Gulkana Water Treatment Plant

Gulkana Village Council is proud of the quality of the water provided to our citizens. The 1,960 square foot Gulkana Water Treatment Plant was constructed in 2013. The building houses the water filtration, and circulation services for the community. The water treatment plant is occupied for approximately eight hours per day 7 days a week and the water quality is tested monthly by an independent agency.

Water is pumped from the Gulkana River through an intake line that is approximately 800 ft. long to the water treatment plant. The intake is located beneath the gravel bed in the Gulkana River, and a screen is used to filter out the water from the surrounding environment. Sand migrates through the gravel bed into the screen over time, which collects in the intake. This causes many issues with overall water quality as well as equipment maintenance in the water treatment plant.

Once the water enters the building, it is heated such that it can be properly processed by the MIEX treatment system present in the plant. The MIEX pretreatment system is used to remove Dissolved Organic Compounds (DOC’s) from the raw water. DOC’s are very common in the Gulkana River, which acts as the water source for the community. After the water is processed through the MIEX system, it is injected with Potassium Permanganate (and processed through a reaction chamber) and Polymer 8185. These chemicals act as coagulants that collect dirt and other particles together to assist with sand filtration. After filtration, the water is injected with chlorine before being stored in a water storage tank. The water is given contact time in the water storage tank for proper contact time with the chlorine for treatment. After the water storage tank, the water is circulated through the distribution loop to the community. The water is circulated through the use of two 1.5 HP circulation pumps in the winter and two ¾ HP pressure pumps in the summer. All of the water in the water storage tank and in the distribution loops is heated to prevent freezing.

All of the community sewage is handled through a gravity sewer system. The system has one lift station that collects the sewage and pumps it to a sewage lagoon outside of town.