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Old 07-01-2010, 10:09 AM
 
Location: Bush Alaska
432 posts, read 757,582 times
Reputation: 247

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I'll be heading to my new home in Alaska in a few weeks, and a question just occurred to me: Can I drink the water? Another, related question is are the fish from the river safe to eat? These questions came up while I was reading about the village's water source. I've had someone suggest to me on another forum that neither the groundwater nor fish from the river are safe to consume. Anyone know anything about that?

Oh, the village is Lower Kalskag, by the bye, and the river is the Kuskokwim.
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Old 07-01-2010, 10:57 AM
 
Location: Anchorage
1,923 posts, read 4,700,537 times
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Oh, there is no safe drinking water in Alaska. We all fly in bottled water and drink mead.
And don't even bother with the fish, that stuff will kill ya for sho.
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Old 07-01-2010, 11:08 AM
 
Location: Bush Alaska
432 posts, read 757,582 times
Reputation: 247
Quote:
Originally Posted by roadfamily6now View Post
Oh, there is no safe drinking water in Alaska. We all fly in bottled water and drink mead.
And don't even bother with the fish, that stuff will kill ya for sho.
That is humor. I recognize that.
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Old 07-01-2010, 11:16 AM
 
Location: Palmer
2,519 posts, read 7,008,254 times
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The fish in the river are great to eat.

The water...who knows. I am on well water in Palmer and I still have it tested. You are drinking the water in Atlanta, do you know what is in it? Most of us pull the water out of our taps and drink it with no idea what is in it. A high percentage of homes built before 1975 have high levels of lead and copper in their water, much higher than the EPA max. This is caused by the water running through copper pipes connected with lead based solder.

I recommend that you test the water you drink so at least you know what's in it.

I grew up drinking water you wouldn't believe and as far as I know I have not been sick from it, but I still think it's a good idea to know what you are drinking.

Here's where to get your water tested... National Testing Labs
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Old 07-01-2010, 11:35 AM
 
Location: Myrtle Beach
3,381 posts, read 9,098,393 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RDawg View Post
That is humor. I recognize that.

Hahaha.... that's friggin hilarious. Glad you are able to recognize humor.
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Old 07-01-2010, 12:02 PM
 
145 posts, read 568,818 times
Reputation: 111
I really second Marty on this; as beautiful as it looks above ground, I would not drink the water until I had it tested...there are so many things in the well water in my little area that I would hesitate to wash the dishes in it...let alone drink it.


That is why I am in no hurry to change my dry situation

Good luck,

Deb
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Old 07-03-2010, 01:14 AM
 
Location: Bush Alaska
432 posts, read 757,582 times
Reputation: 247
I thank each of you for your input. Even you, Roadfam, your...humor...notwithstanding. I was simply curious about the groundwater in the bush.
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Old 07-03-2010, 04:37 AM
 
Location: Barrow, Alaska
3,539 posts, read 7,622,336 times
Reputation: 1836
Quote:
Originally Posted by RDawg View Post
Oh, the village is Lower Kalskag, by the bye, and the river is the Kuskokwim.
You won't want to drink water from the Kuskokwim without filtering it. It's a "glacial" river, and the amount of silt is fairly high. Not that the water is "bad", just that it's full of grinding compound!

As for Kalskag, you'll find there are various sources of water, each a little different. In places relatively close to the river a shallow well is possible, and deep wells also work. The deeper the well, the more iron in the water. But basically the water is relatively good because it is filtered through sand, and as long as your well is far enough from places where raw sewage is being dumped (cesspools, etc) it will be good.

Other sources of water are sloughs, lakes, and other small rivers. All of those sources are questionable until you learn otherwise. Don't drink anything until you know that a majority of others also drink from that source. And there is nothing stopping you from getting a sample and sending it off for testing!

Generally though, I think you'll find that Kalskag water is pretty good.
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Old 07-04-2010, 12:18 PM
 
Location: Anchorage
1,923 posts, read 4,700,537 times
Reputation: 871
I agree about testing your water. There are areas around Delta that have arsenic in the water.

Having said that, DH and I used to drink water right out of the streams on Adak. Probably should not have done that.
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Old 07-05-2010, 04:12 PM
 
Location: Bush Alaska
432 posts, read 757,582 times
Reputation: 247
Never thought about having a sample tested. I figured a distiller or some such gadget would help out. In India we used to boil the water. Kind of a hassle.
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