State moves to finalize Juneau sewage plant permit despite years out of compliance

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation on Friday posted a proposed final permit renewing the Juneau-Douglas Wastewater Treatment Facility's discharge into Gastineau Channel, the last step before final issuance.

The plant has been out of compliance with federal clean-water rules in 12 of the past 13 quarters, according to federal records, as Alaska News reported in August. Those records showed the plant missed an August 2025 deadline to come into full compliance under an existing order. In 2021, the city entered a compliance order with DEC over limit exceedances from 2015 to 2019. The plant's permit expired in February.

The city now has until Oct. 23 to review the terms, according to the notice. Public comment closed Oct. 9, and DEC isn't taking more.

The permit would let the city discharge secondary treated domestic wastewater at a maximum of 6.0 million gallons on any single day, the same ceiling as in 2020. The plant has actually been discharging about 1 million gallons a day on average, Alaska News reported in September.

DEC also proposes a mixing zone, an area around the outfall where the discharge can exceed water-quality limits before it dilutes. It covers ammonia, copper, dissolved oxygen, fecal coliform and enterococci bacteria, temperature and whole effluent toxicity.

Juneau sewer customers pay for whatever the permit requires. Assembly member Wade Bryson said in February 2025 that the city needed $20 million for the work, Alaska News reported.