Where:
Hooper Bay and Russian Mission, Kusilvak Census Area, Alaska

Problem:
Tribal village water systems did not comply with state standards, which impacted access to safe drinking water.

Solution:
RCAC worked with the systems to submit approved sampling plans and bring them back into compliance with regulations.

Hooper Bay is a remote village 20 miles south of Cape Romanz of and 25 miles south of Scammon Bay in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Russian Mission is located on the western bank of the Yukon River in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, 25 miles southeast of Marshall. It lies 70 air miles northeast of Bethel and 376 miles west of Anchorage.

Both systems were out of compliance with state and federal regulations that mandate that water systems have and follow sampling plans to test monthly for coliform, which indicates potentially harmful pathogens in the drinking water.

RCAC staff worked with Hooper Bay and Russian Mission to develop, submit, and receive approval for their Revised Total Coliform Rule Site Sampling Plans. Staff trained the systems on recent rule changes, requirements for monthly sampling, and the importance of following the sampling plans to protect public health. Both systems have since received approval for the plans they submitted, which means they are no longer on the state’s noncompliance list and can provide safe drinking water for their communities.