Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion  In this July 2, 2014 file photo water encroaches on a horse barn on Buoy Avenue near the Kalifonsky Meadow Subdivision in Kenai, Alaska. A project designed to divert water in the area to a beaver pond nearby has been put on hold.

Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion In this July 2, 2014 file photo water encroaches on a horse barn on Buoy Avenue near the Kalifonsky Meadow Subdivision in Kenai, Alaska. A project designed to divert water in the area to a beaver pond nearby has been put on hold.

Seventh street structure on hold

  • By Kelly Sullivan
  • Tuesday, April 28, 2015 11:49pm
  • News

A drainage ditch intended to move storm water out of a flood prone area along Kalifornsky Beach Road may not come to fruition any time soon.

The organization that was pushing the plan, the K-Beach Flood Mitigation Project, announced during a Monday meeting that it would be pulling out of the project, known as the Seventh Street Storm Water Conveyance Structure.

“Local residents along the downstream portion of the project had some reasonable and legitimate concerns,” said mitigation project President and Chief Executive Officer Kelly Lipinski. “We have taken those concerns seriously and feel that further feasibility studies need to be performed in order to fully address their concerns.”

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

The 2-mile drainage ditch would divert more than 23 million gallons of floodwater per day from Buoy Avenue to a beaver pond beside Eider Drive near Kalifornsky Beach Road. The ditch would parallel the eastern side of a section line easement.

However, some property owners concerned with the plan.

They questioned whether the ditch could adequately hold that amount of water without eroding the soil along its banks and causing problems for nearby homeowners.

The K-Beach High-Water Drainage Task Force is currently the only other entity that has expressed interest in picking up the project.

Hydrologist and task force co-chair Jim Munter said the group is unsure if they will be assuming management, but still supports the project.

At Monday’s meeting the majority of members were in attendance, but some were unable to attend due to prior conflicts. Those present did not want to make a decision without consulting absent member’s first, he said.

“There is too much pending,” Munter said. “We need to have other conversations first.”

Munter added that the task force had not been formed to manage a project with the scope of the conveyance structure.

Department of Natural Resources, Water Resources Section Chief Dave Schade, who is overseeing the project said he had was not aware that the project might be switching hands prior to the Monday meeting. He said the project would be put on hold until a decision is made at next month’s task force meeting.

A Temporary Water Use Act permit is required for the project through DNR. Last month, DNR solicited reviews of the project from several agencies as part of the permitting process.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough requested an extension of the review period from DNR in order to get public comments on the project. Dozens of residents filed comments with the borough.

“This mitigation project is quickly and poorly conceived,” resident Sammy Crawford wrote in an email to the borough. “We have no idea how it will impact the water level in our own property and our well water…I strongly oppose the permitting of this project.”

Other concerns included destruction to salmon habitat, erosion, safety, lack of a hydrological evaluations and financial burden, according to the final response the borough submitted to DNR.

Schade said a “litany of issues” remains unaddressed in the pending application for the ditch.

An April 16 email from DNR to Munter, who is also acting as a consultant for the mitigation project, identified need for detailed engineering designs, further information on what culverts would route the drainages and an updated letter of intent and progress to the Bureau of Land Management Office, BLM. BLM owns a parcel the structure would cut through.

Schade also said the issue of maintenance had not been resolved.

“The reality is twofold,” Schade said. “They were realizing this will cost serious dollars.”

Schade said it wasn’t clear in the project application which organization would be responsible for the cost and physical work necessary to maintain the structure. The Bridges Community Resources Network Inc, which the application was filed under, claimed no direct affiliation to the project. Bridges is a non-profit entity, which allows other organizations to operate under its 501(c)(3) designation.

The application also lacked an environmental impact statement, which is required by multiple entities, Schade said.

Munter said it is common for an organization to have a number of additional requirements at this point in the application process.

Agency and community feedback is taken into account as a project moves forward and designs are finalized, he said.

“We feel that the extensive requirements by each applicable agency to proceed are appropriate for a project of this magnitude,” Lipinski said.

Additionally, Lipinski said a feasibility study concerning potential long-term impacts of the proposed project has not been completed.

“The seventh street conveyance structure was only a small part of our work,” Lipinski said. “We are no longer interested in pursuing this particular project.”

 

Reach Kelly Sullivan at kelly.sullivan@peninsulaclarion.com

 

 

More in News

Member Tom Tougas, far right, speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Tourism Industry Working Group in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Tourism working group rejects bed tax, recommends seasonal sales tax adjustment

The document includes a section that says the borough could alternatively leave its tax structure exactly as it is.

The rescued sea otter pup looks at the camera in this undated picture, provided by the Alaska SeaLife Center. (Kaiti Grant/Alaska SeaLife Center)
Stranded otter pup rescued from Homer beach

She is estimated to be around 2 months old and was found alone by concerned beach walkers.

Kenai Peninsula College Director Cheryl Siemers speaks to graduates during the 55th commencement ceremony at Kachemak Bay Campus on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Kenai Peninsula College leadership sees temporary transitions

KPC Director Cheryl Siemers is serving as interim UAA chancellor, while former KBC director Reid Brewer fills in her role.

Ash-Lee Waddell (center) of Homer is one of six recipients of the 2025 First Lady’s Volunteer Award at the Governor’s Residence in Juneau, Alaska, on May 13, 2025. Photo courtesy of the Office of the Governor
First lady honors Alaska volunteers

Volunteers from Homer and Nikiski were recognized.

The front of the Kenai Police Department as seen on Dec. 10, 2019. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Update: Middle schooler reported missing found after 24-hour search

The student was seen leaving Kenai Middle School at around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The Oceania Riviera stands out against a bluebird sky at the Homer Harbor on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Over 1200 passengers from aboard the boat explored Homer throughout the beautiful day. (Chloe Pleznac/Homer News)
Homer tourism season kicks off with arrival of cruise ships

The first cruise ship of the season arrived April 28 with 930 passengers.

tease
‘Tomorrow — remember you are still a learner’

Kachemak Bay Campus graduated 49 students during its 55th annual commencement hosted on May 7.

Mt. Redoubt rises above Cook Inlet and the Anchor River drainage as fireweed is in bloom, as seen from Diamond Ridge Road on Friday, July 22, 2022, near Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Native plants provide lifeline for local songbirds

Shorebird Festival talk highlights importance of native plants.

Sterling Elementary School students collect trash from the banks of the Kenai River near Bing’s Landing in Sterling, Alaska, during the 10th Annual Kenai River Spring Cleanup on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Cleaning up the mess that’s left behind

Students from six local schools combed for litter during the 10th Annual Kenai River Spring Cleanup.

Most Read