Spring overflow concerns residents

JODI SNYDER -For the Frontiersman

WILLOW -- A small group of community leaders met with representatives of Alaska Department of Transportation and Rep. Beverly Masek, R-Willow, in the parking lot of the Willow Community Center on May 20 to discuss perceived impacts that an ongoing DOT Parks Highway improvements project may be having on the wetlands between the highway and the Willow Community Center.

The area, approximately two acres in size, has long been known to hold water during spring breakup and after heavy rains, but this year during late April and early May, the water was at unusually high levels. About one-third of this land is state of Alaska right-of-way, and the remainder is owned by the Mat-Su Borough.

Jim Huston, a local resident and president of the Willow Chamber of Commerce, said he first noticed the high water in April when working on a permit application to fill in one corner of the wetlands to be used for interpretive signs about the Willow area. He talked to others and they agreed that the water was the highest they had seen in many years.

"It seems, from our standpoint, that additional snow runoff from the widened road beds, the new bike trail and the slopes that were created through the highway improvement project have caused a drainage problem," Huston said. "They put a new culvert under the road to bring water from the east side of the highway under the road to a catch basin with no outlet."

The water level has now receded, and the wetlands have drained naturally, as they do each year. At the meeting, Huston circulated copies of photographs taken in late April, during peak run-off times, after the 115-inch snowfall last winter. Huston said the 1989-90 snowfall in this area was 257 inches, and local residents worry that a high snow year will cause the wetlands to flood the Willow Community Center property.

Dick Lowman, DOT project manager for the ongoing Parks Highway White's Crossing to Willow Creek construction, and Johnny Sorenson, DOT project engineer for the construction, represented DOT at the meeting.

"I'm not disputing this," Lowman told the group while looking at the photos. "Still, I am not convinced the drainage is a result of any modifications that we made, but I am open to arguments."

Huston said, "The highway improvements are adding to the water levels, certainly." He said DOT cannot say how much water they are dumping in, "but they have some liability."

Another possible contributor to the rising water level during breakup is that the Willow Community Center parking area was paved last fall, and run-off that would have normally percolated into the gravel parking area now drains into the wetlands.

While no one was sure what caused the higher water levels, it appears to be a combination of several factors, including the parking lot paving, and the various highway improvements -- namely, replacing a culvert that now makes land across the highway tributary to the wetlands, and constructing wider lanes and a bike trail along one side of the wetlands.

Community members have asked DOT to construct additional drainage to fix the possible problem. The preferred option, according to a memo by Lowman generated after the meeting, would be to have DOT build a ditch along the Parks Highway within the DOT right-of-way to drain the wetlands north to where the highway passes close to Willow Lake. If possible, community members favored using excavated material from the drainage ditch to fill in the wetlands. This work would require a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers, which takes at least a month or more to secure.

"It wouldn't take long to do the work," Lowman said, "Getting the permits would take the time."

Lowman estimated it would cost roughly $50,000 to create overflow drainage and protect the center's newly paved parking area.

If the first option cannot get approval, the community members said they would like to see overflow drainage constructed that would not completely drain the wetlands, but would prevent the water level from rising through the use of a drainage invert. This option would not require a Corps permit.

Local residents who initiated the meeting are hoping that the work can be combined with existing DOT construction being completed in the area now, which leaves little time for permitting. Sorenson and Lowman estimate the highway project to be completed in the next six to eight weeks.

Masek requested that Lowman provide her with documentation outlining the details of the project and the possible solutions and costs, and told community members present that once she got the information from Lowman she would discuss it with the borough and DOT Commissioner Mike Barton.

Meanwhile, Huston is already working to get a Corps of Engineers permit to fill in the wetlands. He suggested that if the area was ditched and then filled in, it could be used by the community for a number of activities -- a baseball field, an EMS helicopter pad, and a bike trail extension linking the existing bike trail to the community center parking lot were among his cited examples.

Huston has talked to the Corps of Engineers, and said he feels that a wetlands permit could be secured.

"First indications appear that it is doable," Huston said.

Jim Norcross, Willow Road Service Area supervisor, said the group would be pleased if they could just maintain the wetlands, and keep them from overflowing onto the parking lot or the Parks Highway.

"This is something that is beyond my authority," said Lowman regarding approval to create the overflow drainage.

"DOT is tight right now on funding for these projects. So finding the money is difficult. If Masek speaks with the commissioner, and they decide to do something, well, we take directions," Lowman said. "And it wouldn't surprise me if we end up getting that directive. But whether the Southcentral Region can fix this on our own initiative, I'm not sure. I need to see what direction the department wants to take. These people want to improve their community. I understand that, and DOT would like to help."