A fire in Emmonak has damaged the local water treatment plant.
Emmonak’s Mayor Wilbur Hootch says the vacuum pump system and the electrical components connected to it have burnt out.
The fire did not cause any fatalities.
Technicians are working to keep community pipes from freezing.
To do that, a main storage water tank must be filled.
A failure to fill that tank could be costly, Hootch said.
“If we don’t have enough water level in our 100,000 (gallon) plus storage tank, once our low and high pressure freeze up, we’ll have a major disaster for the whole community of Emmonak,” he said.
City engineers are ordering the replacement parts.
The system may freeze if the parts are not available.
It is unknown how long the town could go without sewer and water if the pipes do freeze.
Currently, Emmonak residents are advised to reserve their usage of water and to avoid using flush toilets, since this may cause the sewer to back up into their homes.
Within the next 48 hours, the total estimated damage could potentially exceed $1 million.