Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Environment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Assembly hears ordinance to update salmon-bearing waters list in West District
Summary
The mayor presented an ordinance to update the KPB 21.18 appendix with additions, deletions and geometry updates to salmon-bearing waters in the West District; Samantha Lopez of the River Center said Fish and Game sampling informed the changes and impacts on private property are minimal.
Samantha Lopez, manager at the River Center, addressed the committee about an ordinance the mayor introduced to update the borough's KPB 21.18 appendix listing salmon-bearing water bodies in the West District.
Lopez said the borough's habitat protection district originated in 1996 for the Kenai River and that the appendix has been updated periodically as Fish and Game provides new sampling data. The proposed ordinance would add several reaches and branches that Fish and Game has documented, remove a few streams, and refine geometry based on improved GIS mapping. "Fish and Game is the kind of leading authority on where fish are. They maintain their own natural spotters catalog. And as they make their updates, we will review those and then...make sure that those are accurate," Lopez said.
Lopez told the committee that most affected parcels in the West District are remote, government-owned, or vacant, with only a small number of private properties potentially affected. She noted that the list can look large because Fish and Game categorizes by reach, but most additions are branches off streams the borough already regulates.
Assemblymember Tunseth asked whether color-coding on the supplied list indicated additions; Lopez confirmed the blue entries represented additions. Assemblymember Johnson requested to be added as a sponsor; the mayor agreed.
A public hearing on the ordinance was set for Sept. 16. No vote was taken during the committee meeting.
Next steps: the ordinance will proceed to the scheduled hearing and staff will continue to coordinate with Fish and Game and GIS staff on the final map and list.
