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The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation installed a specialty water filtration system in the Tuluksak school on March 2, 2021. YKHC said that the system could provide enough drinking water for the entire Tuluksak Native Community, but soon the system was only being used by the school.
The team got a water system with basic filtration up and running by mid-February. It was intended to provide water for things like cleaning and laundry. A couple weeks after that, the workers set up a reverse osmosis system, with extra filtration, to provide cleaner water intended for drinking. But up until mid-April, most people in Tuluksak didn’t get to drink the water from this second system.
After a fire destroyed Tuluksak’s source of drinking water on Jan. 16, 2021, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation got to work. It sent a team to the community to build new water systems.
The team got a water system with basic filtration up and running by mid-February. It was intended to provide water for things like cleaning and laundry. A couple weeks after that, the workers set up a reverse osmosis system, with extra filtration, to provide cleaner water intended for drinking. But up until mid-April, most people in Tuluksak didn’t get to drink the water from this second system.
The reverse osmosis system is located in the school kitchen, but only staff are allowed in. Tuluksak Principal Douglas Bushey said that it’s a health hazard to let community members go in and out. Plus, he wanted to avoid distractions.
Credit Olivia Ebertz / KYUK
On April 8, members of the National Guard and other state officials visited the village of Tuluksak to meet with Tribal leaders and community members. The visit came nearly three months after a fire destroyed Tuluksak’s water plant. During the meeting, council members shared their current needs and discussed potential spring flooding.
Snow swirled around the airstrip as a Black Hawk helicopter made its descent. The helicopter was carrying Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe, the head of the Alaska National Guard. Also on board were other guard members, officials from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, a representative of the governor’s office, and KYUK s Olivia Ebertz.
National Guard Visits Tuluksak 4 Months After Water Plant Fire kyuk.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kyuk.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Bethel, Tuluksak and Chevak communities discuss disaster processes with the state Photo By Dana Rosso | Community members of the City of Chevak watch from a safe distance as representatives.. read moreread more Photo By Dana Rosso | Community members of the City of Chevak watch from a safe distance as representatives from of the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, the Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development load onto an Alaska Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in Chevak, Alaska, April 9, 2021. Members of the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, the Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development traveled to Western Alaska April 7-9 to meet with Tribal leaders and citizens in Bethel, Tuluksak, and Chevak to d