Utilities – Page 10 – City and Borough of Juneau

System-wide water line flushing begins this week

Beginning this week, the City and Borough of Juneau Water Utility will begin flushing the water distribution system. Work is scheduled to begin downtown, working north to the hospital, crossing over to Douglas, then on to the Lemon Creek area, proceeding to the Valley, and then on out to the Tee Harbor area. This work will continue over the next few months.

Work will occur between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and will be tentatively completed by June 30.

Customers may encounter water discoloration or minor disruptions in service. To clear the discoloration, first wait until the work crew leaves the area, then run the cold water tap (preferably in your bathtub) until the water runs clear.

Please watch for crews working in the roadway, use caution, and obey traffic controls. CBJ apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause.

For more information, contact CBJ Utilities Administration at 907-586-0393 or for after-hours emergencies call 907-586-2165.

May 10th, 2021|

Internet outage impacted CBJ utility bills being emailed to customers

City and Borough of Juneau utility bills were emailed to customers on April 29 around the same time as the Alaska Communications outage, which impacted the delivery. Some customers received multiple bills; some customers received no bill at all.

In an effort to ensure all email customers get their bills, CBJ Utility Billing will be resending all bills at the end of the business day today, April 30.

If you did already receive your email bill, please disregard any multiple copies.
If you do not receive your email bill, please email [email protected] and a copy will be emailed to you as soon as possible.

CBJ apologizes for this inconvenience and appreciates your understanding.

For more information, email [email protected].

April 30th, 2021|

To address compliance issues, CBJ works to improve wastewater operations

The City and Borough of Juneau is currently working through a formal process to correct violations to its state wastewater permits. Earlier this month, CBJ entered into a Compliance Order by Consent (the Order) with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The Order is an enforcement action that was taken as a result of wastewater permit exceedances that occurred at the Juneau-Douglas and Mendenhall wastewater treatment plants between 2015 and 2019. During a routine inspection, DEC determined that discharge from both plants exceeded the parameters of CBJ’s permits. The Order requires several compliance actions and payment of a $64,000 fine.

In 2019, CBJ hired consulting firm Tetra Tech to conduct a review of CBJ’s permit exceedances, to identify causes, and to recommend corrective actions. Tetra Tech determined the exceedances at the Juneau-Douglas treatment plant primarily occurred in the summer of 2017 during a major construction project, which reduced the treatment capacity of the plant. At the Mendenhall treatment plant, violations were linked to high strength influent, i.e. wastewater coming into the plant that is stronger than typical domestic sewage from residences and businesses, and therefore harder to treat. Read the full Tetra Tech report here.

CBJ Utilities and engineering staff are working on several projects and operational strategies to address the issues leading to the Order. These efforts include upgrades to the plants through capital improvements projects, as well as source control efforts to better monitor and control wastes coming into the plants. Residents and businesses can also help by ensuring that high strength wastes, such as fats, oils, grease, and food waste, are kept out of the sewer system. Toxic substances such as petroleum products should never be put down the drain.

Updates on the development of the Order and improvement projects have been given to the Assembly’s Public Works and Facilities Committee (February 2, 2021 and March 2, 2020), as well as the Utilities Advisory Board. Additional updates will be provided to those committee as the projects progress.

For more information, contact Utilities Engineer Lori Sowa or Utilities Superintendent Brian McGuire at 586-0393.

March 18th, 2021|

Utility Advisory Board looking to fill open seats

The City and Borough of Juneau Utility Advisory Board (UAB) has two vacancies and is looking to fill the open seats. Interested applicants can apply by going to the Boards, Committees, Commissions & Task Forces webpage and clicking on the Apply button. The 7-member board reviews and makes recommendations to the Assembly and City Manager on water and sewer rate structures and policy issues.

UAB meetings are held the second Thursday of each month at 5:15 pm, unless otherwise scheduled. Per Resolution 2299, CBJ is recruiting to fulfill the positions with an accountant, general contractor, or residential user. All applications will be considered.

For more information, go to the Boards, Committees, Commissions & Task Forces webpage, or contact the Municipal Clerks Office at 586-5278 or [email protected].

December 29th, 2020|

Win an Eaglecrest lift ticket!

Win an Eaglecrest Ski Area lift ticket (and save some paper)! Sign up to receive your CBJ Utility statement via email before January 15, and you will be entered to win one of five adult full-day Eaglecrest lift tickets. As a thank you to current customers utilizing email statements, you’ll automatically be entered into the drawing. Sign up for email statements here.

(Photo by Chris Miller)

December 9th, 2020|