M.A. student Melina Arciniega examines water security in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Not everyone in Fairbanks, Alaska has access to running water at home. This study seeks to understand how these individuals obtain water, whether they trust its safety, and how the absence of running water affects daily life.
Ongoing analyses of 150 interviews show that:
There are age barriers associated with accessing water.
Injuries can create immediate water insecurity for a household.
Reliable transportation is critical to accessing water.
Households without water rely heavily on fill station infrastructure with accessibility affected by cost, proximity and operating hours.
