Planning commission forwards ordinance adding anadromous streams to borough list; recommends 50-foot buffer expansions

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Planning Commission voted Aug. 25 to forward Ordinance 2025-20 to the borough assembly with a recommendation to adopt changes to the borough nadromous-waters appendix.

Samantha Lopez, manager at the River Center, told the commission the ordinance would incorporate additional water bodies into the borough ppendix that lists salmon-bearing (anadromous) waters and that the borough enforces a 50-foot buffer around those waters. "This ordinance is to incorporate additional water bodies to be included in the KPB 21.18 appendix, which is a list of salmon bearing water bodies that we maintain at the borough and we regulate a 50 foot buffer around," Lopez said.

Lopez said the Alaska Department of Fish and Game catalogs anadromous waters by reach, and the borough reviews Fish and Game nominations before adding them to the local appendix. She said many of the proposed additions are branches or extensions of streams the borough already regulates and that Fish and Game lso proposed three deletions tied to geometry corrections where a mapped reach was moved to the correct location.

On property impacts, Lopez said most affected parcels in the West District are undeveloped and many are owned by government or Native entities; she said roughly 90% appeared to be owned by government and Native entities and about 10% by private owners. No public testimony was recorded. A commissioner moved to forward the ordinance with a recommendation to adopt; the motion passed on a roll-call unanimous vote.

Action and next steps: The commission—orwarded Ordinance 2025-20 to the borough assembly with a favorable recommendation; the assembly will consider final action. The ordinance, if adopted by the assembly, will amend the borough nadromous-waters appendix and apply the borough's 50-foot habitat protection buffer to the newly listed reaches.