No Images? Click here Center for Environmentally Threatened CommunitiesWe support communities to address environmental threats and achieve their vision for a safe, healthy, and sustainable future. Newsletter Issue 29, November 2019 Four Things You Should Know From This Issue
Critical Research Helps to Answer, “Which Alaska Communities are the Most Threatened?” This map shows the combined level of threat to erosion, flooding, and thawing permafrost in Alaska’s rural communities. Of the communities evaluated in the study, the communities with the highest threat are dark red and the communities with the lowest threat are shown in dark green. Credit: Denali Commission. The Statewide Threat Assessment: Identification of Threats from Erosion, Flooding, and Thawing Permafrost in Remote Alaska Communities was published this month by the Denali Commission. This $617,000 multi-year effort assessed threats to public infrastructure from erosion, flooding, and thawing permafrost in 187 rural Alaskan communities. The study was completed by the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Institute of Northern Engineering and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in close collaboration with the Denali Commission. The report has two primary goals: 1) to advance the understanding of environmental threats to community infrastructure and 2) to provide a tool that can be used by government and non-government organizations to prioritize investments toward the most at-risk communities. Additionally, the report indicates that little progress has been made to close data gaps identified in 2009 with the publication of the Baseline Erosion Assessment by USACE. The report recommends additional investment in community-specific data collection and vulnerability analysis in order to guide long-term community decision making and to inform the development of effective solutions to environmental threats. If you have any questions regarding the report, contact Don Antrobus, Program Manager with the Denali Commission, at dantrobus@denali.gov or (907) 271-3500. Recent Events New Residents of Mertarvik, Alaska Learn About Their New Water and Sanitation System ANTHC Project Manager Jackie Schaeffer trains Mertarvik residents on how to use the Portable Alternative Sanitation System (PASS). Credit: ANTHC. Over the last three weeks in October, families relocating from Newtok, Alaska to Mertarvik, Alaska settled into their new homes, new school, new roads – and new in-home sanitation systems. The Portable Alternative Sanitation System (PASS), now in all 21 Mertarvik homes, was developed by Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) and installed in five communities before Mertarvik. PASS eliminates the honey bucket (a toilet, usually a five-gallon bucket, that must be emptied manually) and provides clean running water without the costs of infrastructure or piped service. The system is simple:
ANTHC provided training on PASS to each relocating family in two stages: first, an orientation in Newtok, followed by in-home training in Mertarvik. In Newtok, ANTHC PASS Project Manager Jackie Schaeffer used a 3D-printed PASS model and example separating toilet to walk residents through the system and explain the simple maintenance tasks it requires. During the school day, every student in Newtok dove into PASS activities and showed they are ready to be sanitation system engineers. Once families relocated to Mertarvik, the ANTHC PASS team visited each home to provide a written homeowner manual and hands-on training. With ANTHC on hand to answer questions, homeowners filled their water tanks, tested their sinks, and watched the dirty water run down the drain. How is PASS beneficial to the statewide issue of environmental impacts to infrastructure?
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Tribal Resilience Program Awards $4 Million to Alaska Native Communities As part of a BIA Tribal Resilience funded project, Savoonga, Alaska (shown in the aerial photo above) will assess the risk of thawing permafrost to their community. Credit: National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ShoreZone. The largest challenge for Alaskan communities facing threats to infrastructure from flooding, erosion, and permafrost degradation, is accessing funding for their solutions. Most state and federal grant programs are not designed to address the unique challenges Alaska communities face, and complex requirements often make it difficult for communities to access funds when they are available. However, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Tribal Resilience program is proving to be of great benefit for communities. In 2019, approximately $4 million in awards went to federally recognized Tribes and Tribal organizations in Alaska – approximately 46% of the total funding. Below are a few examples of projects that were funded in 2019:
Napakiak Chooses Subdivision Site for Managed Retreat Map of Napakiak, Alaska with the location of the future subdivision site in green. Credit: Summit Consulting. On November 6, 2019, Napakiak, Alaska chose a new site for their managed retreat from the Kuskokwim River erosion. A new school is being planned at a site that is estimated to be safe for at least fifty years. Community buildings and homes will line both sides of the road to the school. However, the current crux is finding funding to build a 1,700-foot pioneering road to the new school site so construction can begin or be completed before the current school is impacted by erosion. At an interagency planning meeting in Anchorage on November 13, 2019, City Council Member Walter Nelson said, “We are trying to make our community a better and safer place.” Golovin, Alaska is Planning for Migration to Higher Ground Aerial view of Golovin, Alaska. All infrastructure in the area outlined in red is threatened by storm surge flooding. The community intends to migrate to the higher ground adjacent to the current site. Credit: ANTHC. Frequent storm-surge flooding threatens the majority of community infrastructure in the downtown portion of Golovin, Alaska. In order to protect their community, Golovin intends to develop a new subdivision site on higher ground. Although a road and electricity already run through the planned site, and the water treatment plant is nearby, the process will take years to plan and implement. Currently, the community is working with Bristol Engineering on a project funded by the Denali Commission to layout, survey, and plat the new site. In October, two staff from our team at ANTHC and two staff from Bristol traveled to Golovin to discuss community priorities, conduct a preliminary relocation feasibility assessment of infrastructure in the flood zone, and meet with community leaders about the layout of the new site. The next step in the migration planning process includes structural engineering assessments, homeowner interviews, surveys, and the creation of a migration master plan to guide the scope, timing, and methodology of the move. Funding Opportunities Community Development Grant Program for Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages (ICDBG) This is a great opportunity from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to address infrastructure impacts from environmental hazards. The ICDBG program can provide funding for housing, community facilities, and economic development.
FEMA has announced the 2019 PDM grant program. This is an opportunity to fund projects identified in your community’s Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Upcoming Events Tribal Grant Writing Training Would you like to improve your grant writing skills? ANTHC is hosting a Tribal Grant Writing training workshop aimed at improving participant’s grant writing skills.
News Roundup City Council Weighs Options as Rapid Erosion Threatens Dillingham Sewer: Erosion is eating away at the coastline near Dillingham’s sewage lagoon. The City is considering whether to protect the current lagoon or build a new one in a different location. Shaktoolik Receives $1 Million to Improve Storm Surge Berm in Three Critical Areas: Support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will build three sections of a reinforced storm surge berm between community infrastructure and the Bering Sea. Emergency Management Officials Assess Aid Options in Akiak, Alaska: In October 2019, state emergency management officials visited Akiak to see how they can help implement solutions to protect infrastructure threatened by erosion. The funding would come from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Erosion is Affecting Utqiagvik Roads and Cultural Traditions: Erosion threatens a path in Utqiagvik, Alaska that residents depend upon for subsistence hunting and fishing. Erosion Drains Goldfish Lake in Port Heiden: In Port Heiden, Alaska, coastal erosion has caused Goldfish Lake to breach and flow into the Bay. About the Center for Environmentally Threatened Communities The goal of the Center for Environmentally Threatened Communities (CETC) is to support rural Alaskan communities experiencing infrastructure impacts associated with flooding, erosion, and permafrost degradation. The team does this primarily through grant writing, technical assistance, and project coordination. ETC@anthc.org | (907) 729-4521 | www.anthc.org/cetc | 4500 Diplomacy Drive, Suite 561, Anchorage, AK 99508 If you enjoyed this issue, please forward this email to a friend. |