Talkeetna Searching for New Water Site on Front Street

For several years, Talkeetna Sewer and Water has been exploring sites for new wells and a storage tank. The current wells are located in the floodplain and the water from them must be treated for arsenic. There is currently no water storage facility for Talkeetna.

Five potential sites were vetted and ultimately rejected for contamination or other reasons. Mat-Su Borough Utilities and Facilities Supervisor Amanda Fleming says the Borough is now exploring an alternative site on Front Street.

The Borough drilled a test well last summer on Alaska Railroad property adjacent to the parcels, which showed good flow and minimal arsenic contamination, according to Mat-Su Borough Environmental Engineer Mike Campfield. In addition to the wells, Fleming says the goal would be to have three days of water storage, which is about 350,000 gallons of water. Though she says that could change as the group moves toward design.

The Borough made a request last fall to purchase the two parcels currently owned by Alaska Department of Natural Resources. To date, there has been no word about the progress of a transfer of the land. 

However, the two parcels are located within the 100-year floodplain. Fleming says a facility may be able to be built with modifications to accommodate any flooding, but that the Borough is in the initial information-gathering phase. No designs have been explored at this time.  

Fleming invites residents to attend the Talkeetna Sewer and Water Board meetings, which occur on the first Wednesday of each month at 1pm. Fleming says residents may reach out directly to her and to any Talkeetna Sewer and Water Board members if they are unable to attend meetings. She says as the Borough moves through this process, there will be more open houses to encourage public input.