Photo in the report titled "dissapearing river." - Courtesy Photo, Ryan Brubaker

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Warming temperatures raise questions of water supply in village

July 8th 12:59 pm | Alex DeMarban Print this article   Email this article   Create a Shortlink for this article

The dropping Noatak River is becoming more difficult to navigate and could threaten the water supply in an Inupiaq village, according to a report on climate change issued by the nation's largest tribal health system.

Noatak, a village of 500, is the latest to see the spotlight in a series of studies conducted by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, which is visiting some Northwest Alaska communities to learn about the impacts of warming temperatures.

The health system's Center for Climate and Health has previously issued such reports on Point Hope and Kivalina.

Average temperatures in the village northwest of Kotzebue are higher each month than 50 years ago, the report said. The warmer temperatures mean the river, the main travel corridor into the village, is shallower. And its ice is less stable in winter, creating more risk for snowmachiners.

The village gets its water from shallow wells in the river and the primary well has sometimes gone dry. That's a problem because there's no other "known alternative," the report notes.

The Center for Climate and Health produced the federally-funded report, working with the Maniilaq Association, the Northwest Arctic Borough and the Noatak Traditional Council.

To read more about the changes in Noatak, find the report here [http://www.anthc.org/chs/ces/climate/upload/Climate_Change_in_Noatak_Alaska-Strategies_for_Community_Health.pdf].

 

Alex DeMarban can be reached at alex@alaskanewspapers.com, or by phone at (907) 348-2444.

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