A drone image shows widespread flooding in the Mendenhall Valley. (Image courtesy of Rich Ross)
A drone image shows widespread flooding in the Mendenhall Valley. (Image courtesy of Rich Ross)
NOTN- Alaska’s congressional delegation and State and City officials are urging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for clarity and action after the agency abruptly pulled back from the lake tap enduring solution, viewed as the leading option for protecting the Mendenhall Valley from glacial lake outburst flooding long term.
Juneau Sen. Jesse Kiehl said U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan used all of his allotted time, and asked for more, during a U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing last Wednesday to question Army Corps leaders about their lack of clear plans for a permanent solution.
“One of our U.S. senators could have spent time on a lot of Alaska issues, and he spent every minute he had on Juneau’s issue, and I appreciate that kind of work,” Kiehl said.
The Army Corps recently informed local officials it is pivoting away from advancing the lake tap as the identified long-term fix for the glacial lake outburst flooding that has repeatedly damaged homes and infrastructure along the Mendenhall River.
Instead, Corps officials emphasized “robust flood fighting”, emergency-response measures such as HESCO Barriers, while expressing continued, but less defined, interest in long-term mitigation.
City Manager Katie Koester said in a published update, “I want to acknowledge the weight of that update as it threatens the longevity of our entire community. Many of us have invested years of effort, advocacy, and hope into advancing a long-term solution.”
Koester said she is “deeply concerned that all planning and design efforts have been diverted to flood fighting,” leaving uncertainty around an enduring solution.
Since learning of the Corps’ change in direction, Koester said Juneau officials have been in active talks with Alaska’s federal delegation and senior Army leaders.
She met with staff from Sullivan’s office and with Lee Forsgren, the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, who she said reaffirmed “his commitment to an enduring solution for Juneau,” though it remains unclear what that will be.
Koester said she has also met with staff for U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
“I want to emphasize that our delegation remains dedicated advocates for this project and for Juneau. Their engagement has been evidence of that.” Koester wrote.
During Wednesday’s Senate hearing, Sullivan pressed Army officials about the Corps’ reversal, the urgency of the threat and the need for both interim protections and a permanent fix. Senior officials reiterated a commitment to work toward a “durable solution” and agreed to travel to Juneau this spring.
“That visit will be an important opportunity to demonstrate the unique and imminent threat facing our community and to press for clarity on the path forward.” said Koester.
Koester stressed that Juneau is not waiting for federal decisions. The city has submitted a $8 million Congressionally Directed Spending request to fund geotechnical and planning work for the lake tap approach, which she described as the most cost-effective, fastest to implement and least disruptive option for reducing flood risk across the valley.
Kiehl said the Army Corps is “absolutely feeling the need and the pressure from our delegation in Washington, D.C.” but added that locals will keep pressing until a clear long-term plan is back on the table.
NOTN- Juneau officials are weighing whether to move forward with a federal buyout program for homes on flood‑prone View Drive, after most residents said they can’t afford the required local cost share.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service has identified View Drive as a candidate for its Emergency Watershed Protection buyout program. A preliminary estimate puts the total project cost at about $25 million.
Under the program, the federal government would cover 75% of eligible costs. The remaining 25% must come from non‑federal sources, such as the city, homeowners or other partners. Juneau asked NRCS to waive that local share, but the request was denied.
“After the assembly had some additional discussion at the Finance Committee meeting, they directed staff to to do an informal poll, so it was non-binding, just to get a sense from the residents who live on that road, if they would be willing and interested to participate in this program, if they had to pay the 25% non federal cost share, or if they would not be interested in participating in the program.” Said Director of Engineering Denise Koch.
The city conducted that informal poll of 18 properties on View Drive. 14 responded.
Koch said most homeowners indicated they would not participate if they had to pay the full 25% themselves. Only two said they were interested.
“Most of the respondents said that they would not be interested in participating under those circumstances. There was one property owner that I had listed as unclear, they selected yes and no, and they indicated that they would need more information in order to make an informed decision.” Koch said, “Of the two yeses, one is a property that has been subject to severe and repetitive flooding, the other is a property that is on the high side and has not flooded.”
