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Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility water pipe through the Park.
The final segment of AWWU's Loop Water Transmission Main will be routed through Bicentennial Park to connect the water tanks on Tudor Road with the tanks off Abbott Rd next to Service High. This is the final section needed to make a complete pipeline loop for the award winning water from Eklutna Lake.
The route will generally follow the route of the East 48th/Boniface Extension and the Elmore/Bragaw/Abbott Loop Extension. The
pipe will hang from the bridges built for the Bragaw/Abbott Loop
extension. A lot of detail is in the Assembly
Ordinance 
to
approve the route.
This project will consist of about 5 miles of 48 inch diameter pipeline that is projected to cost at least $20 million and be constructed in 2006- 2007. The project is needed for future water demands in the south and southwest areas of Anchorage.
Phase IV of the water main consists of laying a new 48" water main, buried 14-15 feet for a distance of 4.35 miles. The picture at the right is the clearing for the pipe and road taken December 2007.
If you scroll down, you'll get some history of the project. The route taken is not any of the alternatives presented in the public process. The route chosen was along Tudor then turning left (south) at Bragaw and following the road extension. That didn't work because there were so many utilites already buried near that intersection. The route chosen follows a route that was doomed to a road anyway.
For somewhat current information on the project, see AWWU's site and the project's report from Dowl and related information on our East 48th/Boniface Extension page.
In 2002 current preferred alternatives were:
North Perimeter : This wraps around Bicentennial Park. It goes West on Tudor, south on Bragaw and continues south through to Abbott Loop Road, then turns east to the Service High tanks along Abbott Road. The North Perimeter route is located within an existing ROW corridor. This route affects approximately one half mile of BLM lands.
Airstrip West 
:
The Airstrip West route travels west from the water
reservoirs along the south side of Tudor Road to Campbell
Airstrip Road. It then proceeds south to the parking lot at the
1.1 mile marker. This route then crosses Campbell Tract in a
southwest direction along the airstrip then turns west to
Abbott Loop Road where it turns south to 84th Avenue. This route
affects approximately 1.75 miles of BLM lands. This appears to be
the lowest cost alternative.
The North Revetment route follows the same route as the
Airstrip
West route to the northeast end of Campbell Tract Air strip. It
then proceeds southwest along the Science Center Road to the
Campbell Tract Facility entrance at Abbott Loop Road where it
turns south to 84th Avenue. This route affects approximately 1.75
miles of BLM lands.
The choice will be considered by a task force of 9 members:
BLM took public comments through January 15, 2002 as part of their study. Some of the known issues to be considered are the affects on:
· Recreational users
· Wetland impacts
· Stream crossings
· City water supply
· Wildlife
· Future road construction along the proposed route
· Socio economics
The waterline issue is the topic of discussion at the Anchorage Waterways Council Annual Meeting.
Water Pipeline in the Park, Which Route?
The Two Proposed Routes Through Far North Bicentennial Park
Construction of a waterline along the proposed Bragaw Extension Right-of-Way is currently under consideration and will involve multiple new creek crossings of both the North and South Forks of Campbell Creek. Additionally, many acres of Class A wetlands would be seriously impacted.
Two other more viable and less expensive route options remain as alternatives. Both of these routes impact significantly less wetland and riparian areas than the Bragaw route.
Join us for a panel discussion on the proposed routes for the water pipeline at the Anchorage Waterways Council s Annual Meeting. This meeting will take place on Wednesday, January 30th, 2002 at the BLM Campbell Creek Science Center.
Speakers will include Holly Kent from the Anchorage Waterways Council, Roberta Piper from AWWU, Tom Wolf from CH2MHill, and Lance Trasky from ADF&G.
The evening will begin at 6:00pm, with classical guitar by Shawn Lyons and refreshments. A short business meeting will follow. The water pipeline discussion will begin at 7:00pm. Everyone is welcome.
Please contact the AWC for more information at 277-9287, awc@alaska.net or www.anchwaterwayscouncil.org.
Emily Creely
Water Quality Monitoring Coordinator
Anchorage Waterways Council
(907) 277-9287
The Municipality of Anchorage's meetings are now completed. The task force recommended the North Perimeter route.
The Mayor followed his task force’s recommendation, deciding on the Bragaw corridor.
The following is from an email to Doug VanEtten from Bud Rice (August 20, 2001), the trail user representative on the task force.
Doug,
You may already have the news, but the Mayor's task force cranked through the ratings and weightings of objectives and criteria for the water pipeline route and the results pointed to the North Perimeter (ala Bragaw Extension) route.
BLM pointedly stated a route through Campbell Tract would not be granted in a ROW permit unless overwhelming reasons pointed that way. They indicated this was unlikely because the city already owns land and has a utility corridor via the "North Perimeter Route". The Corps of Engineers stated they would not likely grant a permit to go this way because of class A wetlands that could be avoided by going via Campbell Tract.... Dick Traini thought it was easier to deal with a Corps permit than to try to push across BLM's Cambell Tract.
The evaluation did not look at the Bragaw Extension. Traini said this was being dealt with via the East Anchorage Study of Transportation. Seems to me putting the water pipeline there facilitates the Bragaw Extension.... If it does go there, the road should be put on pilings to avoid wetlands, fish and wildlife corridor, and mushing trails.
