Relationships of Permafrost to Sanitation— Alter 245 



Permafrost frequently does not permit proper drainage of the 

 soil and it becomes water-logged when it is not in a frozen state. 

 Permafrost actually preserves organic materials shown by 

 various reports of recovery of almost perfectly preserved speci- 

 mens of mastodon from permanently frozen ground after thou- 

 sands of years of existence in the ground. 



Very little investigation has been made concerning the specific 

 role the soils of the Arctic may play in carrying on processes 

 necessary to render organic wastes harmless. At present, it 

 appears that the biological state and the difficult physical state 

 of Arctic soils almost preclude use of common temperate cli- 

 mate sewage disposal methods without modification. 



At the present time wastes are dumped near the homes or 

 placed on river or sea ice. Dogs eat some of the wastes and the 

 remainder accumulates in a dangerous and disagreeable mess. 

 Arctic soil conditions may retain pathogenic organisms, present 

 in the wastes, viable for great lengths of time. 



Community sewerage systems now installed in permafrost 

 have been difficult to operate. Permafrost has affected vertical 

 alignment of sewers, stability of manholes, sewage flow, loss of 

 sewage heat in miscellaneous appurtenances to the system, and 

 the structural stability of basins and buildings. 



Permafrost may prolong the life of pathogenic bacteria, re- 

 tard decomposition of wastes, and it complicates the construc- 

 tion and operation of sewerage systems. 



Garbage and Refuse Disposal 



Burial is a common means of disposal for garbage and refuse 

 in temperate climates, but in the permafrost regions, burial is 

 difficult and probably unsatisfactory for decomposition of the 

 wastes. The attached Figure 1 showing "Air, Ground and 

 Water Temperatures at Fairbanks, Alaska," indicates the un- 

 desirable physical conditions for disposal of garbage by burial 

 in this subarctic community. Digging in the permanently 

 frozen ground is difficult. Bones, tin cans, and other garbage 

 and refuse are found strewn on the ground near homes in 

 many of the Arctic villages. The Greenland Commission has 



