.png)
Learn about flood preparedness and fill sandbags this weekend at Dimond Park
- Jasz Garrett
- Jul 7
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 7
Suicide Basin still expected to fill by early August; USACE completes Phase 2 installation
By Jasz Garrett
Juneau Independent
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the City and Borough of Juneau are hosting a preparedness event on Saturday at Dimond Park, possibly weeks before an annual glacial lake outburst flood.
As of Monday, webcam imagery from the National Weather Service shows Suicide Basin’s water level rising, with the current elevation around 1,266 feet.
“This time last year (2025), the water level elevation was around 1242ft, but in 2024 it was 1256ft and in 2023 it was 1326ft,” the Suicide Basin monitoring page states. “As with the water levels of Mendenhall Lake, the amount of filling (input) into the basin will increase as temperatures rise to produce more runoff from the melting of snow and ice through the summer months.”
The basin is expected to begin overtopping at 1,350 feet, the elevation of its overflow channel.
The most likely time for the basin to fill, based on current conditions, is between Aug. 1 and 9, according to the weather service. Its page also notes it typically takes two to six days for the sub-glacier release to start after the basin is full.
Last year, Suicide Basin began to overtop on the evening of Aug. 10, the ice dam broke Aug. 11 and the Mendenhall River peaked at a record 16.65 feet about 7:15 a.m. Aug. 13. The 2023 flood peaked on Aug. 5 and the 2024 flood on Aug. 6.
Saturday’s event invites residents to learn about sandbag filling and placement, pumping, and other flood risk reduction measures. Information will be provided on the city’s pump plan, evacuation mapping, efforts to reduce flood risk to homes, and recommendations on what to do before and after the outburst.
Information will be available Saturday from representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard, the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, U.S. Forest Service, National Weather Service, Alaska Department of Transportation, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and the American Red Cross. Officials from these agencies are scheduled to be outside the Dimond Park Field House from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Community members can also pick up filled or unfilled sandbags for personal use on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Volunteers are needed to fill and deploy sandbags. Residents are welcome to load and haul as many as needed, according to a press release. Unfilled bags will be available for people who prefer to fill their sandbags at home. Sandbag filling and distribution events are also scheduled on the following two Saturdays.
The Army Corps began to work on armoring and hazard tree mitigation along the Mendenhall River this week. The agency finished the installation of Phase 2 HESCO barriers ahead of its July 15 goal.
“All HESCO barriers are in place now and the team is working to ensure that they are serviceable for the upcoming GLOF,” wrote John Budnik, USACE Public Affairs Specialist. “The work on the earthen berm continues with material being brought in and shaped. The completion of the berm is still anticipated for next week.”
When completed, the berm near Back Loop Bridge will be about 10-12 feet tall and 50-60 feet wide, stretching 1,100 feet in length. It is meant to prevent water from overtopping onto the road.
Residents can check the status of Suicide Basin on the weather service monitoring page. It is also recommended to sign up for emergency alerts and assess personal risk with Mendenhall River inundation maps. The city also recommends buying flood insurance and evacuating once the release begins, with a shelter to be set up at Floyd Dryden again this year.
• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz@juneauindependent.com or (907) 723-9356.
