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Fate and Effects of Leachate Contamination on Alaska's Tribal Drinking Water Sources
Citation:
Patterson, C., M. Davis, C. Impellitteri, S. Panguluri, E. Mutter, AND J. Sarcone. Fate and Effects of Leachate Contamination on Alaska's Tribal Drinking Water Sources. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-12/686, 2013.
Impact/Purpose:
Studies have shown a correlation between living close to a rural Alaska dump and adverse birth outcomes, including low or very low birth weight, pre-term birth, and intrauterine growth retardation. These dumps contain a variety of solid and hazardous waste. This RARE project characterized the fate of contaminants released from dumps in rural Alaska, and evaluate the potential impact on local drinking water sources. This project provided EPA’s state and local partners with information to assist them in long range planning for management of landfills. And, residents of rural Alaska received information to develop and implement best management practices for landfills that are more protective of water quality.
Description:
EPA and Alaskan tribal communities identified and selected five representative Alaskan tribal landfills/dump sites and performed water quality sampling and analysis to identify chemical and microbial contaminants of concern (COCs) that could potentially impact the local drinking water sources. The project characterized the general surface water quality and groundwater quality in the vicinity of the five rural Alaskan Tribal landfills, identified water contamination levels, and collected information that can be used to improve the management of the approximately 200 open tribal dump sites throughout the State of Alaska. The final report summarizes the activities, findings, and recommendations based on the approximately three years of collaborative research.