Kenai River Flood Map Update

Project Background

Since 2011, the Kenai Peninsula Borough has been working to update the regulatory floodplain maps for the Kenai River. This has involved the cooperation of numerous Federal, State, and Local stakeholders. On January 31, 2023, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided the Kenai Peninsula Borough with Preliminary copies of the revised Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and Flood Insurance Study (FIS) report for the Kenai River below Skilak Lake. These proposed map changes, if finalized, will become the new regulatory maps that the Borough will regulate to.

Look at Your Property Using: Current vs New Comparison Map Viewer

Should I consider a LOMA instead of an Appeal?
Due to map scale limitations, making flood zone changes at the individual lot or structure level impossible to show on the FIRM. The appeals process typically cannot be used to remove a structure or property from the floodplain. Instead, FEMA’s Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) process is the avenue to follow for this purpose. Because LOMAs officially change the flood zone designation for a structure or property on an effective FIRM, not a Preliminary FIRM, it is recommended that applicants submit their LOMA application directly to FEMA through their online Letter of Map Change application portal 30 to 60 days prior to the effective date for the Preliminary FIRMs (likely in spring 2025). Once approved, an official amendment to an effective map is sent out by letter to the property owner. Please note that LOMAs apply to individual structures or properties and do not change the flood zone boundaries on the FIRM.

FEMA's Federal Register Notice regarding the Appeal and Comment Period
Preliminary FIRM and FIS Report

Adopt A Stream Program

The Kenai Watershed Forum Works in cooperation with the River Center to provide watershed-focused education and outreach to local youth. The Adopt A Stream Program partners with local elementary schools to help foster stewardship of local watersheds. The Adopt A Stream program combines monthly classroom presentations, field trips to local streams and data collection and review to help promote appreciation and increase understanding of local watersheds. The hands-on scientific experience provided by KWF Professional Staff offers new and exciting opportunities for students to learn about watersheds both inside and outside of the classroom. 

Please visit the Kenai Watershed Forum Website for more information.

The Habitat Section is a unit of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Effective July 1, 2008, fish habitat permitting, Forest Resource and Practices Act review, and other project review functions were transferred from the Department of Natural Resources to the Department of Fish and Game

The Habitat Section's specific statutory responsibilities are:
1) protecting freshwater anadromous fish habitat under the Anadromous Fish Act (AS 16.05.871)
2) providing free passage of anadromous and resident fish in fresh water bodies (AS 16.05.841).
(These statutes were formerly known as Title 41.)

Alaska Statute AS 16.05.841 (Fishway Act) requires that an individual or governmental agency notify and obtain authorization from the ADF&G, Habitat Section for activities within or across a stream used by fish if the department determines that such uses or activities could represent an impediment to the efficient passage of fish. Culvert installation; stream realignment or diversions; dams; low-water crossings; and construction, placement, deposition, or removal of any material or structure below ordinary high water all require approval from the ADF&G.

Alaska Statute 16.05.871 (Anadromous Fish Act) requires that an individual or governmental agency provide prior notification and obtain approval from the ADF&G "to construct a hydraulic project or use, divert, obstruct, pollute, or change the natural flow or bed" of a specified anadromous waterbody or "to use wheeled, tracked, or excavating equipment or log-dragging equipment in the bed" of a specified anadromous waterbody. All activities within or across a specified anadromous waterbody and all instream activities affecting a specified anadromous waterbody require approval from the ADF&G, Habitat Section including construction; road crossings; gravel removal; placer mining; water withdrawals; the use of vehicles or equipment in the waterway; stream realignment or diversion; bank stabilization; blasting; and the placement, excavation, deposition, disposal, or removal of any material. Recreational boating and fishing activities generally do not require a permit.

The description and location of specified anadromous waterbodies is contained in the "Catalog of Waters Important for the Spawning, Rearing, or Migration of Anadromous Fishes." Copies of the catalog may be viewed at any office of the ADF&G, Division of Habitat.

The Division of Habitat also issues permits for recreational mining on the Kenai Peninsula.

