WATER SUPPLY PROBLEMS IN LOW 

 TEMPERATURE AREAS 



Amos J. Alter, Director 



Division of Sanitation and Engineering 



Alaska Department of Health 



Juneau, Alaska 



"Ice" water is the rule in the Arctic. Melted ice and snow 

 are the most common sources of water for domestic and house- 

 hold purposes. Why must the water be melted from ice and 

 snow? 



Readily available supplies of pure water for year around use 

 are scarce in the regions of low temperature and permafrost. 

 The existence of such a supply of water may govern the loca- 

 tion of communities, industry and development of low tempera- 

 ture regions. Although problems of location of adequate and 

 safe sources are of prime importance, construction of water 

 works facilities and operation of them under low temperature 

 conditions present almost equally significant problems. 



The low temperature regions are considered to consist prin- 

 cipally of that geographic area north of latitude 58 ° North. 

 Permanently frozen ground or "permafrost" exists in a large 

 part of this geographic area, but it is not entirely limited to 

 this area. Permanently frozen ground is frozen continuously 

 from a few feet to several hundred feet in depth. However, 

 above the permafrost a shallow layer of ground from a foot to 

 several feet in thickness thaws seasonally, but permanently 

 frozen ground may be found below this. Near the southern 

 limits of the permafrost region, a thin layer of thawed soil may 

 be found to exist continuously between the seasonally thawed 

 stratum and the permanently frozen strata. Also in this south- 

 ern sector of the permafrost zone, portions of the ground may 

 be found to be completely thawed and void of permafrost. 

 Many thawed areas may be found along water courses, lakes, 



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