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During the 2012-2013 Rotary year, Anchorage Gateway installed nine (9) water tanks in the homes of elders in Upper Kalskag. These tanks are filled on a weekly basis by a water delivery system set up by the community. This project was purposely initially done on a smaller scale to ensure a good outcome. It is a highly successful program, and there are requests from more homes that would like to have tanks installed in their homes. Anchorage Gateway has been able to install about a tank a year since the project started, but with increased demand, we would like to maximize resources and install water tanks in at least four (4) more homes in the upcoming year. In addition to the cash Anchorage Gateway can commit, we plan to visit clubs across District 5010 to solicit support for even more tanks.
Upper Kalskag is a village of approximately 231 people (DCCED estimate) located on the north bank of the Kuskokwim River approximately 348 miles west of Anchorage and 99 miles northeast of Bethel.
Drinking water in Upper Kalskag is obtained from individual wells that serve the homes, school, store, government offices, and the clinic. Nearly all homes have indoor plumbing. Most of the wells in the community were drilled at the same time and tap into the same relatively shallow aquifer. The water from these wells is safe but varies in quality. The majority are highly mineralized, containing lots of iron, and are not palatable. The City building and Clinic drinking well has reportedly been drilled significantly deeper and tap into another aquifer which is much more pleasant to drink.
During the original Kalskag Water Project, nine (9) elders were identified whose well water is not drinkable due to mineral taste. Many of these elders were unable to haul water from other homes or locations in the community with good quality water. As a result, these elders often went without adequate water to drink.
Anchorage Gateway's cost-effective water tank delivery solution makes use of the best quality water sources already available in town and uses time-tested, low-technology techniques which are also low-cost and low-maintenance, hence easily sustainable. The City of Kalskag has developed a regular water delivery service to the homes with Rotary tanks already installed at very low cost to the City and the recipients.
We hope to expand this tank delivery system in Kalskag to ensure families with small children can also be included in the Kalskag Water Project and can enjoy the same independence and health that drinkable water in-home can provide.
With the aid of the District 5010 grant, Anchorage Gateway Rotary plans to procure and install at least four (4) plastic water tanks inside the homes of four families. Place the uninsulated and unheated tanks on a stand against an outside wall and plumb the tank with an exterior gravity fill line penetrating the outside wall and an interior spigot. Utilize the small, ATV-trailer-mounted, 100-gallon water tank with a small pressurizing blower pump. Arrange for the 100-gallon tank to be filled on a weekly or bi-weekly basis at one of the better water sources in town by a City employee, volunteer, or family member. The tank is then hooked up to an ATV and used to top-off the individual water tanks in the homes. Cost estimate per home: $965.00
Anchorage Gateway Rotarians will purchase needed supplies, arrange shipping, coordinate with community members and the City of Kalskag on installation and follow up with recipients of the tanks to ensure the project is successful. The project can be expanded as additional funds come in as the result of the planed donation campaign. The project can be complete by the end of the year.
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