Neklason and Lynda Lakes Fish Passage Improvements

This project will replace two high priority fish passage barriers in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough (MSB) with fish friendly culverts, restoring unimpeded access to 13 km of instream habitat and 116 hectares of lake habitat for coho and sockeye salmon into Neklason and Lynda lakes. Sites were selected based on assessment data and prioritized by the extent of upstream habitat and the severity of the barrier.

This project will restore free and clear movement of juvenile salmonids at two crossings in the MSB, reconnecting 13 km of stream habitat and 116 hectares of lake habitat. In addition to increasing the overall amount of habitat available to salmon, sizing the culverts to pass debris and sediment as well as water at the 100-year flood will greatly reduce the likelihood of catastrophic road failures and washouts introducing large volumes of sediment into streams. Crossings designed for ecological function and stream simulation are also more stable and less prone to bank scour, channel incision, or sediment accretion at a rate greater than the rest of the channel.