Property owners on river brace for rising water

April 24, 2005

DAWN De BUSK/Frontiersman reporter

A heavy-equipment operator and property owners in Circle View Estates, which borders the Matanuska River, will battle the inevitable springtime rise of water to repair two of four dikes designed to delay erosion of the river's bank.

A 30- to 40-percent increase in snow pack over last year and a warming trend expected this week could increase the amount of water flowing in the Matanuska River, according to Larry A. Rundquist, development and operations hydrologist with the National Weather Service.

The weather forecast for this week in Palmer predicts high temperatures in the mid-50s and lows a few degrees above freezing, with sunny days around midweek, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's Web site.

"I predict in a week's time the river'll be back up over three," said homeowner Ben Milam, who lives behind the third dike.

Saturday, surveyors sized up dike number three, which takes the brunt of the Matanuska River's flooding. The dike needs to be extended about 40 to 50 feet.

Surveyors took some measurements and drove a stake indicating where the key rock should be placed. The key rock is the largest rock acting as a foundation for the rip-rap that makes up the spur dike.

Homeowner Ron Thornsley, whose property lies between dikes number three and four, said he prays workers can get the key rock in place before the water starts rising.

"The river's coming up four to six inches every day. It takes 11 hours for the snow melt to come down from the glacier down to where I live," Thornsley said. "Knowing the borough and how they do things, all I can do is hold my breath."

Landowners met with some of the Mat-Su Borough's administration and National Weather Service personnel during a meeting Thursday night at the Butte Public Safety Building, to discuss what can be done to protect their property.

Residents who have homes and land at stake had three major concerns regarding the proposed projects: That repairs occur as soon as possible, that funding be channeled into construction rather than studies, and that federal funding help with the project.

At this time, only two dikes - number one and number three - can be repaired because those are the areas where there is no running water.

"They (the first and third dike) were real cooperative and dried up themselves," said John Harris, project manager with Mat-Su Borough Public Works.

The borough has applied for the four to five different permits necessary to redirect water from dikes number two and four before repairs can be started, Harris said.

"You know how many years, we've been hearing this same song? Fourteen years, we've heard you saying you'll get permits," Thornsley said.

He said the borough should have started the permit process sooner so work could be done before anticipated flooding occurs.

The entire water-erosion-prevention project includes constructing a fifth spur dike west of E. Brian Drive this fall, repairing the two exposed dikes, and extracting gravel from the riverbed - which would give the river an underwater channel to flow along rather than spreading to the banks.

Still being studied for its economic feasibility, the gravel- extraction project could involve selling the removed gravel and rolling that income back into erosion-prevention, according to Borough Manager John Duffy.

So far, the financial burden of mitigating bank erosion has fallen in the hands of homeowners, who accepted a 4.5-mill levy to protect their investments.

After a deluge of water gobbled 179 feet of the shore last May and June, the borough took a more active role in assisting people living along the Matanuska River.

"The borough is into the river now. We've always resisted in the past," Duffy said.

In mid-April, Duffy, Borough Mayor Tim Anderson and Assembly Members Jim Colver and Jody Simpson traveled to Washington, D.C.

Duffy spoke with U.S. Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, to lobby Congress for $2.5 million to fund the erosion-control projects. Duffy said only $300,000 or $400,000 would be earmarked for more studies, while the rest of the potential federal funds would pay for construction.

"We're not going to sit around doing studies while more erosion occurs," Duffy said.

The borough ordinance allows any emergency repairs to maintain the integrity of the dikes, according to Harris.

This weekend, a D-5 and back hoe sat idle near dike three; no other equipment can be brought in until weight restrictions are lifted.

Jim Psenak, who owns Jim Psenak Construction, said there are a few more steps necessary before repair work commences. He said he is scheduled to meet with borough representatives Monday to review the design plan, especially if any changes have been made. Secondly, Psenak must build an access off McCombs Road.

"We had to block off the water Friday because it was 5 inches from coming over the work zone of dike three," Psenak said.