Assembly consent agenda carries $1.7 million more for Girdwood water design

Girdwood's primary drinking water well must meet federal surface water treatment rules, and the utility that runs it wants $1.7 million more to design the fix. The amendment is on the Anchorage Assembly's consent agenda for Oct. 6.

The Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility would amend its engineering contract with CRW Engineering Group, raising it from $969,625 to about $2.7 million and moving the completion date from the end of 2026 to Dec. 31, 2030.

The money would pay for final design of the chosen water system, including surveying, geotechnical investigations, property acquisition support, permitting, bidding documents and construction-phase services. AWWU General Manager David A. Persinger recommended the amendment. Mayor Suzanne LaFrance submitted it, and the administration recommends approval.

The Municipality of Anchorage awarded the contract Sept. 10, 2019, for a well rehabilitation project. The original scope included a test well and a study of treatment and supply options.

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation later found that Well 2 is groundwater under the direct influence of surface water, placing it under federal surface water treatment rules. That means surface water can reach the well, so the rules require filtration and disinfection. In November 2022, AWWU signed a compliance order by consent with the state. The order sets milestones for engineering plans, construction and operational approval of a compliant treatment plant. A consent order is a negotiated agreement.

AWWU then widened its search for well sources across the Girdwood Valley, weighing capacity, reliability and redundancy. The memo says the work took "substantially more effort than originally anticipated." Engineers settled on a new groundwater source, a replacement backup well and a new treatment facility near the existing wells.

Two earlier amendments, in July 2022 and February 2025, extended deadlines at no cost. The new money would come from the water utility's capital budget. The memo says it will not affect funding for other capital projects.

The engineering work is one piece of a larger project. An AWWU presentation to the Assembly in April 2025 put the overall cost at a preliminary $15 million to $20 million.