Construction to Resume on Girdwood Wastewater Treatment Facility Upgrade
Girdwood, AK – Be aware of additional traffic around Girdwood this spring and summer as Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility resumes construction activity at its Girdwood Wastewater Treatment Facility on Ruane Road.
Truck traffic will increase mid-April with the hauling of gravel from Portage, via the Seward and Alyeska Highways, to the treatment facility. The trucks may slow traffic while entering and exiting Girdwood.
This is the continuation of a two-phase construction project to ultimately allow the wastewater treatment facility to process an increased volume of wastewater from Girdwood's growing population. Phase I includes improvements to support the existing facility and solve ongoing operational issues. It is expected to continue for another year. Phase II is scheduled to begin in 2016 and culminate with the completion of an expanded and upgraded wastewater treatment facility.
The Utility has been working with the Girdwood community for several years on the development of this project. In 2009, following an extensive public outreach process, the Girdwood Board of Supervisors passed a resolution to support the project. Responding to community input, the Utility designed the facility to accommodate the adjoining Iditarod Trail and adopted an architectural style similar to existing Girdwood building designs.
The treatment and residual buildings planned for Phase II required a zoning variance from the MOA Planning and Zoning Commission; this variance was granted in 2011. The Utility initiated an Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation permitting process to allow for construction to begin on the first phase of the project.
Beck Consulting press release