Representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Alaska District and the City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ) will host a public information session on Wednesday, July 30, to share updates on a technical study focused on long-term flood mitigation in the Mendenhall Valley.
The session will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at Thunder Mountain Middle School in Juneau. The event is open to the public and intended for anyone interested in learning more about ongoing efforts to address the risk of glacial lake outburst flooding from the Mendenhall Glacier.
The evening will include a brief presentation by USACE’s Civil Works Branch, which is leading the technical study, followed by a public question-and-answer session. The Corps’ Emergency Management Program will not be in attendance.
Representatives from CBJ, Tlingit & Haida, the National Weather Service, the American Red Cross, and the University of Alaska Southeast will also be on hand to provide technical information and resources related to flood preparedness.
The $4.75 million study is fully funded by the federal government and aims to evaluate long-term options for reducing flood risks in the Mendenhall Valley.
The Mendenhall Valley is one of the city’s most densely populated residential areas, current water levels as of July 21 are sitting at 1,290 feet. That’s 81 feet below the basin’s overflow point, which experts expect to reach by mid-August if the current pace continues.
Water levels tend to rise more quickly during warm weather and rain events, and the USGS warns that large iceberg movement may cause data spikes.
