At the clinic. The Post Office. The washeteria. You'll see these signs posted across the village of Wales this weekend warning that elevated levels of uranium have been found in the city water supply.
The problem, discovered by routine testing of the village's 500,000-gallon water tank, was discovered this summer. While some people gather water in buckets from local waterways, the tank is the official public water source for the Bering Strait village of roughly 150 people. Uranium is a weakly radioactive heavy metal that occurs naturally in Alaska.
"This is not an immediate risk," says the public notice to Wales residents. "However, some people who drink water containing uranium in excess of the (maximum contaminent level) over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer and kidney toxicity."
The discovery is the talk of the town, said Mayor Frank Crisci. "What are we going to do about it? What can we do about? And is anybody going to help us do this?"
The safe standard for uranium in water is 30 micrograms per liter. The water in Wales tested at 32.5 micrograms per liter.
The numbers surprised Department of Environmental Conservation officials who say excess uranium levels are unheard of in Alaska water supplies.
“We said, 'Wow this has never happened before,'" said Marci Irwin, Compliance and Monitoring Program Coordinator for the Drinking Water Program's northern office.
Wales used to filter and treat water from a local creek, but within the past two years switched to a well about a mile outside of town. The state Village Safe Water program is sending a project manager Monday to test the wells.
Meantime, bottled water sells for $2.95 at the Wales Native Store.
More later.
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