Suicide Basin: ‘Success’ vs. Safety” — Residents, Data & the Long-Term Fix

Suicide Basin: ‘Success’ vs. Safety” — Residents, Data & the Long-Term Fix

From First Things First by First Things First Alaska Foundation

September 6, 2025 · 31 min · Episode 9

About this episode

The episode discusses the impacts of the Suicide Basin jökulhlaup on residents and the need for a long-term engineering solution.

Host Dano sits down with Don Habeger (Exec Dir, First Things First), Frank Bergstrom (President, FTF), and Meadow Lane residents Cindy & Mike Dow to unpack this year’s Suicide Basin jökulhlaup: what they lived, what the data shows, why HESCO barriers aren’t enough, and the community push for a permanent, engineered fix. Key Takeaways Records keep falling. Reported Mendenhall Lake crests: 2023: 14.9 ft (~25,200 cfs, per episode) 2024: 15.99 ft (~4,700 cfs, per episode) 2025: 16.67 ft (~50,000 cfs, est. per episode) (Guests’ figures as stated on-air; trend = bigger, faster outbursts.) What residents saw this year New percolation in Meadow Lane/Alder Circle; water pulsing up/receding through gravel. Log “harpoons.” Full-length trees with root balls riding the current, spearing riprap/fences; would punch through a house. Limits of HESCOs They raise river head , which also drives seepage through sandy/gravel soils. Vulnerable to log impacts and bank erosion ; require constant, costly maintenance (~$1M in repairs this year, per city meeting cited). Short-term mitigation, not a long-term solution . Infrastructure hit 3 of 4 river crossings were closed at one point (Back Loop…

People in this episode

Host: Dano

Guests: Don Habeger, Frank Bergstrom, Cindy Dow, Mike Dow

Topics covered

  • flooding
  • community safety
  • infrastructure
  • climate change
  • engineering solutions

Keywords

  • Suicide Basin
  • jökulhlaup
  • Mendenhall Lake
  • HESCO barriers
  • community safety
  • infrastructure
  • climate change

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: First Things First

Places: Meadow Lane, Juneau, Mendenhall Lake

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