Buckland, Alaska: Arctic Wastewater Case Study

Buckland is a remote Native Alaskan village located 40 miles south of the Arctic Circle. Buckland’s soil consists of ice-rich permafrost. Seasonal thaw is between 2 and 3 ft. A new water and sewer system was constructed in Buckland, Alaska, between 2008 and 2017. As the project neared completion, there was a 10–20% annual sewer service failure rate. The project funding agency requested a third-party review of the project to determine failure mode, recommend repairs, and provide lessons learned. The review team reviewed the design and construction documents. They spent 5 days in Buckland observing repairs and construction. Initially, unstable permafrost was the assumed the failure cause. The investigation revealed key failures in design, construction, and project management, unrelated to the soil conditions. It also provided confirmation of certain standard Arctic design elements. In 2023, additional investigations were done by the same team, which confirmed the 2017 conclusions.