Chugiak, Eagle River and Girdwood are communities inside the Municipality of Anchorage, sitting well outside the city core. Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility serves Chugiak-Eagle River and Girdwood, Chugiak has its own fire service area under Municipality code, and Girdwood has its own service area, so the first question on a call is which system serves the house.
Key takeaways
- Chugiak, Eagle River and Girdwood are inside the Municipality of Anchorage but sit well apart from the city core.
- Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility serves Chugiak-Eagle River and Girdwood, so the utility side of the meter is the utility's in those places.
- Chugiak has its own fire service area under Municipality code, which is about fire protection and separate from the water work.
- Girdwood has its own service area under Municipality code, and its boundaries are for the Municipality to confirm.
- Houses on sloping ground in these communities can take in meltwater at the low corner, so the grade and drainage are checked as well as the inside.
Where are Chugiak, Eagle River and Girdwood in relation to the city?
Eagle River and Chugiak lie between Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Chugach State Park, to the north-east of the centre. Girdwood lies farther south-east. All three are inside the Municipality of Anchorage, and all three are a long way from the city's own ZIP areas.
The centroid distances used on this site put Eagle River about 23 km north-east of the centre point, Chugiak about 33 km north-east and Girdwood about 45 km south-east. Those distances are measured from the centre of the city ZIP areas, and a road from a crew base to the house may be longer.
The distance matters for the first call. A crew that is farther away takes longer to reach the house, and the line will not promise an arrival time. The owner helps most by giving the full address and telling the line about any access problem before the crew sets out.
A house that sits far from the crew's base may be reached by a different route than the one shown on a map, especially in winter. Ask the line whether the crew is coming from a base nearer or farther than the city, because that changes the expected wait and the equipment the crew brings.
Which utility serves each of these communities?
Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility serves Chugiak-Eagle River and Girdwood, as well as Anchorage, Peters Creek and Eklutna. The utility side of the meter is its responsibility, and the house side is the owner's, through a plumber.
Because the utility serves these communities, a break on its side of the meter is called to the utility on its own line. The restoration crew can extract and dry the house whichever side the leak came from, and it records the side it found.
Indian, which lies on the Turnagain Arm side, is not among the communities named for the utility. A house in Indian should be checked with the utility before the owner assumes the same arrangement applies.
Where a house is on a supply that is not the utility's, the owner should keep the name and contact of the supplier with the house records. That information is needed for any repair to the supply, and it is the first thing a plumber or a crew will ask for on a break outside the house.
What do the fire service area and the Girdwood service area change?
They change the administrative arrangement for the house, not the water work. Chugiak has its own fire service area under Municipality code for fire protection, and Girdwood has its own service area under Municipality code. Neither changes the steps for extracting and drying water.
Ask the Municipality which service area applies to your address, because the Girdwood boundaries and the Chugiak arrangements are for the Municipality to confirm. The owner should keep the answer with the records of the house.
The fire service area does not handle water damage, and the restoration crew does not take fire-protection questions. Each question goes to the body that handles it, and the crew's record should note the service area so the next person knows where the house sits.
Because the service areas are set under the code, a question about which area applies is best put to the Municipality directly and in writing. The reply should be kept with the house records, since it affects who is called for a fire, a utility repair or a drainage question.
Why does water behave differently in these homes?
Houses on sloping ground in these communities can take in meltwater and rain at the low corner, and the water then runs under the floor and up the foundation. The stain may appear on a higher wall than the place where the water came in, so the low corner is checked first.
A crawl space or cellar on the downhill side is where water gathers, and the grade and the downspouts often explain why. The crew reads the lowest part of the house first, then the grade outside, and then it works up through the framing.
Timber and log walls, where present, hold water in their joints and grain and dry more slowly than sawn framing covered with drywall. The readings are taken at each opening, and the equipment is set so that air crosses the timber.
Timber walls and roofs can show a leak at the joint rather than along a board, and that joint is often the entry point. The crew records where the joint is and whether the water runs along the timber, so that the repair can be planned at the right point.
What should I check on the property after a loss?
