Directions to the River Center:

Turn east onto Funny River Road at Mile 96.5 of the Sterling Highway in Soldotna, Alaska. The River Center is located at Mile 1.6 of Funny River Road, across from the Soldotna Municipal Airport.

What is the River Center?

The River Center is a multi-agency permitting, information, and education center. Borough, state, and federal agencies work together to protect the natural resources associated with Kenai Peninsula watersheds.

Why was the River Center established?
The River Center was created to increase coordination and communication between permitting agencies in order to streamline the permitting process for landowners and improve protection of the Kenai Peninsula's natural resources. The River Center is also designed to serve as a source of information and education for landowners and others concerned with resource management.

How long has the River Center been in operation?
The River Center was officially established in early 1996 by a cooperative agreement between the State of Alaska and the Kenai Peninsula Borough. It opened in May of 1996, and in September of 2000 relocated to a new building at Mile 1.5 Funny River Road, across from the Soldotna Municipal Airport.

Where is the River Center's jurisdiction? 
Staff members at the River Center either have the entire Kenai Peninsula as their area of responsibility or work closely with agency personnel stationed elsewhere to provide coverage. No matter where you live on the Kenai Peninsula, the River Center is a good starting place to find the answers to your permitting and resource management questions.

How does the River Center benefit landowners?
The River Center can be described as a "One-Stop Permit Shopping" opportunity. Because of overlapping jurisdictions, many projects require permits from more than one government agency. Rather than filling out applications for every agency, the River Center allows permit-seekers fill out one application. The application is then circulated by River Center staff to the appropriate agencies. Agency staff work closely with each other and with the applicants to develop projects that both meet the applicants' needs and protect natural resources.

River Center staff are also available to consult with landowners during the design phase of a project. Because our staff review so many different projects, they have a wealth of experience to share. In addition to helping landowners develop designs that are compliant with regulations, they can offer ideas for solving dilemmas and information about how various approaches have worked in similar areas. River Center staff are available to make "house calls" to project sites, and meetings can also be arranged at the River Center with landowners, contractors, and River Center staff for people who would like assistance with a project.

What other resources are available at the River Center?

The River Center is an excellent source of information on stream bank protection and restoration. In addition to our knowledgeable staff, we have examples of materials used in restoration, models, and even our own bank restoration and walkway project, which incorporates several different methods of bank restoration.

The River Center provides information on many other topics, as well. Flood insurance information, fish habitat, mining on area streams, and construction along salmon-bearing rivers are just some of the subjects that people find help with at the River Center.

Because so many agencies work together at the River Center, and because we also work closely with other agencies such as the US Army Corps of Engineers, US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Alaska Coastal Zone Management Program, and others, we can offer advice and information on a broad range of topics related to natural resource management and development. Contact us to see what we can do for you!

The River Center is a multi-agency permitting, outreach, and education center. We have two agencies housed at the River Center that work together to protect and restore the rivers of the Kenai Peninsula, its watersheds, and its fish and wildlife resources:

• KPB Habitat Protection District
• KPB Floodplain Management
  
• KPB Planning & Zoning
• Alaska Department of Fish & Game - Habitat Section 

River Center personnel also work closely with other state, local, and federal offices to further our mission, including: the Kenai Watershed Forum, US Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska State Parks, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and others.

What's Happening at the River Center?  

KPB 21.18 Anadromous Waterbodies Appendix Update

The River Center administers the KPB 21.18 Anadromous Waters Habitat Protection District, a 50-foot district adjacent to anadromous waterbodies. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game identifies new salmon-bearing waterbodies annually. The River Center is required to review these new waterbodies and present the proposed changes to the KPB Assembly every three years. At their September 12, 2024 meeting, the KPB Assembly enacted Ordinance 2024-25, which added the below waterbodies to the South District of the KPB 21.18 Appendix. 

• Notice of Public Hearing
• List of Adopted Streams
• Interactive Map
  • Recently adopted waterbodies are shown in green and yellow
  • Currently regulated waterbodies are shown in blue, simply open the Regulatory Zoning layers and turn on the "KPB 21.18 Anadromous Waters" layers

KPB 21.06 FEMA Floodplain Map Update

KPB has been working with FEMA to update the Kenai River's regulatory floodplain maps, also known as Flood Insurance Rate Maps or FIRM's. The preliminary maps were released in January 2023. The final, effective maps must be adopted by the Kenai Peninsula Borough by February 28, 2025.

FEMA Letter of Final Determination (8/28/2024)

Visit the KPB Flood Map Update page to learn more!