A failure on one of the City of Kotzebue’s water loops shut down water for over a quarter of the city’s residents. City Manager Tessa Baldwin says water on Swan Lake Loop is completely thawed out and flowing again, after over a month and a half since the failure.
The City lifted the month-long boil water notice after receiving the go-ahead from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and Kotzebue Public Works on March 14. However, Baldwin said as of last Wednesday, more than three dozen homes still don’t have running water. Another 20 homes are without plumbing from damaged service lines – the pipes that connect a household to the main water line.
“As they're starting to get thawed out, what we're learning is that some service lines have been broken,” Baldwin said. “We had assumed that this was going to be the case, because the majority of those lines on the majority of those service lines on that water main are made of copper.”
Baldwin said older infrastructure like copper pipes caused several of these issues. The State of Alaska has authorized funds to help the City cover the cost of service line repairs. She said right now the City is looking for contractors for the repairs, which she estimates will cost between $1.5 and $2 million. Baldwin said it's still unclear what the state will cover.
“The State of Alaska did agree that public assistance would be the service line, which is from the main to the house, but what we're also learning is that there have been damages within the home as well,” Baldwin said. “We are unsure right now, of whether or not that's going to be changed within the state declaration, because right now we only qualify for public assistance and not individual assistance.”
Baldwin encourages residents to file insurance claims with their individual providers. If providers deny the claims, she said the City can help residents with paperwork.
Baldwin said there are still local resources for residents affected. Showers are available at Kotzebue Middle-High School. Shower schedules are on the City’s Facebook page. She said the City is working with Maniilaq Association to provide washers and dryers and says a facility will become available soon. Baldwin said the Kotzebue IRA also plans to distribute food boxes to residents on the loop.
Baldwin encouraged residents affected by the Swan Lake Loop failure to call the Public Works department and update them on their water status.
