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Record of Proceedings

Juneau Assembly Work Session on Glacial Flooding Mitigation - October 31, 2025

Assembly Meetings — Friday, October 31, 2025
BodyJuneau, Alaska
SessionAssembly Meetings
DateFriday, October 31, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:07:20

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
1:42

We will bring the special assembly.

1:44

Wow, that's a echo.

1:46

Special assembly committee of the whole work session to order.

1:50

Um Mr.

1:51

Kelly, would you uh say the land acknowledgement, please?

1:56

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

1:58

We would like to acknowledge that the city and borough of Juneau is on Cleague land and wish to honor the indigenous people of this land for more than 10,000 years.

2:07

Alaska native people have been and continue to be integral to the well-being of the community.

2:14

We are grateful to be in this place, a part of this community, and to honor the culture, traditions, and resilience of the Klega people.

2:21

Goodness chief.

2:26

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

2:28

Deputy Mayor Smith.

2:35

Here Mr.

2:37

Kelly.

2:39

Here.

2:40

Ms.

2:40

Hall.

2:41

Here.

2:42

Mr.

2:43

Steininger.

2:44

Here.

2:45

Miss Adkisson.

2:46

Here.

2:47

Mr.

2:47

Brooks.

2:49

Here.

2:50

Ms.

2:50

Wall.

2:52

Present.

2:54

And for the record, Miss Hughes Scandis is absent.

2:57

Madam Mayor.

2:58

Here.

3:00

You have quorum.

3:01

Thank you.

3:01

Thank you.

3:02

Any changes to the agenda?

3:04

Seeing nine will consider the agenda approved.

3:07

So we'll go immediately into our agenda topics.

3:10

Madam City Manager.

3:12

Thank you, Mayor Wilden.

3:13

Uh, I appreciate the opportunity to kick off this very important and informational meeting.

3:18

Um, I am not going to go through my memo tonight.

3:21

I know you've all read it.

3:23

There's a lot of information in this memo.

3:25

Instead, I would like to take the opportunity to hear from all of the experts that we have invited uh today.

3:32

I would like the opportunity for you to ask questions.

3:35

Please, even if you you think you know the answer, ask the questions because there may be members of the public who are uh are looking for that answer.

3:43

Um and then at the end of the meeting, I'd like to circle back around.

3:46

There's a few recommendations in that memo uh that uh you know we may or may not have covered.

3:52

So uh instead of going over my memo line by line, because we have so uh so many um invited guests here today.

4:00

I do want to take a topic just to um share my gratitude for all the work that all of our partners have been doing over the last two years to get us to this place.

4:09

Um I am very grateful for all of the partners that we have had uh in this journey, and it's been a tremendous amount of work.

4:19

So um, if you don't mind uh standing when I uh acknowledge you, I I think that would be appropriate.

4:27

So uh to start off our federal partners, I'm grateful for the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

4:33

You have been so thoughtful and so responsive and so willing to think outside the box.

4:38

It truly gives me uh faith in government and faith in our ability to do great things.

4:44

So we have uh here from Army Corps of Engineers, uh John Reg, Daryl Downing, and John Budnik, and uh Mike Records online.

4:51

If you guys could stand, I know this is going to be a little bit awkward, but I really um I really think it's important for our community and our assembly to see their faces.

5:00

There are so many other faces that are helping uh with this project.

5:04

There are literally dozens of people from Washington, DC to Pacific region in Hawaii.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Flood Management█████████████████████████████████████████████60%
Zoning And Land Use████████10%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████8%
Procedural█████6%
Community Engagement███4%
Fiscal Sustainability███4%
Budget Equity Analysis██3%
Public Engagement██2%
Land Acknowledgement█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Juneau Assembly Work Session on Glacial Flooding Mitigation - October 31, 2025

The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly held a special Committee of the Whole work session on October 31, 2025, to receive scientific updates on Mendenhall Glacier’s Suicide Basin, hear interim and enduring flood mitigation proposals from the Army Corps of Engineers, and discuss a potential buyout program for View Drive homeowners through NRCS. The assembly also voted on several action items related to flood recovery and future funding mechanisms.

Scientific Presentations on Glacier and Flood Dynamics

  • Jason Amundson (University of Alaska) and Aaron Jacobs (National Weather Service) presented updates on Suicide Basin evolution: the basin’s storage capacity has increased over recent years due to ice loss, but the rate of expansion is slowing. The August 2025 flood released 51,000 acre-feet of water (more than 50% of Mendenhall Lake’s volume) and set a new record, partly driven by simultaneous heavy rain. The peak discharge was 15–20% higher than 2024 due to the rain contribution. For 2026, they project a 1–3% further increase in potential flood volume, though actual flood size depends on rain and drainage triggers.
  • Key unknown: the precise trigger for subglacial release and why second, smaller releases sometimes occur.
  • Assembly members asked about tidal influence (minimal during high flows), sediment in the basin (little data), and the timeline for when flood volumes might begin to decrease (unknown, but likely still on the rising part of the curve).

