2/8/24

In January 2024, the project owners held six public meetings to present their Draft Fish and Wildlife Program: two in Palmer, two in Anchorage, and two in Eagle River. A presentation about the Draft Program was made at each meeting and technical experts involved in the study program were available to answer questions. The public has an opportunity to comment on the Draft Fish and Wildlife Program and Draft Summary of Study Results through February 19, 2024.

12/8/23

The hydro project owners have prepared their Draft Fish and Wildlife Program and Draft Summary of Study Results and made these documents available for review and comment on October 27, 2023. Signatories to the 1991 Fish and Wildlife Agreement, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, as well as the Native Village of Eklutna, have reviewed the hydro project owners Draft Program and provided comments and recommendations.

8/11/23

The alternatives analysis meetings wrapped up with the fifth and final alternative analysis meeting held on August 9th. After participants were given an opportunity to revise and resubmit their comprehensive alternatives at the May meeting, five stakeholders, including Alaska Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Trout Unlimited, The Conservation Fund, and the hydro project owners, provided revised alternatives, bringing the number of alternatives considered to 36. Revised alternatives were analyzed using the cost effectiveness model and discussed during the June meeting. Participants were then asked to provide their preferred alternatives; 13 preferred alternatives were presented and discussed at the July meeting. The 13 preferred alternatives fell into four general categories: replacement dam (4 alternatives), existing dam with variable exist fishway (2 alternatives), existing dam with no fish passage (1 alternative), and use of the AWWU portal valve (6 alternatives). Potential impacts of the preferred alternatives on other resources, including wetlands, wildlife, public water supply, recreation, and cultural resources were discussed. The August meeting also included a discussion on potential monitoring and adaptive management.

5/31/23

The second alternatives analysis meeting was held May 17th. The Phase 1 engineering for the replacement dam alternative was presented, followed by a review of over 30 comprehensive alternatives submitted by the hydro project owners and several stakeholders including the Native Village of Eklutna, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Chugach State Park, National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Trout Unlimited, and The Conservation Fund. Each of the comprehensive alternatives was analyzed using a cost effectiveness model, and results were presented at the meeting. Attendees were invited to revise and resubmit their comprehensive alternatives, if desired, for further discussion at upcoming alternatives analysis meetings with an aim of narrowing down potential alternatives.

4/7/23

The alternatives analysis process has begun. The first in a series of 5 alternatives analysis meetings was held April 6th with the project owners, members of the Technical Work Groups (TWGs), and parties to the 1991 Fish and Wildlife Agreement in attendance. The alternatives analysis process was presented including the Cost Effectiveness and Incremental Cost Analysis model. Attendees were invited to submit comprehensive alternatives for analysis using a form listing the various component options. These alternatives will be discussed at upcoming alternatives analysis meetings.

3/31/23

The draft Year 2 study reports were distributed to the Technical Work Groups (TWGs) on March 24. During the week of March 27^th, the project owners held a series of TWG meetings to provide a broad overview of the study results, answer questions, and go over the next steps. The TWGs will have one month to review and provide comments to the project owners by April 21^st. The project team will then revise the reports as appropriate and distribute the Final Year 2 Study Reports and comment responses in May.

3/9/23

The Alaska Section of the American Water Resources Association held their annual conference in Anchorage on March 6 – 8, 2023. The Eklutna Hydroelectric Project team was invited to present at the conference. Samantha Owen, the Project Manager, presented an overview of the hydro project, the requirements of the Fish and Wildlife Agreement, and the overall study program. Kathy Dubé, the Geomorphology and Sediment Transport Study Lead, presented her study results and discussed how these results will be used to inform the development of a future Fish and Wildlife Program.

2/23/23

On February 13, the project team presented the preliminary 2D fish habitat modeling results to the Aquatics Technical Work Group (TWG). This supplemental analysis was conducted for specific reaches of the Eklutna River that could not be evaluated as part of the 1D fish habitat modeling effort due to hydraulic complexity, channel instability, and access issues. The full year 2 study results will be distributed to the TWGs in March for review and comment, including the conceptual designs and cost estimates developed during phase 1 of the engineering feasibility and cost assessment. These results will inform the comprehensive alternatives analysis to be initiated in the spring of this year.

11/11/22

Using the data that was collected before, during, and after the study flow releases last year, the project team has developed an instream flow model and a sediment transport model for the Eklutna River. Preliminary results from both of these models, as well as some preliminary fisheries and water quality results from the lake studies, were presented to the Aquatics Technical Work Group (TWG) during a series of three meetings this fall. At each of these meetings, the project team also presented ideas for potential engineering solutions that would provide flows into the Eklutna River and fish passage into Eklutna Lake. Next steps include phase 1 of the engineering feasibility and cost assessment, which includes developing conceptual designs and high-level cost estimates. Supplemental instream flow analysis and phase 1 engineering results (conceptual designs and high-level cost estimates) will be presented to the Aquatics TWG this winter.

