In Emmonak: need for repairs is urgent after fire cripples water system

Alaska Public Media | By Tyler Stup

Published November 15, 2016 at 9:54 PM AKST

A view from up above shows the path of the receeding flood waters in this community after severe flooding crippled the entire infastructure. Federal funding in the form of Public Assistance (PA) is available to state, tribal and eligible local governments and certian nonprofit organizationson a cost sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the flooding in the Alaska Gateway Regional Educational Attendance Area (REAA), Copper River REAA, Lower Yukon REAA, Yukon Flats REAA, and the Yukon-Koyukuk REAA. (Photo by Adam DuBrowa/ FEMA)

A fire in Emmonak has damaged the local water treatment plant.

Emmonak’s mayor Wilbur Hootch, Sr. said the cause of the fire is a suspected pump overload. The fire damaged the main vacuum pump.

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Technicians are working to keep community pipes from freezing. To do that, a main storage water tank must be filled. Hootch said a failure to fill that tank could be costly.

”If we don’t have enough water level in our 100,000+ storage tank, once our low and high pressure freeze up we’ll have a major disaster for the whole community of Emmonak,” Hootch said.

City engineers are currently ordering the replacement parts. If the parts are not available, the system may freeze. While water is still running, Hootch said only three of the remaining nine feet in the community storage water tank is usable.

Tuesday night, Mayor Hootch will hold an emergency meeting to approve the budget for needed repairs.