Because the two interested homes are far apart, Koch said it’s likely NRCS would only approve a buyout for the repeatedly flooded property. That would create an unusual, one‑house project in a program that typically buys out a group of homes.
“A major theme was real disappointment that CBJ would require individual property owners to pay a 25% cost share.” Said Koch, summarizing several responses from the informal ballot and in person conversations, “Some people said that they didn’t have the ability to pay for that 25% cost share. Or if they had that amount of money, they might use it in other ways to protect their homes versus participating in a buyout program.”
On top of the 25% share, the city would also face tens of thousands of dollars per property in non‑reimbursable project management costs, including permitting and technical work. Kocher said the city is already stretched thin and facing a tight federal timeline; participating homeowners would need to be out of their homes before the 2026 glacial outburst flood season.
“What we’re looking for from a staff perspective is to understand from the Assembly, if there’s additional information that that you need in order to help make a decision as to whether CBJ should participate in this program or not. We do have this, essentially, time is of the essence problem again, if we’re going to proceed with this project, we have to get people out of their homes before August of 2026, and that’s really not that that far away.” Koch said.
Assembly members said View Drive residents have found the program details “incredibly confusing,” with multiple meetings, memos, and evolving information about eligibility and costs.
“One of the frustrating things I think about this project is there probably is a solution out there, you could bring partners together, you know, city homeowners, our community, the state nonprofits, there are lots of folks who may want to see this come to fruition, but we don’t have time.” Said Assembly member Christine Woll.
Kocher acknowledged that city staff are “learning as we go” while simultaneously working on other flood mitigation and long‑term enduring solution efforts, including the now‑uncertain lake tap alternative that, if built, was expected to protect all homes along View Drive.
For now, the Assembly has directed staff to hold another neighborhood meeting with View Drive residents, along with a small number of Assembly members. The goal is to explain the program more clearly, answer questions and find out whether there’s enough interest to justify moving ahead with the buyout option at all.
Juneau officials said they were “deeply frustrated” after learning that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has abruptly backed away from pursuing a preferred long-term fix for the catastrophic glacial outburst floods threatening the Mendenhall Valley.
At a Committee of the Whole meeting Monday night, City and Borough of Juneau leaders detailed new modeling that shows a worst-case glacial lake outburst flood could send an estimated 118,000 cubic feet per second of water down the Mendenhall River, far beyond anything the city has experienced.
“So in August of 2023 when we had our first majorly destructive GLOF, that impacted about 30 homes. Then the next year, in the August of 2024 we wound up with a very different type of event. It wasn’t as much of a riverbank erosion event, it was more of an inundation event. It impacted about 300 homes. So just get a sense of that.” Said Director of engineering Denise Koch, “Then in August of 2025 we had an even more severe GLOF. The HESCO barriers were largely successful in protecting the areas that they were designed to protect. We think without HESCO barriers in 2025, we would have had anywhere from 750 to 1000 homes that would have been impacted. So just to give you a sense of how much more severe each one of these GLOFs is getting.”
Maps presented at the meeting showed that a maximum event could push water beyond the Central valley, crossing Riverside Drive and Mendenhall Loop Road, affecting neighborhoods on both sides of the river.
“We’re talking about a GLOF of this magnitude, if you did not have sufficient mitigation, going beyond what people experienced in 2024 which was terrible in and of itself.” Said Koch, “We’re talking about water also having impacts on the western side of the river, having impacts all the way down, impacting the Mendenhall wastewater treatment plant, having impacts to the airport, a GLOF of this magnitude really gets beyond the Central Valley.”
Scientists from the University of Alaska Southeast, the National Weather Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and Tribal representatives from Tlingit and Haida identified a “lake tap” of Suicide Basin as the preferred enduring solution.
“The lake tap was the most attractive option. It has a very high likelihood of reducing the GLOF risk. It is designed to drain out Suicide Basin at approximately the Basin’s inflow rate.” Said Koch, “There are a lot of assumptions that went into this. A lake tap is essentially a tunnel, there’s a lot of tunnel building capacity in Alaska, It is definitely a technology that is out there and exists.”
