Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility has operated the public water system in Girdwood Valley since 1991. The system consists of two wells, a one million gallon reservoir and a distribution system that historically served the Alyeska Resort and most properties east of Glacier Creek. The wells have capacities of 1,000 gallons per minute and 480 gallons per minute. The system has been upgraded and expanded in recent years to bring service as far as the Girdwood School and Fire Station on the west side of Glacier Creek.
The 1994 Anchorage Water Master Plan recommended several capital improvements to correct existing system deficiencies to allow for moderate growth in the Girdwood area through 2020. The recommended improvements included:
In 1999, AWWU conducted a study to project the future water demand for Girdwood Valley. The need for an additional water source and storage on the west side of Glacier Creek was confirmed. In 2000, AWWU conducted a hydro-geologic study to determine the preferred location of an additional water source west of Glacier Creek. The study concluded that the best location for a future water well is near the existing well site.
On November 20, 2000, the Girdwood Board of Supervisors passed Resolution No. 2000-4 requesting AWWU to extend a water line to Girdwood Elementary School by 2003 or sooner. The Girdwood community expressed concern regarding the water quality and fire protection for the school. Extending the water main to the west side of Glacier Creek would give the Anchorage School District the option to connect to the AWWU system.
In 1999, Congress appropriated federal funding for Girdwood Water system improvements.
Construction of the first phase (Phase I) of the Transmission Main Extension Project, from Alyeska Avenue west to Glacier Creek, was substantially completed in the fall of 2002.
Phase II was originally proposed by AWWU in a draft EA and in applications for permits from regulatory agencies in January, 2003. A public meeting was held March 13, 2003 to provide public notification of levy upon connection assessments and to present alternative alignments for the project. Due to EPA and agency concerns regarding insufficient information justifying impacts to wetlands, habitat, and fish and wildlife resources, and inadequate alternatives analysis, AWWU elected to phase the project. As a result, Phase II was split into two projects. Phase IIA was to extend the transmission main from the end of Phase I to the Girdwood Elementary School.
Phase IIA of the Transmission Main Extension Project was substantially completed during 2004. The scope of this phase initially consisted of the construction of a water storage reservoir north of the Girdwood Elementary School and the extension of the transmission main past the school to the reservoir. Life cycle cost estimates comparing the Reservoir alternative to a Looped Main alternative (looping the transmission main from Hightower Road, past the school, along Crow Creek Road, then east across Glacier Creek) indicated there was no significant cost differential between the two alternatives. As the Looped Main alternative would be more reliable and serve a wider area, the reservoir concept was replaced by a looped transmission main.
In addition to the water system expansion that has been completed to date, the 2005 Anchorage Water Master Plan recommended another capital improvement to correct existing system deficiencies to allow for moderate growth in the Girdwood area. The recommended improvement involves installing a 16-inch water transmission main, running from the Girdwood School site on the west side of Glacier Creek to connect to an existing water transmission main on the east side of Glacier Creek at the wellhouse, creating a loop in Girdwood's water system.
A concurrent process initiated by the Municipality’s Heritage Land Bank (HLB) refined objectives from the Girdwood Area Plan (approved in 1995) through the publicly developed and approved Crow Creek Neighborhood Plan (2006). HLB then developed and started the platting process for the Holtan Hills subdivision (referred to as Lower Matrix in the Crow Creek Neighborhood Plan). The Holtan Hills subdivision access road from Hightower Road to and through the subdivision became the desired location for utilities including water and sewer to serve the subdivision. The Phase IIB transmission main and trench for the future sewer lines is to be placed within the right of way access to Holtan Hills subdivision.
Phase IIB is currently under-construction and will complete the loop east across Glacier Creek along a preferred alignment described in the EA/Preliminary FONSI; construction began in July 2010.