The River Center is a multi-agency permitting, outreach, and education center. We have five agencies housed at the River Center that work together to protect and restore the rivers of the Kenai Peninsula, its watersheds, and its fish and wildlife resources:
- KPB Habitat Protection District
- KPB Floodplain Management
- KPB Planning & Zoning
- Alaska Department of Natural Resources State Parks
- Alaska Department of Fish & Game Division of Habitat
River Center personnel also work closely with other state, local, and federal offices to further our mission, including: the Kenai Watershed Forum, US Army Corps of Engineers, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and others.
What's Happening at the River Center?
Kenai River Floodplain Mapping Update
In 2017, FEMA, USACE and NWS started working together to create a current hydraulic model of the Kenai River. FEMA and USACE pooled funding to survey 113 river cross sections, the National Weather Service (NWS) used these cross sections and the 2008 LiDAR to develop a model calibrated to the 2012 and 1995 flood events.
The USACE is currently modeling flood hazard areas for 47 miles of the Kenai River between Skilak Lake and Cook Inlet. There are two expected uses for this model: (1) a 1-ft increment inundation model to support the NWS real-time inundation mapping (2022), and (2) floodway mapping and modeling to update the regulatory FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (Spring 2024).
Kenai Peninsula Borough Planning
The KPB Planners have moved from 144 North Binkley Street in Soldotna to the River Center! Responsible for administering the provisions of ordinances and regulations that control the use of lands and rights-of-ways within the Borough. Gravel pits, local option zoning, material sites, and marijuana businesses compliance are some of the subjects that are now housed under the River Center Community Planning umbrella.