The lower Yukon River town of Russian Mission has been without piped water for three days, since Friday, Nov. 29. A water pump failure has decommissioned the town water system that serves over 400 people.
Vice Mayor Mary Jane Jackson said that the Russian Mission City Council has declared a state of emergency and has written letters to state Sen. Donny Olson and state Rep. Neal Foster requesting aid.
“Some people were able to gather water and some, I believe, weren’t able to get as much as they should be getting,” said Russian Mission City Administrator Anastasia Larson. “It was such a short notice on Friday; it happened between [9 p.m. and 10 p.m.]”
Larson said that among the community’s top priorities are its infants, who depend on water for powdered formula.
Russian Mission’s stores are currently out of bottled water. The town is working to make paths to other villages passable under icy conditions, but is mainly looking at importing water by plane.
“In the meantime, some guys made a hole in the river right in front of our village to haul water for flushing toilets and washing dishes,” Jackson said. “I don’t know if some people are drinking it, but our main source of water for now is from the river.”
While the quality of Yukon River water is generally good, the town advises all residents to boil river water for at least two minutes before drinking.
Jackson said that it will take an estimated five to seven days for the new pump to arrive and restore water access to the village.
“It’s affecting all of us. It’s 100% a big, major problem that we’re having right now,” Jackson said on Dec. 2.
Spokesperson Jeremy Zidek from the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management reported that the division is working with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC), and the Calista Corporation, among other organizations, to coordinate aid.
This is a developing story and may be updated with additional information.