Kings and Anderson Lakes Fish Passage

This project will replace two barrier culverts to fish passage in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough at the outlets of two adjoining lakes in the upper portion of the Cottonwood Creek watershed. The existing infrastructure will be replaced with stream simulation design culverts, effectively restoring unimpeded fish access to 1.4 kilometers of instream habitat and 86.7 hectares of lake habitat for coho salmon.

This project will reconnect 1.4 km of instream habitat and 86.7 ha of lake habitat, restoring free and clear movement of juvenile salmonids and other anadromous and resident fish at two road crossings. Sizing the culverts to pass debris and sediment as well as water at the 100-year flood will also greatly reduce the likelihood of catastrophic road failures introducing large volumes of sediment into streams and isolating human populations. Stream simulation crossings 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.