Bids start for long-term flood fix feds say will be fast and cheap — but they don’t know what it is
Competitors are now being sought to design a long-term glacial flooding solution the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says will be built faster and cheaper…
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced on Aug. 14, 2026, that it will seek proposals for a long-term solution to glacial flooding in Juneau, Alaska. The project aims to prevent the Suicide Basin from rising above 1,100 feet and limit flood discharges to 1,000 cubic feet per second. Army Corps Brig. Gen. Clete Goetz explained that competitors are being sought to design the solution, which the Corps claims will be built faster and cheaper than previous proposals.
A Request for Qualifications was published on Friday, inviting bidders to submit plans for the project. The process involves pitch briefings, compared to the reality TV show "Shark Tank," with the goal of selecting a project and industry partner by the end of the year. U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan expressed optimism about innovative and creative approaches that could make the project faster and cheaper.
Similar sentiments were echoed by other speakers at the press conference. The project's specifics remain unclear, and critics have questioned if the initiative intends to bypass environmental review of Corps' projects. The timeline for the solution is expected to take a decade due to Suicide Basin being on U.S. Forest Service Land, which has specific development criteria, and ensuring the basin's water doesn't cause unintended and destructive impacts downstream.
Written by urgent.news from Associated Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
