Kenai Peninsula Fish Passage 2012

Four culverts on the Kenai Peninsula Borough roads were replaced and one flow control structure within a Kenai Peninsula Borough right-of-way was repaired as follows:

Kenai River tributary, Soldotna: A culvert on a tributary of the Kenai River, formerly a fish passage barrier, was replaced with a stream simulation culvert.
Moose River-Moose River Drive: A culvert on a tributary of the Moose River, formerly a fish passage barrier, was replaced with a stream simulation culvert.
Bishop Creek-Paradise Lane: A culvert on Bishop Creek where is passes under Paradise Land, formerly a fish passage barrier, was replaced with a stream simulation culvert. This crossing is at the mouth of a lake, so although fish passage was repaired, reporting stream miles made accessible is not appropriate; rather, the square mileage of the lake is included in the metrics.
Bishop Creek-Vandemere Road: A culvert on Bishop Creek where is passes under Vandemere Road, formerly a fish passage barrier, was replaced with a stream simulation culvert.
Stickleback Road: An existing concrete flow control structure (partially collapsed) was replaced with a new concrete hydraulic step and retaining wall, repairing fish passage and preventing future blockage due to a full collapse.

In addition, materials were purchased for the replacement of a culvert on a tributary of the Kenai River with a bridge; construction was undertaken with other funds.

Replacing the existing culverts/structure with stream simulation structures restored unimpeded passage of juvenile and adult salmonids to 1.8 kilometers and 49 hectares of documented rearing habitat.

This project will enhance salmonid habitat in the KPB by restoring free and clear movement of juvenile salmonids at five road crossings. Restoring unimpeded fish passage will increase the availability of productive upstream habitats (including wetlands) to rearing juveniles. In addition, sizing the culverts to pass debris and sediment as well as water during a 100 year flood event will greatly reduce the likelihood of catastrophic road failures introducing large volumes of sediment into streams.