Park Service awards $4.5 million contract to upgrade Glacier Bay's water system for firefighting

The National Park Service has hired Sealaska Constructors to rebuild the water system at Bartlett Cove, the headquarters of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, so it can deliver enough water to fight a building fire.

The contract is worth about $4.5 million. It took effect Sept. 22 and runs through Nov. 1, 2027.

Firefighters need a certain volume and pressure of water, known as fire flow, to put out a structure fire. The work includes replacing water lines with larger ones, adding new lines connected to the main, and reconnecting service lines, fire lines, hydrants and valves.

Federal records list Sealaska Constructors, based in Seattle, as owned by an Alaska Native corporation. The contract was reserved for small businesses and drew two bids.

The project is separate from a $19.3 million Interior Department effort to replace housing for concession workers at Glacier Bay Lodge, also at Bartlett Cove, and to catch up on overdue maintenance at the lodge.