North Slope Borough approves $62.5 million water, sewer contract

The North Slope Borough has locked in a five-year, $62.5 million water and sewer contract that will keep UIC Municipal Services operating systems in seven villages through 2032. The Assembly approved the deal 11-0, extending a partnership that has lasted for two decades.

For families in places such as Point Lay, Wainwright, Atqasuk, Nuiqsut, Kaktovik and Anaktuvuk Pass, the contract is not just a line item in a budget. It covers the systems that move, treat and collect water and wastewater, the work that keeps homes livable, schools functioning and public buildings sanitary in a region where a breakdown can ripple quickly through daily life.

UIC Municipal Services, formerly UIC Lands, LLC, is based in Utqiaġvik and says its mission is to help the borough sustain and improve residents’ quality of life with cost-effective, well-coordinated essential municipal services. The company’s long run on the contract gives the borough a familiar operator for work that depends on local know-how, specialized labor and constant maintenance planning.

The borough’s Department of Public Works says its Water and Sewer division is responsible for operating and maintaining water and wastewater treatment, piped distribution and piped collection systems in all villages. Public Works describes itself as the borough’s largest and most diverse department, and says the Water and Sewer division supports public health and environmental protection across the North Slope.

That is the standard residents are likely to judge: whether water keeps flowing, wastewater keeps moving and repairs happen before problems turn into shutdowns. In a place where winter, distance and shipping constraints make every fix harder and more expensive, a long-term contract is meant to buy stability as much as service.

The size of the agreement also underscores the cost of basic infrastructure in the Arctic. Borough leaders have separately pointed to an $80 million water and sewer system that still needs to be built in Point Lay, a reminder that keeping existing systems running is only part of the financial burden. For the North Slope Borough, the new contract signals a continued commitment to the basics that underlie health, sanitation and day-to-day life in villages spread across the region.