Special Area Permit Application

Sixmile Creek General Permit

Resurrection Creek General Permit

Read more: Alaska State Parks

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Coastal Management Program was adopted by the Borough Assembly in 1990. The program provides an information base and policies to assist the borough in managing borough land and making resource use decisions. The Borough Coastal Management Plan is not intended to duplicate or assume management or permitting authority for resources and activities that are managed by State and Federal agencies.

The KPB Coastal Management Program was revised in August of 2007.

To see the revision, click on 2008 Coastal Management Plan.pdf * This document includes the KPB Enforceable Policies.
(Note: This PDF is a large file and may load slowly.) 

The River Center administers the Borough’s Habitat Protection District (HPD) regulations, a 50-foot development setback from 793 anadromous (salmon-bearing) streams, lakes, and other waterbodies. These regulations are designed to proactively protect the riparian habitat that is vital to supporting our salmon. The River Center regulates this setback in five districts throughout the Borough, which can be found in the KPB 21.18 Waterbody Appendix: 

• Kenai River District (May 15, 1996)
• Major Waters District (May 16, 2000)
• West Cook Inlet District (January 1, 2012)
• North Kenai Peninsula District (January 1, 2014)
• South Kenai Peninsula District (January 1, 2014)
  
  

GIS River Center Viewer

Is your property subject to the 50-foot setback? Visit the interactive Parcel Viewer  to look up your property & see if an anadromous stream is near you.

Call us and we will come measure the 50-foot setback! We are also available to assist landowners in identifying potential problems and solutions along their waterfront properties.

Permitting & Projects

Allowable projects that require permit(s):

• Cutting trees
• Vegetation and overburden removal
• Utilities (wells, septics, electric)
• Bank restoration
• Fishing platforms
• Bridges
• Culverts

What projects are not allowable?

• Impervious surfaces (lawns, gravel, wood decking, etc.)
• Buildings (homes, sheds, gazebos)
• Covered fish cleaning stations
• Rip-rap (aka boulders and large angular rock)
• Fire pits
• Oversized platforms

What is allowable that doesn't require a permit?

• Routine maintenance of landscaping and landscape features developed prior to regulation by KPB 21.18
• Pruning no more than 25% of trees and woody shrubs
• The removal of trees downed by force of nature
• Planting of native vegetation
• A single flagpole with a surface area footprint not to exceed 4 square feet and above ground height not to exceed 30 feet
  
  

KPB Habitat Protection Tax Programs

The Kenai Peninsula Borough also has a tax credit program available. This program provides landowners a tax credit for habitat protection and restoration projects within 150 feet of many salmon streams and lakes. Borough planners will assist you in applying and qualifying for the credit. Learn more about the KPB Habitat Protection Tax Credit & Exemption Programs!

Cost-Share Program

A similar program provides tax exemptions when habitat improvement projects result in an increase to a property's assessed value. We can help you determine whether your project qualifies for a tax exemption. Learn more about the Cost-Share Program

Applicable Ordinances:

KPB 21.18 Anadromous Waters Habitat Protection
KPB 5.14 Habitat Protection Tax Credit
KPB 5.12.112 Habitat Protection Tax Exemption
Anadromous Waterbodies List (Appendix)

The Kenai Peninsula Borough is a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), a federal program that encourages responsible development to ensure the natural and beneficial function of floodplains, to promote public health, safety and welfare and to minimize public and private losses due to flooding.

The KPB Floodplain Program manages all areas of the Kenai Peninsula with the exceptions of the cities of Seward, Kenai, and Homer (who manage their own floodplain programs), and the city of Soldotna (who does not participate in the NFIP).

Link to Kenai River Flood Map Update

Kenai River Inundation Maps

How deep is the water on your property? Check out these inundation maps below:

Skilak Reach
RM 50 - 40 (Skilak outlet to Bings Landing)
Soldotna Reach
RM 40 - 0 (Bings Landing to Cook Inlet)

What is a floodplain?

The floodplain is the area inundated by waters during a flood event. The regulatory floodplain, on the other hand, covers only those areas of our community that are affected by flood waters during the base flood, or the flood that has a 1% chance of occurring in any given year. That sounds small, but - big floods happen irregularly, and it is possible to have two base flood events in as many years. Over the term of a 30-year mortgage you have a 26% chance of experiencing a base flood event.

