Many rural communities in Alaska have inadequate sanitation infrastructure due to severe climatic conditions in the arctic and sub-arctic regions, remote location, low population, and lack of funding. Buried wastewater conveyance facilities have not performed well in areas underlain by permafrost. According to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, approximately 30 Alaskan communities are still unserved and use honey buckets for disposal of human waste. In some cases, the waste is transported in plastic bags to the landfill. In other cases (piped communities), the waste is hauled or conveyed by piped systems to wastewater lagoons, which are essentially large ponds used for natural sewage treatment. The algae growing in the lagoon helps the bacteria break down the sewage organics. Sun and wind play an important role in the performance of the lagoon. During the winter, which accounts for 6 to 8 months of the year, neither of these exist due to the short days and the potential for ice covering.
The focus of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of sewage lagoons in Alaskan rural communities by analyzing existing data (organics, dissolved oxygen, pathogens, total suspended solids) reported by six communities. The results will be useful for determining efficacy of lagoons in rural Alaska communities and begin a discussion of how they may be improved or perhaps replaced with other treatment techniques.
