Alix Soliman

1 month ago | ktoo.org | Alix Soliman

Researchers launched an interactive glacial outburst flood website today to help Juneau’s Mendenhall Valley residents plan for annual floods. It’s a project of the University of Alaska Southeast and the Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center. The website features flood inundation maps the city published earlier this month. Instead of being sliced into multiple 2D image files, the maps are stacked in layers on an interactive viewer.

1 month ago | ktoo.org | Alix Soliman

Listen to this story:https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/21FloodKids_WEB.wavThunder Mountain Middle School sits beside Mendenhall River, which has surged over its banks and devastated homes in the Valley twice over the past two years. Floodwaters came close to inundating the school last year.  Eighth grader Vivian Esmiol just learned why. “The root problem is, well, it’s the Suicide Basin, which is between the Mendenhall Glacier,” she said.

1 month ago | ktoo.org | Alix Soliman

Listen to this story:https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/20ArborDay_WEB.wavOn a sunny Monday afternoon in Juneau’s Evergreen Cemetery, more than 40 children and adults gathered to celebrate Arbor Day in Alaska, a holiday dedicated to conserving forests and planting trees. Linda Torgerson, a volunteer with the Juneau Urban Forestry Partnership, led the group in a song dedicated to city trees to the tune of the classic camp song We Love the Mountains.

1 month ago | ktoo.org | Alix Soliman

A gasoline spill in Juneau’s sewer system shut down half of the Mendenhall Wastewater Treatment Plant on Saturday morning. Officials have not identified the source of the contamination and are requesting help from the community. Chad Gubala is the production and treatment manager at the city’s wastewater utility. He said that they don’t know exactly how much gasoline spilled. “It was large enough to affect about half of the Mendenhall treatment plant.

1 month ago | ktoo.org | Alix Soliman

Listen to this story:https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/15ShellfishAdvisory_WEB.mp3The Southeast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research network posted a paralytic shellfish toxin advisory for recreational and subsistence harvesting in communities across Southeast this week.  The advisory warns of high toxin levels in all shellfish species in Sitka, Skagway and Ketchikan and in butter clams in Juneau, Kake, Craig, Hydaburg and Kasaan.