NOTN- After another glacial outburst flood on the Mendenhall River, Juneau officials are turning their focus to how the city will pay for long‑term protection of flood‑prone neighborhoods.
City Manager Katie Koester told the Assembly that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is moving ahead with an industry led solution, which could move on a faster time-line than one directed by the Army Corp.
The project would be designed to Suicide basin below 1,100 feet and hold future events to minor flood levels.
While final designs and costs are still unknown, Koester said the overall price tag could reach hundreds of millions of dollars, leaving Juneau responsible for an estimated $40 million to $100 million depending on the federal cost share, 10 to 25 percent.
According to Koester, after speaking with Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan’s office, Alaska’s congressional delegation is now working to change federal law so Juneau can receive the same 90-10 cost share available for Army Corps projects on tribal lands under the conventional process.
“I do think our state having some participation in the funding of an enduring solution is important… we have local government, federal government, tribal government, and state government all working together.” Koester said.
The city has already spent nearly $10 million in local funds on HESCO barriers and related work over recent flood seasons, and staff time has been pulled away from other core capital projects such as water, wastewater and facilities maintenance. Koester said engineering, public works and emergency management have been “absorbing” much of the response workload, and warned that can’t continue indefinitely without tradeoffs or added staff.
“We have spent a little under $10 million of CBJ taxpayer money, and that is thanks to grants and partnerships. Army Corps has spent significantly more more than that.” Koester said, “There will be maintenance responsibilities that we’ll be in charge of, including inspection, unfortunately protecting against vandalism. We’ve already seen the barrier slashed. We’ve already seen warming fires being built right up against the barriers.”
Assembly members are weighing a mix of options, including a special service area tax for roughly 1,800 homes in and around the flood zone currently protected by HESCOs, bonds backed by area‑wide taxpayers, and potential contributions from the state. A one‑mill levy in a HESCO service area would likely raise less than $1 million a year, meaning the general fund would still play a major role.
The Assembly is also debating whether to compensate homeowners who host HESCO barriers on their land through temporary easements, and whether to limit new development in the flood corridor while it asks voters to help finance a permanent solution. A small Assembly “strike team” will work with staff to refine funding options before they return to the full body for public debate.
