Construction is underway on a comprehensive overhaul of Unalakleet’s water and sewer systems. The project comes after years of leaks, boil water notices and deteriorating pipes have plagued the Norton Sound community.
Although residents may view the work as one large project, the project actually consists of several separate efforts planned over many years. The first phase focused on replacing the community’s water source by developing a new well field and transmission line.
A second project upgraded equipment inside the water treatment plant, including replacing aging components and installing a backup generator. The current construction phase addresses the deteriorating distribution network that carries treated water throughout town.
The village’s original water and sewer system drew from Powers Creek about five miles to the north. Surface water was drawn from the creek and pumped into town where it was treated and distributed to homes. But in the winter, the pump station originally built in the '60s struggled to adequately heat and move the water to town. Several freeze ups resulted in the city being without water for months at a time.
The harsh subarctic winters have also cracked the brittle PVC water line, leading to contaminated water and difficulty maintaining water pressure.
This summer, ASRC Construction finished work on five new groundwater pumping stations on the hill east of town. A new water line, made of more durable high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe was also buried along the Landfill Road linking the new pumps to the water treatment plant.
As plans for the water source project came together, Department of Environmental Conservation Facilities Program Manager, Carrie Bohan, said it became clear that the pipes between the treatment plant and homes needed an overhaul too.
“The water source really only gets you so far if the water you’re pumping into that distribution system is leaking out,” Bohan said. “There was also identification of just the condition of the distribution system and how degraded it had become.”
The overhauled distribution system will include four loops originating from the treatment plant in the center of town. Just over 4.5 miles of PVC pipe will be ripped out and replaced with HDPE across several phases. A total of 245 service lines to homes and businesses will be installed.
Another area of concern is deteriorating copper service lines within buildings. A 2020 study by wastewater engineering firm GV Jones & Associates Inc. found that Unalakleet's water exceeded allowable copper limits in 2012, 2014, 2016, and again in 2018. High copper concentrations are associated with vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, nausea, liver damage and kidney disease.
According to data gathered by the Environmental Working Group, water tested between 2018 and 2023 contained nine contaminants that exceeded health guidelines established by the nonprofit.
While some Norton Sound villages like Teller and Stebbins await their first piped water and sewer systems, Unalakleet is effectively getting its second. Bohan said the state's Village Safe Water program prioritizes projects based on public health needs, regulatory compliance and system deficiencies.
“[Unalakleet] fell into that regulatory compliance issue because when you have a compromised distribution system, then it results in a lot of boil water notices, and that elevates it in that health impact scoring,” she explained.
Funding comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture with a 25% match from the state. To date, approximately $36.2 million has been committed to the project, though Bohan said rising construction costs mean additional funding will be needed before completion. A 2025 study estimated the total cost at $75 million.
Current funding is expected to carry work through about winter 2028, with additional phases anticipated through approximately 2035 as future funding becomes available.
Bohan said projects like Unalakleet’s remind her of the thankless service utility operators across the state provide for their communities.
“It’s just sometimes beyond belief what they’re able to pull off with the resources and infrastructure that they have,” she said. “They definitely don’t get anywhere near the recognition that they need.”
Bohan said environmental engineering and construction company, Brice Inc., has made a site visit to Unalakleet and is in the process of gathering materials to begin work on the new distribution system.
