OPINION: We must do better to restore the Eklutna River

In 2018, with the removal of the lower Eklutna River dam, an important first step was taken in the effort to return salmon to this once thriving ecosystem. The time has come to continue the effort by the utilities, with a plan on the governor’s desk that is required by a 1991 purchasing agreement. Unfortunately, the plan, put forth by Chugach Electric Association and Matanuska Electric Association, will do very little, if anything, to truly restore the abundant salmon runs once a mainstay of the Eklutna River.

We need to remember that when it comes to caring for fisheries, Chugach Electric Association does not have the most stellar record. Look no further than the debacle that was their 340-foot-tall dam proposed for the Snow River, a key spawning and rearing area for salmon and resident species within the heart of the Kenai River watershed — a plan that was, thankfully, scrapped only after a massive public outcry. There is also their management of the Cooper Lake Dam and Hydro project, where CEA has continually struggled in a half-hearted attempt to add water and restore fish runs to Cooper Creek.

Unfortunately, the plan they are putting forth for the Eklutna River’s restoration is no better. It will be expensive, costing ratepayers an estimated $57 million while restoring only 3% of historic flows below the dam. The plan would divert only a small amount of water from the lake through an existing Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility pipe a mile downstream. This endeavor would leave more than a mile of riverbed completely dry and bar passage to 15 miles of prime spawning and rearing habitat for sockeye, coho and chinook salmon in the lake and its tributaries.

Rather than fully evaluating alternatives, the project owners have put forward a plan that, while costing a great deal in dollars, including a continued cost to the cultural identity of the Eklutna people, does very little to uphold the 1991 commitment to address the damage done to this watershed. Currently, the upper dam blocks all outflow, with the draft plan effectively maintaining the status quo, continuing the adverse effects of dewatering the lower Eklutna River and extinguishing any hope of salmon runs ever returning to the upper reaches of this once-great waterway. The current proposal demonstrates a complete lack of foresight in considering alternatives that would mitigate, avoid or at least minimize impacts to chinook, sockeye and coho salmon habitat, a key component of the 1991 agreement.

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to restore a thriving salmon run right in Anchorage. It is a chance to right a historic wrong committed against the Eklutna people and all residents of Alaska. It is an opportunity to think creatively and show the world that sustainable energy, clean, reliable drinking water, and abundant salmon runs can live side by side. It is time to plan for a future with a mighty Eklutna River and its salmon runs finally restored.

Brad Kirr is a fishing guide and owns Alaska Kenai Fishing for Fun. Kirr was instrumental in fighting CEA’s proposed dam on the Snow River.

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