The Lake Tap option, the least costly of the long term mitigation efforts discussed, would include construction of a roughly 2.3‑mile tunnel from Suicide Basin to an outfall between Nugget Falls and the face of the Mendenhall Glacier, according to officials.
City Manager Katie Koester said that until recently, CBJ had been told the lake tap was the selected alternative, and that the Army Corps would move quickly toward a technical report on a timeline strongly backed by Sen. Dan Sullivan.
Koester said the city had been in “multiple times a week” coordination with the Corps, but that a couple weeks ago those check ins ceased.
“We were under the impression that it was all going smoothly.” Koester said, “We began inquiring, why haven’t we had a check in a while? Then on Thursday of last week, we had a meeting with Army Corps headquarters where they rescinded all of the direction that they had previously given to pursue a lake tap as the selected alternative. They directed staff to wrap up all efforts on the lake tap as the selected alternative, which included environmental work and feasibility and preliminary engineering.”
Koester described the change as “a really disheartening pivot that left us a little bit speechless,” adding, “I imagine also leaves you speechless.”
“I’m deeply frustrated with this change of course from Army Corps of Engineers. They certainly have been a great partner, really we need them.” Koester said, “We need them to fight the flood fight, to keep this community safe and whole until we can get to an enduring solution.”
According to Koester, Alaska’s delegation, Sen. Murkowski and Sullivan are both committed to an enduring solution, with Sen. Sullivan meeting with the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works on Wednesday.
Koester urged residents to advocate specifically for the lake tap, and to speak as a unified community.
“I think that it certainly doesn’t help our position to have a divided community on what the best option is, because we are asking for so much so quickly.” Koester said, “I’m confident that we are all advocating for a solution. We need to be aligned, and it doesn’t help when we’re unaligned. But we’re not that unaligned. We all, everyone in this room, everyone who has written their delegation and talked to their delegation, wants an enduring solution and wants it quickly, and I have never heard anyone advocate for anything other than that.”
Officials did emphasize however, that HESCO barrier flood protection work is proceeding.
Koester confirmed the Corps has a signed agreement and continues to cover 100% of Phase Two HESCO costs.
NOTN- The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly is set to tackle several hot button issues at tonight’s Committee of the Whole meeting, including flood mitigation efforts, redevelopment plans and new budget survey results.
According to a release from CBJ, the major focus of the meeting will be long-term solutions for glacial lake outburst flooding in the Mendenhall Valley.
City officials will present updates on a proposed Lake Tap which has been identified as the preferred engineering option following a recent planning session hosted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Engineers estimate that without further mitigation, a future maximum flood event could impact more than 2,800 properties in the valley.
The Assembly will also receive updates on the second phase of the HESCO barrier flood project, and review results of an informal poll of View Drive residents about a voluntary federal buyout program.
City Manager Katie Koester said the buyout option would require a 25% non-federal match, estimated at roughly $6 million if all 18 eligible properties on View Drive participate.
Officials are seeking to determine whether homeowners are interested and whether they could help assemble the local share through private or nonprofit contributions.
City leaders emphasized participation would be voluntary, and the city would not move forward without sufficient interest.
Beyond flood response, the Assembly will hear results from a recent citywide budget priorities survey.
The meeting will also include discussion of next steps for a developer solicitation for Telephone Hill and updates on the ongoing Seawalk project.
City leaders are anticipating a late night tonight.
The Alaska State Capitol is seen behind other buildings on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, in downtown Juneau. (James Brooks photo/Alaska Beacon)
By: James Brooks, Alaska Beacon
The Alaska State Capitol is seen behind other buildings on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, in downtown Juneau. (James Brooks photo/Alaska Beacon)
The Alaska Legislature on Wednesday approved a 30-day extension for the state of disaster covering the fall 2025 storms that battered the state’s west coast.
The extension allows the state to continue spending money from its disaster response fund as it continues cleanup and repair efforts from two storms in October. Hundreds of Alaskans were displaced by the disasters, which devastated coastal communities.
