Juneau endures further wait for an enduring solution to glacial lake outburst floods
- Jasz Garrett
- Feb 28
- 6 min read
Sen. Dan Sullivan says ‘things are going dark,’ acknowledges anxiety in Juneau after news of lake tap reversal shocks city; thanks USACE for response so far
By Jasz Garrett
Juneau Independent
Dismay among Juneau’s leaders about a sudden federal government reversal on advancing a long-term glacial flooding solution for the Mendenhall Valley was the subject of a U.S. Senate hearing this week.
City Manager Katie Koester said after the hearing she remains “deeply concerned” because the situation remains uncertain. But discussions during the week with Alaska’s congressional delegation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who say they remain focused on the problem, means city leaders are continuing to seek an enduring solution.
Sen. Dan Sullivan pressed USACE on its commitment to study a long-term solution for Juneau’s flooding crisis during a hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday. Glacial lake outburst floods have occurred annually since 2011, but have risen to record levels each of the past three years, swamping hundreds of homes in 2024.
The USACE provided enough HESCO barriers last spring for a semipermanent levee that city officials said protected about 90% of the homes in last year’s flood zone. Last December, USACE aligned with local government and U.S. Forest Service officials in declaring a “lake tap” drainage tunnel as a preferred long-term solution, but then reversed that commitment earlier this month.
Sullivan thanked the Army Corps for being responsive so far in the process, and acknowledged the issue is challenging and sometimes communication gaps happen.
“But now there’s real frustration in the community,” he said. “In December the lake tap became as the preferred option. People thought there was momentum building. The concern in Juneau is the Corps has pulled back without clearly communicating the change in direction to the community.”
He said he knows many people in Juneau are nervous about the upcoming flood season and there are many properties at risk every summer. He said it’s remarkable that no one has been killed during past outbursts.
The Water Resources Development Act is currently being drafted in the EPW committee, of which Sullivan is a member. He told USACE the legislation can include authority and funding needed to expedite whatever durable flood solution emerges from the Corps’ analysis and community priorities.
“There is this perception that things are going dark, people are nervous again, that the Corps is not engaged,” Sullivan said. “I just want you to be able to clear that up and once again commit to me, ‘Hey, we’re going to work this, this is a challenging issue, we’re gonna work it with speed, time, urgency, short-term, medium-term and long-term.’”
The head of USACE, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle, pledged the agency remains committed to a short, medium and long-term solution for the “technical challenge” facing Juneau. He said it is a top priority.
“I’ve been very consistent,” he said. “I testified before this committee and said that very thing the last time I was here in September. That continues to be true.”
Telle said part of building infrastructure, not paperwork, is freeing USACE commanders and engineers from assumptions. He said before engineers work within the authorities and laws the EPW committee provides in order to deliver for the public, they must first think about the law of physics.
“We have to think about the laws of physics first because this is going to require a solution that’s going to be unique,” Telle said. “That’s why short, medium and long is critical in this situation because long is going to be too long.”
He said Fargo, North Dakota, had a flood issue that led to a private-public partnership with USACE for a situation unlike one the agency had seen before. He asked the mayor of Fargo if he would be willing to mentor and partner with the St. Paul district to visit Juneau.
“Just to give you an example and give some relief to the citizens of Juneau who are worried about this, I met with the city of Fargo, North Dakota, yesterday (Tuesday),” Telle said.
Telle said the Army Corps plans to be in Juneau within the next few weeks to focus on the issue and make sure the agency is delivering a reliable answer to Sullivan and the community.
Sullivan said he thinks some of the anxiety may come from miscommunication, including within the Corps of Engineers itself.
“We were working collaboratively. Everybody was seeing our homework, but that homework isn’t done,” Lt. Gen. William H. Graham Jr. said. “The guidance I gave the district is it’s too soon to take any options off the table because what we’re wrestling with most here is time.”
He said if the flood crest rises to 22.5 feet, which is the Corps’ design peak flow for the five presented long-term solutions, the HESCO barriers will not hold back the water. Previous protection models were based on a worst-case scenario of 20 feet and last year’s record flood crested at 16.65 feet.
The City and Borough of Juneau stated one of the reasons the lake tap solution was selected was because it was the most time efficient, estimated to take six years.
Graham said the rough base engineering estimated six years for a tunnel bored through Bullard Mountain to drain Suicide Basin, but it could be between six to 10 years with contingencies.
He said the situation demands intermediate solutions because of not knowing when the current HESCO barriers will be overwhelmed. The Corps of Engineers still plans to release a draft technical report for public input including the five long-term solution options this May.
Graham said he is concerned the Corps does not have enough time.
“That’s the engineering that this report’s going to lay out, which is how much time do we have, and then we’ll take a look at all of those options, all five of those options, to see what’s best going to serve those 2,855 homes that are down in that (Mendenhall) Valley,” he said.
Sullivan thanked USACE leadership for how quickly HESCO barriers were provided to Juneau last summer, but he said more needs to be done since future flood events could overtop the levees.
He noted in the aftermath of the 2025 flood, the Army Corps responded with its brigadier general. The senator has visited Juneau the last two summers after record-breaking outbursts to talk to homeowners, and said he talked to some when he was in town last week. Sullivan said he received a text message last week from Telle, who assured him the Corps is focused on ensuring the options under consideration are the fastest, most durable, and cost-effective for the community.
“I trust you guys, you’ve been on it in a clear path forward with tangible progress on a long-term solution,” Sullivan said to USACE leaders.
USACE did not respond to inquiries from the Juneau Independent by Friday evening.
Sullivan’s questions about an expedited process for flood mitigation came after City Manager Katie Koester announced the agency’s pullback on advancing a lake tap Monday. She and the city engaged with all members of the federal delegation this week and senior USACE leadership, according to a statement released Friday.
Koester stressed the delegation remains “dedicated advocates for this project and for Juneau.” She added while USACE indicated continued interest in addressing the flooding threat, the emphasis was on robust flood fighting.
“Whatever the long-term solution is, we will need USACE supported flood fighting to get there,” Koester wrote. “However, I am deeply concerned that all planning and design efforts have been diverted to flood fighting leaving uncertainty around an enduring solution.”
She noted the weight of the news she shared Monday “threatens the longevity of our entire community. Many of us have invested years of effort, advocacy, and hope into advancing a long-term solution.”
Along with the delegation’s and city’s advocacy, CBJ submitted a Congressionally Directed Spending request for $8 million to support the geotechnical and planning work necessary to advance the lake tap solution.
According to the city, the lake tap would be the most cost-effective, take the least amount of time, and is the most likely option to reduce flood risk without displacing people from their homes.
“The geotechnical work will answer unknowns about the quality of the rock and refine what right now is a very basic cost estimate,” Koester wrote. “We are continuing to push forward on every available front that may get us closer to the enduring solution for Juneau.”
• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz@juneauindependent.com or (907) 723-9356.
