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Grant: $2,100,000 |
Outline of Need: Galena is a community of 750 residents located along the Yukon River west of Fairbanks. Some families in the city of Galena have houses built on lots where permafrost makes it impossible to install conventional sewage handling systems. Many of these homeowners now receive their water through shipments from tanker trucks. This shipped water sometimes contains residual contamination. |
How Rural Development Helped:
Rural Development will provide the city of Galena with a $700,000 loan and $2.1 million in grant funds. The community will use the funds to install 33 individual home sewage treatment systems next to houses with lots where permafrost makes it impossible to install conventional sewage handling systems. The 33 units in phase one were purchased with funds previously provided through other sources. In Phase 2, Galena will use Rural Development funds to purchase and install 37 additional units. It will also install conventional septic and leach field systems from homes where permafrost is not a concern, and, in phase 3, it will extend an existing water line a mile, providing city water service to an estimated 60 homeowners who now receive their water through shipments from tanker trucks.
The Results:
The project will improve the quality of life for about 130 Alaska families. The new septic and sewage handling systems lessen the danger of groundwater contamination and the new water line will also improve public health. The piped, treated water will be cleaner, and more reliable than the tanker truck deliveries these Galena families used to rely on.
Pictured, above: (L) Several sewage treatment units ready for shipment. (R) Bob Tsigonis, Owner, Lifewater Engineering Company of Fairbanks, standing in front of one of the units. Photo courtesy of Lifewater Engineering Company.
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