The floodplain is made up of the floodway and the flood fringe:

• The regulatory floodway is the part of the river where the waters will be the deepest and fastest during a flood event. It is a highly dangerous part of the floodplain where development regulations are the strictest.
• The flood fringes are the areas alongside the floodway that make up the rest of the regulatory floodplain.
  
  

How can I find out if my property is in the floodplain?

Request a Floodplain Determination

There is a quick and easy way find out where your property is located in relation to the floodplain. Simply fill out our online Floodplain Determination. You will receive a letter and map by email or mail that detail the location of your property in the floodplain, which can help you make decisions about flood preparedness and future development.

Once you receive your Floodplain Determination, we encourage you to contact the Floodplain Administrator at the River Center for any questions you may have about the regulations that may affect development on your property.

Elevation Certificates: do you have one?

We have an online database of existing Elevation Certificates. If you cannot find the Elevation Certificate you're looking for, please contact the River Center. Search Elevation Certificates 

FEMA Elevation Certificate - 2023 Edition (You must open this document in Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat to view the content.)

How do KPB Floodplain Management regulations affect how I can use my property?

Floodplain development regulations in the Kenai Peninsula Borough are based on FEMA requirements that ensure that development in our community progresses in ways that provide the best preparedness for flood events. For any development in the floodplain (i.e., building or rebuilding structures, adding additions or other improvements, adding fill, dredging, excavation, driveways, fishing platforms, etc.), property owners need to submit a permit application to the River Center. Additionally, there are requirements affecting the placement of travel trailers, mobile homes, and other temporary structures within the mapped floodplain.

You may be familiar with the KPB Habitat Protection Distict, which is a 50-foot buffer along the managed anadromous streams of the Kenai Peninsula. The floodplain does not have a set width. In some areas, such as a riverfront property on a high bluff, the floodplain main only extend a few feet onto the property. But in low areas like Big Eddy or Castaway Cove, the floodplain (and even floodway) may extend for hundreds of feet from the water. It can get complicated, which is why it's a great idea to request a Floodplain Determination which will give you that information in a clear and brief format to help you understand where your property is located in the floodplain.

Based on where you are in the floodplain, you may need to elevate or flood-proof structures to a certain height, called the base flood elevation. This is how high the flood waters are expected to get in the event of a flood. The KPB Floodplain Administrator will be able to provide the base flood elevation for your property as part of your application review. Other kinds of development will need to meet floodplain guidelines as well.

Please contact the KPB Floodplain Administrator at (907) 714-2460 for any questions you have about development in the KPB regulatory floodplain. 

Quick Links

Alaska RiskMap Project: Kenai Peninsula Borough
Climate Change in Alaska
Flood Insurance
Floodplain Determination Request
KPB Floodplain Management Ordinance
KPB Interactive Parcel Viewer
KPB Office of Emergency Management
Seward Bear Creek Flood Service Area Viewer 
Seward Bear Creek Flood Service Area Website
What are Flood Maps?

Other Useful Links

After a Flood
Before a Flood
Floodway Development: Procedures for Conveyance Calculations & "No-Rise" Certification
Flood Hazard Zone Definitions
Fundamental Concepts of Floodplain Management
Letter of Map Change Information (LOMA and LOMR)
National Flood Insurance Program & NFIP Summary of Coverage
2020 Progress Report – Floodplain Hazard Mitigation

FEMA Technical Bulletins

Below-Grade Parking Requirements 
Corrosion Protection of Metal Connectors in Coastal Areas 
Crawlspace Construction for Buildings in the Special Flood Hazard Area 
Design and Construction Guidance for Breakaway Walls Below Elevated Coastal Buildings 
Elevator Installation for Buildings in SFHA 
Ensuring that Structures Built on Fill or Near Special Flood Hazard Areas are Reasonably Safe from Flooding 
Flood Damage-Resistant Materials Requirements
Free-of-Obstruction Requirements for Buildings in Coastal High Hazard Areas
Non-Residential Floodproofing - Requirements and Certification 
Openings in Foundation Walls and Walls of Enclosures 
Wet Floodproofing Requirements