Check the grade against the foundation, the downspouts and the drain at the low corner, and the crawl space vents, after each heavy thaw or rain. Small changes at those points often come before a leak inside the house, and they are cheaper to deal with in advance.
Clear the gutters and make sure the downspouts carry water well away from the foundation. A downspout that empties against the wall can soak the ground beside the house and find its way in at the first gap.
Look at the crawl space or cellar after a heavy thaw. Damp insulation, a musty smell or a line of water along the bottom of the wall are early signs. A contractor can advise on drainage, and the crew's record of the low corner is a good starting point.
A house on a slope may need its drain or grade looked at by a contractor, even when the water came in through a window or a wall above the low corner. The record should say so clearly, because the cause is then outside the house and the repair is planned there.
What do I need on the first call from one of these communities?
Give the full address, the community name, the floor the water is on, whether it is still running and whether the house is on the utility's supply or another. Tell the line about any access problem, such as a gate, a long drive or a road that is hard to use in winter.
Say whether the water is clean or came from a drain, and whether anyone has been in contact with it. Those details decide the protective steps the crew takes before it begins.
Ask the line which crew is sent and when it expects to reach the house, and ask for the name of the person who will confirm the utility side. The line cannot give an arrival time, but it can tell you what has been sent.
Insurers ask about the outside of the house when water has entered from the ground. Photographs of the grade, the downspouts and the drain, taken before the crew arrives or as soon as it is safe to do so, show the condition that the insurer will want to assess.
What should I keep for the insurer and the contractor?
Keep the crew's written log, the readings, the photographs, the note of the path of the water, and the note of the utility and service-area arrangement for the house. Those records show the cause and the work done, and they are what the insurer and any contractor will ask for.
Keep the receipts and the written scope for each repair, and note which items the crew did and did not see. A complete record is the most useful thing a homeowner can hand to an insurer, and it saves time on the next visit.
Keep the photographs of the grade, the downspouts and the crawl space, taken on a clear day, as well as those of the damage. They show the condition of the outside of the house, which the insurer may ask about.
What if the house is on a private supply rather than the utility's?
A house on a private supply is the owner's to maintain from the source to the house. A break in the supply, a failed pump or a contamination question is a matter for a qualified contractor, while the water damage inside the house is dried the same way as anywhere else.
The owner should know where the supply enters the house, where any pump or pressure tank sits and how the system is shut off. Those three points are the first things a crew or a contractor needs to know, and a note of them in the house records saves time on the next call.
A problem with the supply itself should be handled by someone who maintains that kind of system, and the restoration crew will say so on arrival. The crew does not repair or test a private supply, but it can extract and dry the house and record the path of the water for the owner.
Frequently asked questions
Is Indian covered by the city utility?
Indian is not among the communities named for Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility, so check with the utility before assuming the city arrangement applies. The water work inside the house is the same either way.
Does the Chugiak fire service area handle water damage?
No. The fire service area is for fire protection under Municipality code. Water damage is handled by the restoration crew and, on the utility side, by the utility.
How long does a crew take to reach Girdwood?
Girdwood is the farthest community here, about 45 km from the centre point. A crew is sent as soon as one is free, and no arrival time is promised over the phone.
Who maintains a private well?
The owner is responsible for a private supply, and a qualified contractor should handle any problem with the well itself. The restoration crew can extract and dry the house in the same way.
Should I call the utility or the restoration line first?
If water is in the house, call the restoration line first to stop the spread and dry the house. Then call the utility for any break on its side of the meter, and give each the same facts.
What should I do if the crew cannot reach the house because of the road?
Tell the line about the road condition at once, and ask whether a different access point or a later window is possible. Keep the house as safe as you can while you wait, close the main if it is safe to do so, and keep out of standing water near power.
Do I need to tell the Municipality about a water loss?
Ask the Municipality whether it needs to know about the loss, particularly if the loss has affected a service area, a drain or a shared structure. The answer depends on the circumstances, so ask the Municipality directly and keep its reply with the house records.
This guide is general information for Anchorage Municipality homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.