A cold snap that settled over much of Alaska in January has sent an entire village more than a decade back in time. On Jan. 23 the entire water and sewer system froze in Selawik, a village just above the Arctic Circle on the Western Alaska coastline and home to more than 800 people, about half of whom are children and teens.

Since then the families that have come to rely on in-home plumbing conveniences like washing machines and showers, flush toilets and kitchen sinks, have had to do without, forcing the youngest among them to temporarily deal with a different way of life.

"The young ones need to learn how to get back to simple, basic wash basins and sanitation ways," said Clyde Ramoth, president of the Native Village of Selawik, on Thursday, 11 days after the big freeze.

With no running water, the school in Selawik cancelled classes for a few days. But that didn't stop the kids from going "old school": five gallon buckets for toilets, trips to the river for bathing water, trips miles upriver for cleaner ice to melt and drink.

It brings up fond memories for Ramoth, who remembers doing these things when he was a child. Back then "we would be socializing and visit and drink tea and play outdoors until we were nearly frozen. These days, kids are so dependent on electricity and running water," he said.

By Thursday, Feb. 2, water had been restored to the school and to most teacher housing units, and families are now able to go to the school to use restrooms and take showers. But private homes, the health clinic, city offices, an apartment complex and the grocery stores remained cut off.

A big concern now is making sure people don't get sick.

"We just want to make sure everybody is safe, and clean and healthy," said Ramoth, who is helping with the big thaw.

Some reports are coming in of children developing sores on mouths and hands, head lice, pink eye, and of people in general coming down with colds and strep throat, but overall "there has not been a huge spike in clinic visits because of health issues related to not having sewer and water," said Wendy Schaeffer, Public Services Deputy Director for the Northwest Arctic Borough in Kotzebue.

Hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes have been sent to the community to help quash the spread of germs, and everyone's been told they must boil water before drinking it. Village and regional leaders are monitoring the situation, as is the Alaska Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management.

Other supplies coming in to the village include 5 gallon buckets (for toilet waste), 32 gallon buckets (to haul ice), rope, gloves, insulated rubber gloves, funnels, winter extension cords and headlamps for the workers who are working in shifts to thaw the lines. On Thursday, the Northwest Arctic Borough was also working to send four large, oil-run heaters. Earlier flights were canceled because of low temperatures, Schaeffer said.

Since 1999, more than $11.9 million has gone toward bringing the water and sewer system to the village, according to state records. Villagers believe it failed in January for three reasons: a pesky muskrat, a poor pump design, and the super-cold winter.

According to Ramoth, one of the intake lines at the Selawik River is housed in an open box in which muskrats like to nest. River silt found inside the pump, most likely kicked up by a muskrat, clogged and slowed the delivery of water to the holding tank. The pump's design was poor and due for a tweak, but not until the summer, according to Ramoth. These two factors caused the water pressure in the lines to become very low. Once the water stopped pumping, amid minus 50 degree temperatures, the system froze village-wide.

On Thursday, Selawik Mayor Nora Ramoth was relieved to see the thermometer climbing. At minus 39 degrees, things were warming up. But add in the wind chill -- minus 60 degrees -- and it's not much improvement.  

"We need good luck and prayers and warm weather," she said.

Contact Jill Burke at jill(at)alaskadispatch.com