By BRENDA JOSEPHSON
Senator Dan Sullivan is working to address the glacial lake outburst floods caused by the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau by securing commitments from the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
During a recent Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing, Sullivan urged Lt. Gen. William Graham Jr., the chief of engineers, and Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle to provide short-, medium-, and long-term strategies to address the flooding that has plagued the capital city for over a decade.
Sullivan tied the Corps’ efforts to a broader policy shift, referencing President Trump’s Day One executive order, “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential.” The order directs the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works to review and revise any actions hindering critical projects in Alaska. During Telle’s confirmation hearing, he memorably told Sullivan he had “tattooed” the order’s directive on his heart, a commitment Sullivan praised during the hearing.
The senator emphasized the need for action. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, but can I get your commitment…that we’re not just going to study this? The people of Juneau are having flooding every summer,” Sullivan asked. Graham indicated that a technical study, due in spring 2026, will provide the framework for a long-term solution, saying, “Senator Sullivan, this is what we’re built for—being able to take a complex situation and work with our state and local partners to put a project in place rapidly.”
Telle reiterated this vow, stating, “I’ve committed to you, and General Graham has committed to me that we are going to be focused on a long-, medium-, and short-term solution to address this challenge.”
On August 16, 2025, Sullivan accompanied Brigadier General Joseph Goetz and local officials on a helicopter tour of the flood zone, underlining the critical need for action in the aftermath of the record-breaking flood that year. USACE’s short-term solution was to install HESCO barriers, which are collapsible wire mesh containers lined with geotextile fabric, filled with sand or soil to create temporary flood protection. While the USACE’s temporary HESCO barriers along the Mendenhall River managed to reduce extensive damage compared to 2024, several neighborhoods remain susceptible and unprotected.
The First Things First Alaska Foundation (FTFAK) has been at the forefront of community-led efforts to develop long-term solutions, advocating for a traditional earthen levee on Mendenhall Lake. This levee would have a passive outflow control mechanism to contain outburst floodwaters and prevent downstream surges. The proposed levee would allow the river to flow normally while restricting excess water, and it would be built to blend in with the surrounding natural terrain.
The organization has made information available on its FTFAK website, including evaluations of flood hazards dating back to 2011 and critiques of temporary remedies such as HESCO barriers. These resources illustrate the importance of dependable, long-term infrastructure in protecting public and private assets in the Mendenhall Valley.
Frank Bergstrom, president of the FTFAK Foundation, speaking on behalf of himself, commended the commitments while emphasizing the significance of execution. “This is good news. Heretofore, the USACE has pursued a projected ten-year planning process for a long-term solution to the Mendenhall outburst flood. Through the efforts of the Alaska Delegation, and Senator Sullivan in particular, new management at the USACE has now reexamined its planning timeline. While it appears planning may now be concluded by next spring, the outstanding question is when can we have that solution working in the field? Let us hope that happens in time to finally bring relief to Juneau residents.”
Floods have created unending hardships for residents of View Drive in Mendenhall Valley, including Don Habeger. Habeger and his wife, Carol, have suffered major damage to their home for three years in a row—2023, 2024, and 2025—decimating their property’s value and forcing them to face a difficult decision: continue fixing their home or abandon it. “You have to consider that because you cannot sell these houses,” Habeger explained.
In anticipation of the projected 2025 release, Habeger and his neighbors constructed a large earthen berm around their properties to protect their homes from potential flood damage. While the berm itself stood up to the flood, it ultimately failed to protect the properties because water flowed in from the ground underneath it. Habeger stated, “The pressure of the floodwaters drove up the water table in our yard, and we could not find enough pumps that night to dewater the space inside the berm.”
Habeger’s home was one of six properties to sustain major damage in the 2025 flood. Five of the majorly damaged properties were on View Drive, with one in the HESCO barrier zone. Overall, the most recent flood affected about 50 dwellings.
Residents on View Drive feel ignored since their homes remain exposed, despite HESCO barriers shielding core valley sections. Habeger, a strong advocate of a long-term solution, favors a proposed levee system at Mendenhall Lake to manage floodwaters. “We want a permanent solution, and we want it yesterday,” he said, capturing the community’s frustration.
For more information, click on this link: Press Release
Brenda Josephson is a board member of Alaska Gold Communications, Inc., the publisher of Must Read Alaska. You can contact her via email at [email protected].
They live in a flood zone. Move out of the flood zone.
I solved the problem without taking 10 years and $50 million in studies
I recommend they read “Control of Nature” by John McPhee.
In that spirit I suggest mobilizing giant diesel powered pumps to a rock shelf above the outlet of Suicide Basin.
As soon as there is open water in the Spring, begin pumping the basin water on top of the glacier ice below the outlet causing a flow channel to form on top the ice. Over the next 3 months the water will erode the ice in the channel down below the elevation of the rising impoundment. Heating the pumped water slightly would markedly advance the erosion rate. We’ll need to punch in an ice road first to reduce the transportation costs.
