Tuesday, Feb 5 2013 4:04PM

Many residents in rural Alaska lack access to sanitation services.

A partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development (USDA RD), Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Indian Health Service and the state's Village Safe Water Program has enabled several remote communities to gain access to clean water and wastewater system services. 

Prior to obtaining financing from the USDA, many residents of rural Alaskan communities lived in homes with insufficient sanitation and lacked access to clean water system services. As a result of nearly 50 percent of homes in small communities, such as those in Lower Kalskag, lacking sanitation options, many residents fell ill. However, collaboration among these groups allowed for the beginning phases of many construction projects that would provide clean and steady water flows to theses regions, the USDA reports. 

These communities became part of the USDA's Rural Alaska Village Grant Program (RAVG) which provided funding for utility improvements in 2010, and construction funding in 2012. Construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2013. 

Many communities in rural Alaska receive funding from the USDA to help make village life healthier and affordable. This may include affordable housing assistance and funding for energy projects to lower Alaskans' energy bills, which are the highest in the U.S. 

For more information, check out this resource: The U.S. Department of Agriculture