River erosion commands political audience

PALMER -- The Matanuska River continues to inspire conversation and heated debate as politicians and local officials scramble to implement an erosion-prevention plan along the rapidly disappearing banks.

Since early July the river has consumed more than 140 feet of bank as hot weather continues melting the Matanuska Glacier and raises the water level.

U.S. Senate candidate Mike Miller, state Sen. Lyda Green and Mat-Su Borough Assembly Member Bruce Bush were joined by Matanuska Electric Association Operations Manager Bob Drake on Friday morning.

As the foursome stood at the edge of the river discussing possible erosion solutions, occasionally one of them took a step back as falling rocks, sand and cottonwood trees washed into the river.

Bush has worked with a hydrologist to come up with a viable erosion-control plan. Bush said he wants to see a deep channel dredged in the middle of the river, starting at the MEA power lines and working upriver several hundred yards. Water would then hopefully flow toward the middle of the river and away from the highly erodible banks.

Bush said a couple of heavy-equipment operators have already volunteered to help on the dredging project but getting proper permits from the Army Corps of Engineers and Alaska Fish and Game has proven difficult.

As of Friday morning Mat-Su Borough Manager John Duffy was still attempting to get permits from the Army Corps of Engineers so work could begin on the trench.

"This would only be a temporary solution," Duffy said.

In past years, Duffy said the borough asked the Corps of Engineers to allow the digging of a long, deep trench, starting at the Matanuska River Bridge and extending downriver.

The Corps rejected that proposal, saying it wouldn't work and might only cause erosion problems in other, unforeseen areas.

Duffy said the newest temporary proposal is very different, calling for a much smaller trench further downriver. Duffy hopes to hear back from the Corps by Monday morning.

"They will either say this is a good idea or we'll have to come up with something else," Duffy said. "I don't think getting the permits will happen very quickly."

"This land is just as important as the fish in the river," Bush said as he stood next to a private home that is under construction near the river. "We're losing about 10 feet a day right now and the plan is to do something ASAP or this guy is going to lose his house."

Until the early 1980s, Hermon Brothers Construction extracted gravel from the river yearly and Bush said he believes enacting a similar plan could help channel and control the river's flow. Bush said any plan to extract gravel would need to be carefully monitored by engineers and hydrologists for environmental and geological impact.

Sen. Lyda Green said she thinks river gravel could be a great source for private industry. Bush agreed, and said that by extracting and selling gravel, the project might actually pay for itself.

Bush said he's frustrated by the state's lack of action along the river.

"The plan right now is no plan," Bush said. "That's not an option when people's land is at stake."

Green said she believes the Matanuska River should be a high priority for the state.

"I find it very frustrating when we have something like this in urban Alaska," Green said.

If nothing is done, Bush said he fears the river may tear into other valuable land, including subdivisions and farmland.

The Northern Latitude Plant Materials Center might also be in danger soon. It currently sits about a mile from the river and provides important testing, production and development of materials to help resource industries meet environmental requirements.

Drake said he is primarily concerned about the river encroaching on power lines that stretch across the river and into Palmer, but he also believes the loss of prime land is unfortunate.

"This is probably some of the best farm land. It'll grow anything," he said.