The Alaska Senate approved the extension in a 19-0 vote on Monday, but the extension nearly failed in the Alaska House after members of the House’s Republican minority caucus raised procedural issues on Wednesday and said members of the majority were not following state law.
The extension was included in Senate Concurrent Resolution 12, which retroactively approves extensions issued since October and allows the governor to spend more from the state’s disaster response fund.
“Doing this as a resolution is dangerous, I think it’s a mistake, and I’m not even certain that it’s legal,” said House Minority Leader DeLena Johnson, R-Palmer.
Johnson and other Republicans said that under their interpretation of state law, legislators would need to approve the spending via a bill, not a resolution.
A legislative attorney, writing in a Feb. 2 memo to Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, said, “when the legislature means to take action having a binding effect on those outside the legislature, including extending a disaster declaration, the legislature must enact a bill in a special or regular session rather than using the less formal resolution process.”
Johnson was rebutted by House Rules Chair Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak and a member of the House’s majority coalition.
“This is not new money,” she said. “This is money that has been (in the fund) and is being allowed to be appropriated out. … it’s been agreed upon that maybe this wasn’t the optimum way. Nothing’s perfect. We’re moving forward. We are trying to do the best we can as quickly as we can. Time is of the essence, so I ask you to ask yourself: Do you want to be right in how it is done, or do you want to do the right thing when there’s a question?”
The House vote was 22-18, with Rep. Will Stapp, R-Fairbanks, joining the 21 members of the House’s coalition majority in support. All other members of the House Republican minority voted against the resolution.
As debate opened, Rep. Nellie Unangiq Jimmie, D-Toksook Bay, became choked up as she described the disaster, which devastated her district and resulted in the largest peacetime evacuation in state history.
“Today, months later, 340 of our neighbors remain without permanent houses. Mr. Speaker, we are Yup’ik. Our people have lived in this delta for thousands of years. We know storms. We know water. We know loss,” she said. “We have lived on this coast for thousands of years, and we’ve survived ice ages, epidemics, colonization. We’ve survived by adapting, sharing, by refusing to abandon our homes, but you can’t really live when your home floats 10 miles out to sea, when your fuel tanks that heat your home in winter are submerged in salt water.”
On Jan. 28, Gov. Mike Dunleavy requested permission to spend $20.5 million from the disaster response fund, up $5.5 million from a prior request.
When federal money is added to that tally, the total amount is $39.25 million.
More spending is expected.
Last week, the director of the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has estimated at least $125 million in state and federal costs related to the storm disaster.
“The declaration allows state agencies to continue their emergency response and to extend state funds as needed,” said Rep. Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage and co-chair of the House Finance Committee.
Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, took issue with the fact that after Dunleavy declared a state of disaster in October, the Speaker of the House and Senate President approved subsequent 30-day extensions without consulting legislators.
“I think we should have called ourselves in (to special session), or the third floor should have called us in (to special session) to take up this very important issue,” Ruffridge said.
“What precedent does this set for the presiding officers to make the decisions before us on our behalf?” he asked. “What power do we give the executive by allowing disaster declarations to continue without (the House) or the (Senate) taking up that order of business?”
Rep. Dan Saddler, R-Eagle River, said he worries that failing to follow proper procedure could leave disaster relief vulnerable to legal challenge.
“We put the reliability of that relief at question if this is not done right,” he said.
The day after the vote, Ruffridge said members of the minority have drafted a bill that would fix the problems they see, and that bill is being reviewed by legislative attorneys.
House Majority Leader Chuck Kopp, R-Anchorage, said legislative attorneys have reviewed the majority’s plan.
“We have had our legal department tell us that this passes muster,” he said during the debate.
After the vote, Kopp’s office was unable to provide a legal memo to that effect but said he had received verbal advice.
Josephson, wrapping up debate, said the majority was working in good faith with Dunleavy to get the money out the door quickly.
“Given the urgency of the matter, we’re trying to cooperate with the executive branch,” he said.