The Mendenhall River was low the other day as the floods had receded and rains were light. This is not a deep riverbed. It’s very shallow with many sandbars and debris from previous floods. Looking at tactics used in places like Florida the solution would be to dredge the riverbed to create depth and more capacity. Cost? Who knows. It would need constant dredging also due to the amount of silt and rock carried by the river.
MOVE THE CAPITOL!
(to North Pole …… let’s give a boost to the Interior, lots of land there & the highways of S. Central AK are crowded enough)
The Capitol didn’t flood, its downtown.
I know where the M, Valley is. It’s in our Capitol city.
Many there have income supported by the fact that Juno is the Capitol city.
If the Capitol were to be relocated, then the need for housing in Juno would diminish a lot.
Juno is shrinking as it is already; move the capitol & rezone that area as a flood zone.
Times are changing.
If you think you’ll get better government putting it in Willow, you’re desperately mistaken.
Want to do an interesting piece on this MRAK AK?
What is going on w/ the real estate market & home sales in that middle class neighborhood?
Any one buying? Selling?
Actually the homes along the river are large, higher income homes. I noticed a new, large home under construction on the riverbank.
Wow. I guess they know a Federal solution is on the way.
People still build by beaches, even though everyone preaches rising waters.
It’s local Gov greed imo. The town wants the high prop taxes on high income homes like the M. Valley; when instead they should be re-zoning these areas as unlivable.
How much should tax payers shell out to protect the value of these high income houses?
Side note: I had the ANC Muni re-zone my property 30 years ago near Alyeska/Girdwood as “avalanche zone” & it went down in value 50% overnight.
Happens.
Sounds good bit it won’t happen. Army Corps of Engineers in reality cannot and won’t be put in charge of any such project. If the idea gains ground, it will be a private industry or state. And, by the time it could be a design to be made possible, we’ll haggle over it another fifty years. Good idea though!
Drill a tunnel through Mt. BULLARD, OR AT LEAST DROP SOME BONBS TO OPEN UP A CHANNEL THROUGH THE GLACIER.
Zone it as unfit.
And be done with it.
Why not, Senator? There are voters to be had and a treasury to drain!
And speaking of being ‘drained:’ look at our PFD! By law, it should have been $3,900. This is the people’s share of the wealth generated from our state’s resources. A $1,000 PFD means a $2,900 TAX, on every single Alaskan! When is enough of our cash enough, for our greedy politicians?
Thats ~20 Billion dollars they withheld. If you figure the formula was $3,800, and about 720,000 applicants.
Correction, -$2 Billion.
Move the capital first
The naivity and mean spititedness of these comments does not bode well for the future of our civilization. They certainly do not reflect the values I grew up with. Please reflect on that thought. Well grounded,experienced folks have sorted through the options and have come to the logical conclusin. Armchair quarterbacks need not apply and hate spewing comments certainly don’t help either.
You are so right Dave, calling someone stupid for building in a flood zone is new low. I also applaud the IV drug users, drunk drivers and j walkers. All living their lives to their fullest regardless of the consequences. Getting ready to use my icepick to clean my ears today. Having a rough time hearing lately.
The stupidity of people who build homes in an obvious flood plain does not bode well for the future of our civilization. Fixed it for ya. Your very welcome.
I have a long term solution:
Don’t build or attempt to live in a flood zone. And if you choose to, take responsibility for your personal choices. If you don’t like that solution, I hear neighborhoods at the end an airport runway make for a great investment. You just need to buy one and complain about the airplane noise later. Maybe I’ll run for congress… I love spending other people’s money!
is there enough money to fix the problem?
I live in a flood zone, raised my house above flood level.
I’m in an inundation area, water comes up like a pond with little flow.
the problem in Juneau is velocity with no place to go so it makes its own path.
vacant undeveloped land makes no money for taxes so get it into public hands, now it makes money.
these areas should not have been developed to start with.
I tried to stop some of the same problems here in seward but yet the borough did it anyway now we spend money to protect those areas
Yep. All over the US, beach front development & big taxes are the way.
High water beach front property;let em build & tax them as the highest rates possible.
Flood zones? A City won’t make any money on vacant flood zones.
ANC zoned my vacant property, in a 40 lot subdivision, near Girdwood/Alyeska as an “avalanche zone” 30 years ago, there were about 10 homes/ cabins and 30 empty lots
The value of those properties was cut in half (actually less) overnight.
But the Anchorage Muni did the right thing.
Do the right thing Juno.
Anchorage first.
Just abandon Juneau to nature and move the capital to Wasilla. On second thoughts just give the whole SE back to Canada I used to hate that drive from Anchorage.