{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"First Things First","title":"Suicide Basin: ‘Success’ vs. Safety” — Residents, Data & the Long-Term Fix","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1836,"description":" 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 TakeawaysRecords 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 yearNew 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 HESCOsThey 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 hit3 of 4 river crossings were closed at one point (Back Loop, Pedestrian, Montana Creek bridges noted); fiber cut impacted regional comms; Back Loop has since reopened.Human tollResidents describe post-traumatic stress, feeling unsafe, and some preparing to leave Juneau.What First Things First is advocatingEngineered levee/dam at the Mendenhall Lake outlet to attenuate peak flows—store more during the outburst, then release in a controlled way.Expedite geotech now; goal is a 12-month timeline, not “study forever.”Federal leadership is engaged (delegation + USACE site visits); Governor pre-declared the 2025 flood a disaster, enabling rapid DOT bridge work.Guests still don’t feel urgency from CBJ; want proactive planning and communication.Notable Quotes“This is the most predictable flood perhaps on earth.”“HESCOs are a short-term fix…they increase head in the river and drive...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/4ld5G4dSz-6qSAtGQu-7UO5h9yELm-kQC_Wcf0HY614/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9hM2Zh/YmEzMzhkM2IxMDhj/ZjE0ZmY0ZmM2MjY5/YTk1NS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}