The Juneau Mendenhall River flooding has prompted nonstop efforts by residents and city crews to keep rising waters from damaging neighborhoods. City and Borough of Juneau officials confirmed Wednesday morning that newly installed HESCO barriers remained intact, despite heavy water pressure in the Mendenhall Valley.
The city reported “NO HESCO breach observed” on social media but acknowledged that ponding water on certain roads was caused by seepage at the barriers. Crews quickly deployed pumps to remove water from Meander Way and Marion Drive, working to keep streets clear and prevent further flooding risks.
Alaska Electric Light & Power disconnected electricity to dozens of properties within the evacuation zone after water reached the 16-foot threshold early Wednesday morning. Further outages occurred when a utility pole fell into the river, worsening conditions for residents already contending with the powerful, climate-driven surge. Realtor Marty McKeown, who lost part of his property last year, said current conditions have improved compared to last year’s devastating flooding.
McKeown checked his lower-river business at 3 a.m., finding no interior flooding despite high outside water, crediting strengthened flood protections. He noted that many upper-river homeowners invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in bank armoring, with lower-river residents following similar defensive strategies.
The lower Mendenhall area benefited early Wednesday when an outgoing tide at 4:15 a.m. relieved tidally influenced properties. According to spokesperson Ashley Heimbigner, nine evacuees stayed in a city shelter Tuesday night, as emergency crews maintained a heightened state of readiness.