I noted for the record that several park users preferred the "North Perimeter route so long as Bragaw Extension would not be built. Whichever way the pipeline route goes, I asked that we solve so trail crossing problems and make Anchorage a better place to live.
What role does the Assembly play in this issue from here?
Bud
.
Following are letters to the editor and other sources that show various opinions on this issue.
Airstrip
route for water pipeline is the best choice economically
(Published in the Anchorage Daily News January 18, 2002)
Some feel that the best reason for building AWWU's 48-inch water pipeline down BLM's airstrip is environmental, since the Bragaw route crosses seven salmon streams (vs. three), and fills 4.3 acres of prime wetlands (vs. 0).
But the most important reason for using the airstrip route is economic. The chosen Bragaw alternative is $7 million (about 8 percent) more costly. It will also require at least 22 percent more maintenance, forever, because of its greater length. All public water users in the municipality will be paying this extra cost for as long as we live here.
The longer, more expensive and more environmentally damaging route is an ironic choice for an administration that claims to give us more for less.
The Anchorage Waterways Council has this on its program for the annual meeting on Jan. 30 at the Science Center.
--
Julius Rockwell Jr.
Anchorage
The following is from an email received from Cliff Eames Issues/State Lands Director, Alaska Center for the
Environment
July 27, 2001
Dear Friends of FNBP,
Below, FYI, is an alert we just sent to ACE members. We
struggled very hard in arriving at our position, and some of you
might disagree, but hopefully forwarding this on will at least
serve the purpose of alerting you, if you weren't aware of them,
to the upcoming Open Houses and the chance to provide comments.
Sincerely,
Cliff
The Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility (AWWU)
is proposing to construct a waterline to deliver water from
storage tanks on Tudor Road to a tank near Service High
School. The utility has narrowed the route choices to two
(both of which have significant problems). You'll have a
chance at two Open Houses in early August to let the city know
which route you think is best.
Construction would require clearing a corridor from 75-100 feet
wide. The pipe would be four feet in diameter and would be
buried ten feet deep. Maintenance would require an eight foot
wide driveable corridor.
One possible route (North Perimeter Route [aka Bragaw Extension
route]) runs west along Tudor to Bragaw, then south along Bragaw
extended to and along Abbott Loop Road to either 84th or 88th
Avenue. In addition to crossing both the North and South
Forks of Campbell Creek and many acres of wetlands, this route
could facilitate the construction of the Bragaw Extension.
Extending Bragaw Road south would have significant adverse
effects on Far North Bicentenial Park and on local
neighborhoods. The estimated cost is $27.2 million.
The other proposed route (Airstrip West Route) runs west to
Campbell Airstrip Road, follows the road south, crosses the South
Fork of Campbell creek, runs southwest along the Airstrip for its
entire length, follows a multi-use trail southwest to Abbott Loop
Road, then follows Abbott Loop south. This route would
affect the multi-use trail, and would require a new crossing of
Little Campbell Creek. Athough some wetlands would have to
be crossed, this route would impact fewer wetlands than the
Bragaw Extension route. Estimated cost - $20.2 million.
After giving the issue a lot of thought, ACE opposes the Bragaw
Extension (North Perimeter) route, which it believes is the worst
of two evils. Most of the Airstrip West Route, though it
would go through Far North Bicentennial Park, would follow
disturbed areas (either the road or the airstrip), and would
appear to have less impact on streams and wetlands.
A Task Force appointed by Mayor Wuerch is expected to make its
recommendation to the Mayor on August 16; the Mayor will make the
final decision, perhaps as early as August 20.
You can tell the city which route you prefer, or get more
information to help you make your decision, by attending one of
the two Open Houses. The Open Houses will include a
presentation of the project by the utility, a chance to ask
questions of project managers and provide oral comments, and the
opportunity to submit written comments.
When: Thursday, August 2 and Tuesday, August 7
7-9 pm -- presentation begins at
7:30
Where: Loussac Library, Wilda Marston Theatre
Who: Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility, Mayor's Task Force,
CH2MHill
If you're unable to attend an Open House, comments may be sent to
the Task Force (to be received no later than AUGUST 10) at the
following address:
Route Selection Task Force
c/o Roberta Piper, Project Manager
Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility
3000 Arctic Blvd.
Anchorage Alaska, 99503
___________
Cliff Eames
Issues/State Lands Director
Alaska Center for the Environment
807 G Street, #100
Anchorage, AK 99501
A letter to
the editor can inform lots of people. Write one! They prefer 250
words or less. email your letter to:
The Anchorage Daily News at letters@adn.com
The Eagle River Star editor@alaskastar.com
Anchorage Municipal Assembly Members. For the full list of contact emails, click contacts.
Send email
to everyone you know and ask them to look at this site.
Stay informed! Get on the FOBP maillist. email
Sandra Talt. Click the logo to go to AWWU's website
Contact Roberta Piper, AWWU Planning Engineer, 907-564-2767, or E-Mail your comments/questions to: AWWU Engineering
Stay informed! Get on the FOBP maillist. Click Here!
This website is
maintained by Friends of Bicentennial Park to provide
information on Anchorage's Far North Bicentennial Park.