Eric Phillip, the boardwalk foreman for Kongiganak, Alaska, surveys infrastructure damage caused by Typhoon Halong, Oct. 18, 2025. The Alaska Organized Militia continues coordinated response operations in support of the State Emergency Operation Center following the 2025 West Coast Storm as the mission focus, pursuant to Governor Dunleavy’s declaration of disaster, shifts from lifesaving to life sustainment and stabilization of communities and survivors. (Alaska National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Joseph Moon)
By: Corinne Smith, Alaska Beacon
Eric Phillip, the boardwalk foreman for Kongiganak, Alaska, surveys infrastructure damage caused by Typhoon Halong, Oct. 18, 2025. The Alaska Organized Militia continues coordinated response operations in support of the State Emergency Operation Center following the 2025 West Coast Storm as the mission focus, pursuant to Governor Dunleavy’s declaration of disaster, shifts from lifesaving to life sustainment and stabilization of communities and survivors. (Alaska National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Joseph Moon)
The Trump administration has denied Alaska’s request for full reimbursement for disaster relief efforts immediately following last October’s devastating Western Alaska storms, despite the Dunleavy administration’s claim that the federal disaster declaration meant the state would be fully reimbursed.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy arrives in Bethel after visiting the storm-damaged villages of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok on Oct. 17, 2025. (Photo by Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media)
That leaves the state on the hook for millions of dollars for disaster recovery, however the full amount is still unknown.
The state’s request for federal support for 100% of disaster relief efforts in the first 90 days after the storms hit was denied on Dec. 20, according to a spokesperson for the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management on Thursday.
The state appealed the denial on Jan. 15, and asked for a 90% federal cost reimbursement, but has not yet gotten a response from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“We have not heard back from FEMA on approval or denial and there is no timeframe requirement,” said Jeremy Zidek, public information officer for the division, by email.
A spokesperson for Dunleavy’s office did not respond to a list of questions, but confirmed the appeal on Friday. “An appeal has been filed and the administration will await the federal government’s decision,” said Jeff Turner, Dunleavy’s communications director.
In the meantime, the federal government is reimbursing Alaska’s disaster recovery efforts at roughly 75%, leaving the state to cover 25% of its costs, with some exceptions for certain relief programs, Zidek said.
Following the West Coast storm disaster in October, Dunleavy quickly declared a state disaster emergency. On Oct. 22, his office announced that the Trump administration approved the state’s request for a federal disaster declaration, and the state’s full costs would be covered immediately following the storms.
“President Trump was deeply concerned with the wellbeing of Alaskans who lost their homes and livelihoods to this historic storm,” Dunleavy said in a statement along with the announcement. “I want to thank him and his administration for approving the disaster declaration because now Alaskan families have local, state and federal support for rebuilding their lives in the months ahead.”
“The federal disaster declaration authorizes a 100 percent federal cost share for all categories of relief assistance for the next 90 days,” the statement said.
Dunleavy’s office did not respond to questions about his previous statement or whether his office had communication from the Trump administration about why the request was denied.
Alaska’s Republican U.S. congressional delegation applauded the federal disaster declaration and Trump’s support for the Western Alaska disaster response last year. All three members said through spokespeople Friday that they support the state’s appeal.
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski has been actively engaged with FEMA and state officials throughout the disaster relief efforts, said her communications director, Joe Plesha, in a statement on Friday. “Alaska’s vast geography and many rural communities make disaster response more challenging and recovery efforts significantly more costly,” he said. “She supports the state’s appeal and will work to secure the maximum amount of federal support available to Alaskans who have suffered so much from this devastating storm.”
A spokesperson for U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, Amanda Coyne, said the senator has advocated for the 100% federal cost share, as well as organized a delegation of FEMA and other Trump administration officials to visit Western Alaska.
“Given the severity of the storm and its devastating impacts on communities in Western Alaska, Senator Sullivan believes an increased federal cost share is warranted,” Coyne said. “He will continue strongly advocating with FEMA and other senior officials in the Trump Administration for an increased federal cost share as the state’s appeal goes through the process.”