10/21/22

Leadership from the Native Village of Eklutna (NVE) and the owners of the Eklutna Hydroelectric Project met on October 19 to discuss continued opportunities to work together and collaborate on the efforts around the 1991 Fish & Wildlife Agreement. Led by NVE Tribal Council President and Chair Aaron Leggett, several members of the Council joined Anchorage Municipal Manager Amy Demboski, Chugach Electric CEO Arthur Miller, Matanuska Electric (MEA) CEO Tony Izzo, along with board members and staff from the organizations. The Tribal Council members recounted some of the history of the Eklutna people, the Eklutna River, and surrounding land, as well as compelling stories of individual experiences and relationships with the area. The meeting also focused on opportunities for the stakeholders to work together on possible funding sources as the study efforts are finalized and potential fish and wildlife mitigation and enhancement projects are studied.

09/23/22

During field work this week, two hand-hewn logs from the Eklutna Alex cabin were found on the lake shoreline near the Eklutna Lake Campground, nearly seven miles from where they originated at the head of the lake. Since this is a well-used area of the park known for people making campfires, there was concern that the cabin logs may be vulnerable to burning or damage. McMillen Jacobs notified the Native Village of Eklutna, Chugach State Park, and State Historic Preservation Office within 24 hours so that a plan could be developed to move/protect them. The cabin logs have since been returned to Eklutna Village. The tribe intends to preserve the remnants and perhaps feature the cabin logs in a display with interpretive information.

06/03/22

After obtaining all of the necessary permits, the project team initiated our second study year by conducting some early season study efforts this spring, which included:

• • Collecting new LiDAR data and aerial imagery of the Eklutna River to further assess how the flow releases last year moved sediment throughout the river
  • Downloading winter flow data from the stream gages in the river and winter temperature data from the thermistor strings in the lake
  • Deploying both time-lapse and motion-sensitive wildlife cameras at key locations along the river to determine what species are using the study area
  • Sampling for moose browse to help assess if moose numbers now are below the habitat carrying capacity
  • Surveying for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, and raptors to assess their seasonal use of wetlands and other habitat

05/13/22

The project owners have received concurrence letters from all of the parties to the 1991 Agreement. The three state agencies (Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Alaska Department of Natural Resources, and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation) concurred with the proposed scope of work for all of the proposed studies. The two federal agencies concurred with the proposed scope of work for 10 of the proposed studies, but have reserved their concurrence on the proposed year 2 efforts for both the instream flow study and the geomorphology and sediment transport study until modeling results are available later this year. The project team will finalize the study plans and post them to the documents page of the website along with all of the concurrence letters.

04/22/22

The project team has started to develop fish habitat and sediment transport models using the instream flow and geomorphology data that was collected last year. Part of this process includes establishing Habitat Suitability Criteria (HSC) curves for the Eklutna River. The project team distributed a draft technical memorandum with recommended HSC curves to the Aquatics TWG on February 25 for review and comment and then met with the Aquatics TWG on April 18 to discuss further. The project team is now working to finalize the HSC curves for the Eklutna River and will post the final tech memo to the documents page of the website. Modeling results will be presented to the Aquatics TWG later this year.

04/08/22

The project team conducted a series of TWG meetings the week of March 21 to review the substantive comments on the draft year 2 study plans that warranted further discussion. This included comments on the study area, methods, and schedule for several key studies being conducted this year, including the geomorphology and sediment transport study, instream flow study, water quality study, fisheries studies, terrestrial wildlife studies, recreation study, cultural resources study, and engineering studies. The project team then developed a comprehensive comment-response table, revised the year 2 study plans, and distributed the proposed final year 2 study plans to the parties to the 1991 Agreement on April 1 for review and concurrence. The proposed final year 2 study plans, which includes the comment-response table as an appendix, will be posted to the documents page of the project website.

03/18/22

The comment deadline for the draft year 1 study reports and year 2 study plans was March 11. The project owners received comments from the entities listed below. A series of TWG meetings is scheduled for the week of March 21 to review the substantive comments that warrant further discussion. The draft year 2 study plans and all of the comment letters will be posted to the documents page of the website.

• • Native Village of Eklutna (NVE)
  • Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG)
  • Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC)
  • ADNR Office of History and Archaeology (OHA)
  • National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
  • Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility (AWWU)
  • Trout Unlimited (TU)
  • The Conservation Fund

02/18/22

The draft Year 1 study reports and the draft Year 2 study plans were distributed to the Technical Work Groups (TWGs) and the parties to the 1991 Agreement (parties) on February 11. The TWGs and the parties will have one month to review and provide comments to the project owners. Shortly after the comment deadline, the project owners will schedule a series of TWG meetings to address any substantive comments that may warrant further discussion. The project team will then revise as appropriate and distribute the Proposed Final Year 2 Study Plans to the parties for concurrence. The goal of the project owners is to receive concurrence from all of the parties by mid-May so that we can initiate our second field season by late May. The Year 1 study reports and Year 2 study plans will be posted to the Documents page of this website after they are finalized.

