Biohazard and Pathogen Disinfection in Emmonak, AK

Emmonak is an incorporated city in Kusilvak Census Area, Alaska, in the large delta of the Yukon River, and its Central Yupik name is Imangaq.

Emmonak was incorporated on February 13, 1964, and it is the successor community to Kwiguk, located a mile and a half to the south, most of whose residents moved to Emmonak in 1964 after flooding damaged the old village, including its cannery.

Emmonak had a population of 825 at the 2020 census, up from 762 in 2010, with 213 households and a median age of 25.6 years.

Emmonak is one of the last permanent settlements along the Yukon River before it empties into the Bering Sea.

The city covers 5.91 square miles, of which 4.97 square miles are land and 0.94 square miles are water, and its ZIP code is 99581.

In the 2020 census, 92.0 percent of Emmonak residents were American Indian and Alaska Native, and 37.6 percent of residents were under the age of 18.

In the winter of 2008-2009, a combination of a cold winter, high fuel prices, and a collapse in local king salmon fisheries caused an energy crisis in Emmonak that drew national media attention after a town elder circulated a letter asking for aid.

Kindergarten through 12th-grade students in Emmonak attend Emmonak School, operated by the Lower Yukon School District.

Emmonak's record low temperature is minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and the city averages about 58.8 inches of snow per year.

Emmonak first appeared on the 1970 United States Census as an incorporated city, although it was erroneously called Emanguk in that census.