Mekoryuk was the birthplace of Cowater’s Flush Tank and Haul system. The first experimental units were planned in 1989/90 and built in 1991. Over the next five years we built several development phases aimed at developing a system that gave a high level of service and was reliable and sustainable in harsh Arctic conditions of Mekoryuk. By 1997 we were very confident in the system and undertook the largest project up to that time – a forty unit project to install FTH systems in forty homes.

By the time of this writing (2007) we have installed a total of 87 systems in homes and businesses in Mekoryuk. A new project has been approved for an additional 10 units. This will bring the total to 97 units installed by Cowater. In addition the regional housing agency AVCP has installed 8 FTHâ units in new homes. The Mekoryuk Health Clinic operates another two units.

Cowater wishes to thank the people of Mekoryuk for their patience and assistance in working with Cowater during the development of the Flush Tank and Haul® system. In particular we salute those homeowners who were the first volunteers to have experimental units in their homes. There were many problems with the first units while we worked to solve the many problems and “get the bugs out”.

Other water and sanitation projects which support the Flush Tank and Haul® system have also been carried out over the years. These include sanitation roads, a new sewage lagoon outside the village, an equipment garage, sewage pump station and force main to the lagoon. The community now enjoys a high level of sanitation services.