A spokesperson for Alaska’s lone U.S. Representative, Nick Begich III, said on Friday that he supports the appeal and will continue to advocate for those impacted by Typhoon Halong at the Congressional level. “Our office is in communication with the Administration to ensure recovery efforts in Western Alaska remain a priority,” spokesperson Silver Prout wrote.
Western Alaska storm recovery is ongoing
The Western Alaska storms and particularly ex-Typhoon Halong brought record-breaking winds and flooding — damaging thousands of structures, roads, boardwalks, airports and other critical infrastructure. It prompted the state’s largest mass evacuation of residents from their homes to other villages, Bethel and Anchorage.
Evacuees of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok wait to board an evacuation flight from Bethel to Anchorage on Oct. 15, 2025 (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
While some Western Alaska residents are continuing to rebuild through the winter, other residents who evacuated to Anchorage are living in temporary housing. As of Thursday, the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management reports that 471 residents are still sheltering in hotels in Anchorage.
The state is administering public assistance programs, which reimburse costs of repairing public infrastructure and utilities, as well as provide individual disaster assistance, in partnership with other agencies, including FEMA.
FEMA has awarded $31.2 million in individual assistance to date, Zidek said.
More than 2,000 residents have been awarded state individual assistance, and 1,794 households have registered for federal assistance from FEMA.
Those applications for state and federal assistance are still open until Feb. 20.
State disaster relief funding under debate
The state’s disaster relief funding is a point of ongoing debate among lawmakers and the governor, as they kick off discussion of Dunleavy’s proposed $7.75 million budget and its $1.5 billion deficit.
Last year, legislators approved $23.3 million in state disaster relief funds, but Dunleavy vetoed $10.3 million of that sum last summer, leaving $13 million in the budget. In November, following the federal government shutdown, Dunleavy announced a state disaster to help provide food aid, transferring $10 million to the state’s disaster relief funding from the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Village Safe Water and Wastewater Infrastructure program.
This year, the governor has requested an additional $40 million in the state’s supplemental budget, which is a routine ask for additional money to pay the state’s bills for the previous year.
Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, a co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee, didn’t mince words about the governor’s back and forth with disaster spending. “Ill-advised and foolish,” he said. “It makes no sense what he did to me, frankly, and it’s embarrassing for him, his veto.”
But Stedman said he hopes the state’s federal appeal is approved, and expects legislators to pass the governor’s request for the additional $40 million. “Obviously, 100% is better than 90 and 90 is better than 75,” Stedman said of the federal cost share. “So that’s pretty much a given there. But we will fund the disaster request as the governor puts it on the table, through next week’s amendments.”
Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, also a member of the Senate Finance Committee, commended the governor for his record on disaster response, and echoed hope for the appeal to move forward. “There’s no question in my mind that this is exactly what the federal disaster relief programs exist for. So I think the governor’s request was the right thing, and if it came back at less than full funding from the feds, that’s the wrong call,” Kiehl said.
Kiehl described the state’s fiscal picture, with rising costs and ongoing debates on how to raise more revenues, as “bleak.” “So there isn’t cash just sitting around for disaster assistance,” he said. “We have to step up for western Alaska financially. That’s going to stink, but we have to do it, as far as I’m concerned.”
A typical cost share between the federal government and a state for disaster relief efforts is a 75% federal and 25% state cost split.
“We have dozens of federal declared disasters we are currently working on that have the 75/25 cost share structure,” said Zidek, with agency. “Large disasters are occasionally given a modified cost share structure adjustment, but it is not guaranteed. When we have a large disaster, we ask for modification to reduce the amount of state funding needed because as managers of state funds it is the responsible thing to do.”
This drone image provided by the City and Borough of Juneau shows flooding from a release of water and snowmelt at Mendenhall Glacier covered some roads and threatened homes along the Mendenhall River in Juneau, Alaska on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (City and Borough of Juneau via AP)
This drone image provided by the City and Borough of Juneau shows flooding from a release of water and snowmelt at Mendenhall Glacier covered some roads and threatened homes along the Mendenhall River in Juneau, Alaska on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (City and Borough of Juneau via AP)
NOTN- City leaders are asking View Drive homeowners, the area hit hardest by glacial lake outburst flooding, to weigh in on whether they want to pursue a voluntary federal buyout program.
