16,18,45,46]. Limited access to water results in water rationing and reuse of dirty washbasin and laundry water [45].
Recognizing the dynamics of household water insecurity in the rapidly changing polar north: Expected uncertainties in access, quality, and consumption patterns in Niugtaq (Newtok), Alaska
2019, World Development PerspectivesCitation Excerpt :Although the sample size specific to Niugtaq is small, the results are reflective of my larger dataset representing over 120 individuals and 9 remote communities in Northwestern and Western Alaska. Further, the estimates of treated water consumption presented here are consistent with findings in other remote Alaska Native communities (Eichelberger, 2010; Thomas et al., 2016). Current research being undertaken by the author will increase this sample size and enable statistical analyses of trends identified here.