Gastineau Channel
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Numbers are stories in the last 30 days.
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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.
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Latest
October 2026
Federal agency proposes marine mammal permit for Juneau's Seawalk extension
Juneau's Seawalk extension means a year of pile driving near whales, sea lions and seals. NMFS has proposed a permit covering the noise's effects.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Southeast winter troll king season opens Oct. 11, with five inside areas closed
Southeast's winter king troll season opens Oct. 11 and runs to March 15 or a 45,000-fish cap. Five inside areas stay closed to protect wild fish.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
September 2026
Juneau's hatchery waters reopen six weeks ahead of schedule
Fishing reopens near Juneau's Macaulay hatchery six weeks early, six coho a day. The closure traced back to fish lost in a landslide in 2020.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Pile driving at a Juneau fuel dock could damage seals' hearing
Federal regulators estimate a Juneau fuel dock rebuild could expose marine mammals to pile driving noise 1,660 times, 852 of them at injuring levels.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Juneau's wastewater permit would be renewed despite a record of violations
Juneau's permit to discharge treated wastewater into Gastineau Channel would be renewed, though the plant has broken its limits in 12 of the last 13 quarters.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
August 2026
Researchers get $812,016 to study Glacier Bay's iceberg seal habitat
Glacier Bay's harbor seals pup on icebergs. The glacier making those icebergs slowed 45 percent, and researchers got $812,016 to study what that means.
by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago2 min read
Two of Juneau's most accessible coho streams close to fishing to protect weak runs
Two of Juneau's most accessible coho streams, Montana and Peterson creeks, close to coho fishing Sept. 1 through Dec. 31 to protect weak salmon returns.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Juneau loses two months of fishing to a 2020 landslide
Juneau loses the north end of Gastineau Channel to all fishing for two months. A 2020 landslide cut hatchery production and the coho aren't returning.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
More from Gastineau Channel
Juneau's wastewater plant has been out of compliance for three years, and ratepayers foot the bill
Juneau's main wastewater plant has been out of federal compliance for three years, its permit expired — and sewer customers will pay the $20 million fix.
by Lucas Brown3mo ago2 min read
Ben Le, missing since a hike at Port Armstrong on Aug. 10, was found dead at the bottom of a cliff
A hiker missing near Port Armstrong since Monday is being searched by crews that added a thermal drone team Wednesday morning after ground and aerial searches found no sign of him.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A Whittier man trying to sell booze on a family glacier-tour boat
A Whittier man is fighting a plan to serve alcohol on the family Ptarmigan glacier-tour boat, which has run dry for decades. The Assembly decides by Aug. 15.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Juneau's casino opened on shifting ground and now faces suits on two fronts
Juneau's tribal casino opened through a federal opening since rescinded, and now faces the state, a family lawsuit and doubt about whether it's even legal.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readFrom 
July 2026
Juneau's fifth cruise dock clears a federal hurdle
Juneau's contested fifth cruise dock cleared another hurdle: a federal permit for the pile-driving that will disturb sea lions in Gastineau Channel.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Whale permit for Juneau's fifth cruise dock issued with no public comment
Juneau has fought over its fifth cruise dock for six years. When the feds asked about letting construction disturb whales and sea lions, nobody said a word.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago1 min read
A fall at a remote Alaska lighthouse turned an injury into a helicopter rescue
A tourist badly hurt her hip at the historic Sentinel Island lighthouse near Juneau and got a helicopter flight out. Kinda a two birds with one stone thing
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
June 2026
A new cruise terminal could rise in a humpback whale feeding ground near Juneau
The feds want comment on a Douglas Island cruise terminal whose two years of pile driving could "harass" 10 marine mammal species in a humpback feeding ground.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
About Gastineau Channel
Gastineau Channel is a tidal waterway in Southeast Alaska that separates Juneau from Douglas Island. Juneau's cruise ship docks, its waterfront Seawalk and the outfall of its downtown wastewater treatment plant all sit along the channel.
Waterfront construction is a recurring question, because pile driving for docks, terminals and the Seawalk needs federal permits covering the noise's effects on humpback whales, sea lions and seals that use the channel. The city's permit to discharge treated wastewater into the channel, and the plant's record of meeting its limits, is another.
The north end of the channel draws anglers to coho returning to the Macaulay hatchery, and fishing there closes when those returns fall short. The National Marine Fisheries Service and state environmental regulators oversee most decisions about its waters.
More from Gastineau Channel
Juneau moves to extend its seawalk to the farthest cruise dock
Juneau's spent 20 years building a waterfront path it still can't finish. Now it wants the stretch to the far cruise dock. Mind the gap.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read