Juneau: USACE, Tlingit & Haida, CBJ and Partners Unified to Address Glacial Lake Outburst Flooding

City, Tribal, and Federal agencies, Alaska Delegation committed to expanded flood fighting and solutions for 2026 and beyond

Juneau, Alaska – Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle and officials from all levels of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) visited Juneau's Mendenhall Valley this week to gain a firsthand understanding and align with local, Tribal, State and Federal agency partners on a multi-pronged approach to proactively protect the community from the annual threat of glacial lake outburst flooding (GLOF) in the near, mid and long-term.

"As we confront the threat of glacial outburst flooding in the Mendenhall Valley, I have remained committed to balancing short, medium, and long-term risk reduction strategies, and that is why we are here on the ground demonstrating our shared sense of urgency," said Adam Telle, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. "My office recently launched the 'Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork' initiative in order to build a faster, more responsive U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that anticipates these types of problems like we see at Mendenhall and take action to prevent future catastrophe. By pursuing multiple solutions simultaneously, we are compressing timelines and demonstrating our commitment to protecting the people of Alaska's capital city."

Assistant Secretary Telle was joined in Juneau by Major General Jason Kelly (Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations, USACE), Brigadier General Clete Goetz (Commander and Division Engineer, USACE Pacific Ocean Division), and Colonel Jeff Palazini (Commander, USACE – Alaska District), along with nearly a dozen other officials, engineers, and subject matter experts from all four levels of the USACE. The group toured the Phase 1 and Phase 2 HESCO barrier projects and took a helicopter tour of the Mendenhall River and Suicide Basin on March 23 before sitting down with representatives from the City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ), Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit & Haida), the USDA Forest Service (USFS) and the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities, as well representatives from Senators Sullivan and Murkowski's offices on March 24. Senator Sullivan joined the meeting virtually and reaffirmed his commitment to finding solutions to the unprecedented annual GLOF disaster facing Juneau's residents.

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"From the day he was nominated to lead the Army Corps, I made it very clear to Assistant Secretary Telle that addressing the glacial outburst flooding in Juneau is a top priority for me," said Sen. Sullivan. "Since then, Assistant Secretary Telle has been an incredible partner, sending his top team to Juneau last year, donating HESCO barriers that saved homes along Mendenhall River, and committing to leverage the key provisions in President Trump's Day One executive order, 'Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential,' to cut through red tape and expedite near-term, medium-term, and long-term solutions. I want to thank Assistant Secretary Telle for coming to Juneau and surveying the Mendenhall Valley to better understand the gravity of this threat to one of our state's largest cities. My team and I will continue to work with Assistant Secretary Telle and the Army Corps to maintain the momentum and deliver solutions that effectively protect the lives and property of the people of Juneau."

While CBJ and USACE technical staff communicate daily on their efforts to understand, plan, protect and prepare for the next and future GLOF events, Tuesday's discussion allowed USACE and local leadership to connect directly on their current work, future plans, and commitment moving forward. Also on Tuesday, Assistant Secretary Telle hosted a press conference with local media that covered these same topics alongside local leaders and other USACE officials. A full recording of the press conference is available at youtu.be/mwHLM-B29UI.



"Keeping Juneau safe from the persistent danger and damage caused by glacial flooding will require careful collaboration among local, state, and federal agencies—which is why this roundtable was so critical to ensuring we are all pulling in the same direction," said Senator Murkowski. "I greatly appreciate Assistant Secretary Adam Telle and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for traveling to Juneau to engage directly with local leaders and see firsthand the challenges we are facing. I remain focused on working with the City and Borough of Juneau, Tlingit and Haida, and our state and federal partners to advance short-, medium-, and long-term solutions that will keep the people of Juneau safe."

Excavators cleaned snow from HESCO barriers during the group's tour on Monday as both USACE and CBJ contractors mobilized on flood fighting construction efforts planned for completion before a 2026 GLOF. CBJ's teams are preparing to raise, repair and – in places – reconstruct the existing Phase 1 HESCO barriers following the availability of updated inundation modeling and observations from the 2025 GLOF. USACE is moving forward with the Phase 2 HESCO barrier project installation, which will include riverbank armoring and installation of temporary (HESCO) flood barriers to construct a fortified, complete temporary flood barrier along the unprotected, populated riverbank areas of the Mendenhall River. USACE has also committed to providing technical assistance for the Phase 1 reconstruction, as well as critical on-the-ground flood-fighting tools, including a sandbag filling machine and dozens of pumps that will be strategically deployed ahead of a 2026 event.

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"Our community is strong and resourceful, but what we are facing is unprecedented." shared Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon. "Our conversations with Assistant Secretary Telle and his team at USACE this week reconfirmed that they are by our side, fighting with us to find the practical and technical solutions that will protect Juneauites immediately and for the long term. We are grateful for the flood fighting resources provided via the USACE that have and will continue to reduce the risk of devastating flood impacts for thousands in the Valley who face this extremely unique challenge every year. These annual GLOF events are predicted to increase in size and risk, and through our partnership with Tlingit and Haida, along with the support of our federal delegation, we will continue to communicate the urgency of delivering a long-term solution alongside critical short-term efforts."

As another GLOF event is likely just months away, ASA Telle's visit to Juneau included discussion of actions being taken now and the need to identify and investigate feasible enduring solution.

"This week's meeting reinforced that we are all moving in the same direction toward an enduring solution to the Mendenhall Glacier flooding," noted Tlingit & Haida President Chalyee Éesh Richard Peterson. "I joined the City and Borough of Juneau Mayor and her staff, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, and Corps leadership in a productive conversation focused on how we respond with urgency and unity. At this time, we continue to believe the lake tap is the most viable long-term solution, and I appreciate the Corps reaffirming that position while also acknowledging that all options remain on the table. We need immediate triage for the short term, a clear path for the mid-term, and a durable answer for the long term. Our community deserves nothing less."

For more information about CBJ and partner efforts to protect against future glacial lake outburst floods, visit bit.ly/CBJGLOF.

Contact:
John Budnik [email protected]
Ashley Heimbigner [email protected]
Dixie Hutchinson [email protected]

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