The City and Borough of Juneau is gauging interest in a potential buyout through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Emergency Watershed Protection program, (NRCS) which helps communities recover from natural disasters by purchasing at-risk properties and restoring the land.
Under the program, eligible properties would be acquired at fair market value, followed by environmental review, demolition and site restoration. NRCS would cover 75% of total project costs, but Juneau would be responsible for the remaining 25%.
The non-federal match is estimated at about $6 million if all 18 eligible structures on View Drive take part.
City Manager Katie Koester said the city wants to know whether homeowners would be willing to help assemble that non- federal match, either through their own resources or with help from nonprofits and other non-federal sources, asking owners through an informal ballot, to indicate whether they would be willing to participate if that cost share were required, though responses are not binding.
“The Assembly really hasn’t received any official communication from View Drive residents on whether or not they are even interested in participating in the program,” Koester said. “The first important step is sending them an informal ballot to gauge actual interest in participating.”
View Drive is considered one of the neighborhoods most vulnerable to annual flooding caused by glacial lake outburst floods, as it sits just outside the reach of the HESCO barriers.
Juneau officials have discussed buyouts as one possible option for residents, particularly as flooding frequency and severity increase, though Koester stressed that whether or not the city goes through with the buy-out program, officials are still committed to an enduring solution.
“I just want to make sure that the public knows that it is the number one priority for the City of Juneau, to find a permanent solution to the flooding, not just for View Drive, but for the entire valley.” She said.
Koester said the Assembly is seeking to understand whether enough property owners would participate to justify moving forward.
Participation in the program would be entirely voluntary, and Koester emphasized that not every property owner would need to opt in for the project to move forward.
“‘It’s totally feasible that four people want to participate, and we move forward, and the rest of the neighborhood does not participate.”
Property owners have until Feb. 16 to return their ballots to the city’s engineering division, those results from residents are expected to be presented at the assembly’s Committee of the Whole meeting on Feb. 23.
NOTN- All Juneau School District (JSD) schools will be closed today January 9, due to the weather.
A statement was released by JSD yesterday evening saying that for the safety of students, staff and families all classes, meetings and activities are cancelled.
City and Borough of Juneau engineers are continuing to monitor the roofs at CBJ facilities during the closures.
Thane Road will be closed at the avalanche gates beginning at noon today due to a high risk of avalanches. An avalanche advisory for all known slide paths also went into effect yesterday evening, and officials warn that hazardous conditions are expected to intensify over the coming days.
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities announced the emergency closure for Thane Road, the closure is scheduled to be re-evaluated at 8 a.m. Saturday.
“The avalanche hazard is expected to remain high over the next few days,” DOT said in their social media post, “If a natural avalanche reaches the roadway, it is unlikely DOT&PF will be able to safely remove the avalanche debris until the hazard can be minimized from mitigation work or once the hazard has decreased naturally.”
At the same time, the City and Borough of Juneau warned that avalanche risk across the Mount Juneau slide paths remains high and is expected to significantly increase over the next few days.
An atmospheric system bringing warmer air and precipitation has raised concerns about destabilizing the deep snowpack that has built up over weeks of heavy snowfall. While the situation does not currently warrant an evacuation advisory, city officials said preparations are underway.
Officials said an emergency alert would be issued if an evacuation advisory is called.
Authorities are continuing to monitor avalanche conditions closely and emphasized that public safety remains the priority.
The city is bracing for heavy rain and potential the for more flooding of roadways and storm drains as an atmospheric river is expected to impact much Southeast Alaska into the weekend, weather officials are saying Juneau will see a transition to rain later today.
NOTN- Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon is travelling to Washington, D.C., this week to press federal officials and Alaska’s congressional delegation for funding and coordination on the city’s long-term solution to recurring flood risk from Suicide Basin, even as the capital city grapples with ongoing winter weather.
“Hopefully we get more money, and we’ll work with some of the agencies to coordinate our enduring solution.” Weldon Said, “So first we’ll talk to our delegation, Representative Begich, Senator Sullivan and Senator Murkowski.”
