Utilities
RSSAlaska News tracks coverage of utilities issues including water and sewer services in Alaska communities.
Seward survey respondents favor a local cooperative to run the city's electric utility
Most Seward survey takers want a local co-op to run the city's electric utility. The math hinges on a hydro project Chugach Electric also wants.
by Melinda Communities.News10h ago3 min read
Kotzebue water system exceeds federal lead action level after two of 10 homes test high
Two of 10 Kotzebue homes tested above the federal lead action level. The city is testing more homes and says to run taps until cold before drinking.
by Alaska News4d ago2 min read
Nome utility board member says new housing project's septic units will need heavy upkeep
New Nome housing will run on above-ground septic units with grinders, pumps and UV lights. A utility board member says they will need a lot of babysitting.
by Bill AlaskaNews5d ago2 min read
The line that powers Petersburg would leave federal license oversight
Petersburg gets its power over an 80-mile line from Tyee Lake. The agency running it wants that line out of its federal license, the second this year.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago1 min read
Three Homer Electric generators failed at once, and hydro covered the gap
Three of Homer Electric's generators failed at once in August. It bought hydro to cover, from a dam whose lines cannot carry its full output.
by Alaska Newsadded 6d ago2 min read
Fairbanks companies seek a year-round water right for the pool at Circle Hot Springs
Two Fairbanks companies want a year-round water right at Circle Hot Springs — about 8.6 million gallons a day, on an application pending since 2020.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Talkeetna residents ask Mat-Su commission to oppose Front Street water tank site
Talkeetna's wells have too much arsenic. The borough's fix would clear 1.4 acres of woods with a bear trail through it, and neighbors want another site.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Bethel's water plant has been sending filter backwash onto open ground
Water flushed from Bethel's treatment filters has been running onto the tundra instead of into the sewer lagoon. The city does not say for how long.
by Melinda Communities.News2w ago2 min read
Ketchikan council to vote on seventh amendment to water consulting deal
Ketchikan avoided a $70 million filtration plant by proving its mountain-lake water meets federal conditions for filtration avoidance.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Matanuska Electric posts its list of $451,000 in unclaimed capital credits
Matanuska Electric says more than $451,000 in capital credits sit unclaimed by current and former members, with one owed roughly $15,000.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2w ago2 min read
Some Anchorage homes went a month without running water last winter
Some Anchorage homes went a month without running water last winter. Frozen lines hit triple the usual number, and thawing them is the customer's expense.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Clay Koplin will lead Matanuska Electric starting in January
Clay Koplin, who has run Cordova Electric for nearly 20 years, takes over Matanuska Electric Association in January as Tony Izzo retires.
by Melinda Communities.News3w ago2 min read
PFAS found in three Anchorage Bowl wells, one pulled from service
Anchorage Water & Wastewater Utility found PFAS in three groundwater wells, pulled one from service, and is seeking $4 million in emergency contracts for water system work.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage weighs a $6.7 million bleach contract for its wastewater
Anchorage may spend up to $6.7 million on bleach to disinfect wastewater it discharges into Cook Inlet under a treatment waiver that expired 20 years ago.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Golden Valley was short on reserves 94 percent of the last 250 days
Golden Valley was short on generation reserves 94% of the last 250 days, and its mix models 17 shortfalls a year against a benchmark of one per decade.
by Alaska News1mo ago2 min read
ENSTAR seeks a Southcentral gas rate hike as two landlords move to dismiss the case
ENSTAR wants to raise Southcentral gas bills by about $9 a month, and two landlords are moving to get the rate case thrown out before its September hearing.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Fifty-nine rural Alaska villages get federal money to defend their power systems from hackers
Fifty-nine rural Alaska villages are getting $1.73 million to harden their power systems against hackers. Some of those systems average four kilowatts.
by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage's water-coagulant contract returns with a pricier winner
Anchorage's water-coagulant contract is back before the Assembly with a supplier $855K pricier than the first — and no explanation for the switch.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Cordova, in a rainy region, asks residents to conserve water
Cordova, in one of Alaska's rainiest regions, is running low on water after a dry stretch and low snowpack — and the coming rain won't be enough to refill it.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read
Chignik moves to surrender the federal license on its long-dormant hydro plant
Chignik moves to surrender the federal license on a hydro plant idle since 2012, to build a state-run replacement. Residents have until Sept. 10 to weigh in.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
A village's water grant score can hinge on whether the clerk took a class
A free state course Aug. 3–11 can boost a village's water and sewer grant scores — clerk training counts for up to 40% of project points. Sign up by July 31.
by Alaska News2mo ago1 min read
Eleven Sitka islands lose power for a day as crews swap a channel cable
Eleven islands off Sitka go dark for eight hours on July 31 while crews swap out an aging underwater cable. Charge everything Thursday night.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Many Bethel homes still haul water. This money starts to change that.
Many Bethel residents still get water by truck. The state just forgave $3.4 million in loans that starts the design work toward piping it instead.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
North Slope Borough approves $5M water and sewer increase after Point Lay freeze-up
North Slope Borough approved a $5 million increase to its water and sewer contract Monday after a village-wide freeze-up in Point Lay that has lasted since December 2025.
by Lucas Brown2mo ago2 min read
Bethel hauled water and sewer deliveries shift early for Independence Day
Bethel shifted hauled water and sewer deliveries one day early Saturday to beat the Independence Day holiday, affecting all three service routes.
by Alaska Newsadded 2mo ago1 min read