Army Corps of Engineers: Interim and Enduring Solutions

  • John Rajik and Daryl Downing (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) described two parallel efforts:
    1. Advanced Measures Phase 2: Under Public Law 84-99, the Corps will take a direct role in installing temporary flood barriers (HESCOs) for the 2026 season, funded 100% federally. The city retains responsibility for rights-of-entry, permitting, and long-term maintenance after installation.
    2. Enduring Solution Technical Report: Five conceptual alternatives under evaluation: a flood control dam, levees/floodwalls, a bypass channel, a Suicide Basin lake tap (tunnel system), and infrastructure relocation. The Corps aims to select one alternative (or combination) by December 2025, complete a preliminary design and environmental assessment by May 2026.
  • Regarding View Drive, the Corps explained that HESCO barriers are not a viable community-wide solution due to soil instability, seepage risks, and the potential for catastrophic failure that would trap residents. Individual homeowners have used HESCOs successfully at higher elevations, but a uniform system for the whole area is infeasible.

NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Buyout Program

  • Brett Nelson (NRCS) presented a potential buyout program for View Drive properties. Key details:
    • Total estimated project cost: $25 million (using Zillow-based estimates as a placeholder).
    • Typical cost-share: 75% federal, 25% local. A waiver of the local match may be requested but is rarely granted.
    • Participation is voluntary; 18 developed parcels are eligible. Appraisals would be based on either the day before the August 2024 flood or current market value (all participants must use the same method). Properties bought out would be deed-restricted in perpetuity against future structures.
    • Timeline: Funding already allocated (but delayed by federal shutdown); once the government reopens, funds could arrive within a month. The project must be completed within 220 days, with an expected one-year extension for buyouts.
  • Assembly members asked about sponsor flexibility (possible third-party contributions for the local match), timing for homeowner decisions, and the permanence of deed restrictions.

Key Outcomes and Votes

  1. Hold Phase 1 LID Open: The assembly voted 7-1 to keep the Phase 1 Local Improvement District (LID) open for another GLOF season, allowing time to account for variable costs from barrier reinforcement and potential new funding mechanisms. (Motion by Ms. Wall, carried.)
  2. Explore Service Area Funding: A motion to direct staff to bring back options for future mitigation funding, including a service area (which would require a voter-approved mill rate increase), failed 1-7. (Motion by Mr. Kelly, defeated.)
  3. Request NRCS Match Waiver: By unanimous consent, the assembly directed staff to request a waiver of the 25% local match for the NRCS buyout program. (Motion by Ms. Wall, carried.)

Meeting Transcript

We will bring the special assembly. Wow, that's a echo. Special assembly committee of the whole work session to order. Um Mr. Kelly, would you uh say the land acknowledgement, please? Thank you, Madam Mayor. We would like to acknowledge that the city and borough of Juneau is on Cleague land and wish to honor the indigenous people of this land for more than 10,000 years. Alaska native people have been and continue to be integral to the well-being of the community. We are grateful to be in this place, a part of this community, and to honor the culture, traditions, and resilience of the Klega people. Goodness chief. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Deputy Mayor Smith. Here Mr. Kelly. Here. Ms. Hall. Here. Mr. Steininger. Here. Miss Adkisson. Here. Mr. Brooks. Here. Ms. Wall. Present. And for the record, Miss Hughes Scandis is absent. Madam Mayor. Here. You have quorum. Thank you. Thank you. Any changes to the agenda? Seeing nine will consider the agenda approved. So we'll go immediately into our agenda topics. Madam City Manager. Thank you, Mayor Wilden. Uh, I appreciate the opportunity to kick off this very important and informational meeting. Um, I am not going to go through my memo tonight. I know you've all read it. There's a lot of information in this memo. Instead, I would like to take the opportunity to hear from all of the experts that we have invited uh today. I would like the opportunity for you to ask questions. Please, even if you you think you know the answer, ask the questions because there may be members of the public who are uh are looking for that answer. Um and then at the end of the meeting, I'd like to circle back around. There's a few recommendations in that memo uh that uh you know we may or may not have covered. So uh instead of going over my memo line by line, because we have so uh so many um invited guests here today.

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