Weldon said she plans to meet with Alaska’s Delegation to seek immediate geotechnical funding through congressional spending, while also pursuing longer-term financial support through federal agencies, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“We’re actually going to talk to the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army, and that’s the Civil Works branch, just to make sure that the Secretary and the Army Corps of Engineers are aligned with our project, and we are also talking with the Forest Service and the Office of Budget Management to make sure our path forward is aligned.” Said Weldon.
City leaders and project partners have unanimously selected the Lake Tap option as Juneau’s enduring solution to flooding concerns, Weldon said. The approach was chosen because it is the fastest to implement, the least environmentally disruptive and the most cost effective among the alternatives considered.
“It’s cheapest, as in under a billion dollars, not by much, but all the rest of them were way over a billion dollars.” Said Weldon, referring to other options considered, like an enclosed dike, “And now, even though it’s snowing like crazy, we have to look at our flood, our next big event, which is flooding.”
This drone image provided by the City and Borough of Juneau shows flooding from a release of water and snowmelt at Mendenhall Glacier covered some roads and threatened homes along the Mendenhall River in Juneau, Alaska on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (City and Borough of Juneau via AP)
This drone image provided by the City and Borough of Juneau shows flooding from a release of water and snowmelt at Mendenhall Glacier covered some roads and threatened homes along the Mendenhall River in Juneau, Alaska on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (City and Borough of Juneau via AP)
CBJ- Representatives from the City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ), Tlingit & Haida (T&H), and the USDA Forest Service (USFS) this week joined the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) and technical experts from relevant agencies to review and evaluate enduring flood-control alternatives for the Glacial Lake Outburst Flooding in the Mendenhall Valley.
Following three days of technical analysis of the safety, feasibility, constructability, cost and timeline of the five proposed alternatives, T&H, CBJ and USFS united on their shared support for the Lake Tap alternative.
All three agencies encourage USACE to move forward with this option as the focus of the Technical Report.“From the perspective of safety and protection of the community, construction timeline and impact to the area, a lake tap option quickly rose to the top as an enduring solution,” explains Denise Koch, CBJ Director of Engineering & Public Works. “We greatly appreciate the recognition of urgency by the USACE and the contributions of the dozens of technical experts convened to tackle this ongoing threat to our community on accelerated timeline.”
The five alternatives reviewed over the three-day charrette included flood-control dam(s), levees or floodwalls, Suicide Basin lake tap, relocation, and a hybrid option. Experts from USACE and their partners presented a high level of technical data and risk analysis; however, there was wide acknowledgement that future geotechnical studies would be central to the implementation of any solution. Participants also reviewed the public input provided via the 30-day public comment period in November 2025.
“Tlingit & Haida went into this week with the purpose of reviewing all options with a single priority: identify an approach that best safeguards citizens, protects cultural resources, and supports the wellbeing of the broader Juneau community,” said Tlingit & Haida Public Safety Manager Sabrina Grubritz. “The lake tap option appears to best meet those goals with the data currently available.”
Tlingit & Haida and CBJ are the community partners for this critical USACE report. As the impacted land manager, the USFS will also play important role in an enduring solution.
The purpose of the charrette was to determine the focus for the USACE technical report, which will inform the next steps in pursuing an enduring solution to the annual glacial lake outburst flooding (GLOF) events in the Mendenhall Valley. USACE plans to release the technical report in May 2026, with a public comment period to follow. While the completion of a technical report is an important step, it does not guarantee funding for a project construction. CBJ, Tlingit & Haida and USFS are committed to their joint pursuit of a completed solution as quickly as possible.
“Time is of the essence,” emphasized Koch. “It is going to take close collaboration across government agencies at all levels to get us to an enduring solution. We truly value our strong partnership with Tlingit & Haida, the U.S. Forest Service and USACE, as well as the ongoing advocacy and involvement of our residents and representatives.”
Information regarding the USACE Mendenhall Glacial Lake Outburst Flooding Technical Report is available at the project website.