11/12/21

Preliminary results from our studies this year were presented to the aquatics Technical Work Group (TWG) earlier this week. Our team continues to work on drafting year 1 study reports, which will be distributed to the aquatics TWG in February for review and comment.

Also this week, a proposed study program framework for year 2 was presented to all four TWGs. After receiving feedback from the TWGs regarding the studies to be conducted next year, our team immediately started drafting the year 2 study plans, which will also be distributed in February for review and comment. The year 2 study plans will be distributed to all four TWGs as well as the parties to the 1991 agreement.

10/22/21

Now that our first year of field work has been completed, the project owners have initiated the study planning process for next year. In 2022, the project owners plan on continuing some of the aquatics studies that were initiated this year as well as conducting new studies that will focus on other resource areas including terrestrial, recreation, and cultural resources. With that in mind, the project owners have established three new Technical Work Groups (TWGs) for each of the new focus areas. The following entities are currently participating in one or more of the TWGs.

• Native Village of Eklutna (aquatics, terrestrial, recreation, cultural)
• Alaska Department of Fish and Game (aquatics, terrestrial, recreation)
• Alaska Department of Natural Resources – Chugach State Park (recreation)
• Alaska Department of Natural Resources – Office of History and Archaeology (cultural)
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (aquatics, terrestrial, cultural)
• National Marine Fisheries Service (aquatics)
• Trout Unlimited (aquatics, recreation)
• Alaska Pacific University (aquatics, terrestrial)
• Hydropower Project Owners (aquatics, terrestrial, recreation, cultural)

10/08/21

The study flow releases ended earlier this week on October 6. The project owners are happy to report that our field crews successfully collected data at established transects throughout the Eklutna River during each of the study flow releases. Additional transects in the river were surveyed before and after the study flow releases to examine how sediment would move under various flows. As expected, a large portion of the accumulated sediment from behind the lower dam site was mobilized and transported downstream by the study flow releases. Time-lapse videos of the sediment wedge can be viewed here. However, no significant sediment deposition or scour was observed at the downstream highway or railroad bridges, and no public safety incidents were reported. The project team will now start analyzing the data that was collected this year and start drafting study reports.

09/17/21

After replacing the drainage outlet gate at the spillway, consulting with the downstream landowners, and obtaining all of the necessary permits and authorizations, the project owners initiated the study flow releases earlier this week. Drone footage of the flow releases at the dam can be viewed here.

• Monday, September 13 – Initiated flow releases at 150 cfs
• Friday, September 24 – Decrease flows to 75 cfs
• Wednesday, September 29 – Decrease flows to 25 cfs
• Wednesday, October 6 – Decrease flows to 0 cfs

On September 14, representatives from the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility and the Native Village of Eklutna joined board members and CEOs from Chugach Electric and Matanuska Electric at the Eklutna Canyon campground to observe the study flow releases and learn more about the necessary preparation and expected outcomes of this part of the study program.

09/10/21

During the study planning process, concerns were raised that the study flow releases would result in unusually high flow conditions in the Eklutna River resulting in potentially hazardous conditions. Although there is no official public access to the Eklutna River, the river is still open for fishing, and trespassing to access the river does occur. With that in mind, the project owners have developed a Public Safety Plan in coordination with the Native Village of Eklutna, Eklutna, Inc., Chugach State Park, and the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility. The plan includes placing warning signs at all known access points to the Eklutna River and near the pond upstream of the dam as well as a formal notification of the flow release schedule to all of the project stakeholders, downstream landowners, and Native Village of Eklutna.

The study flow releases are also likely to mobilize and transport a large portion of the accumulated sediment from behind the lower dam site. Both the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities and the Alaska Railroad Corporation have expressed concern that the sediment would deposit downstream near their respective bridges and potentially cause negative impacts. The project owners reviewed all relevant available data and did not anticipate any negative impacts to downstream infrastructure. However, out of an abundance of caution, the project owners will monitor the streambed near the highway and railroad bridges daily during the study flow releases for any unanticipated sediment deposition or scour that would be cause for concern.

09/03/21

Last month, in order to remove the remaining rocks and debris and replace the drainage outlet gate at the dam, a cofferdam was constructed between the spillway walls on the upstream side of the dam and the area between the cofferdam and the drainage outlet gate was dewatered. The project owners coordinated with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game regarding fish protection measures during the dewatering. The project owners are happy to report that the remaining rocks and debris were successfully removed, and the drainage outlet gate has been replaced. The new gate will be used to release controlled flows into the Eklutna River for study purposes this later this month. In order to prepare for the study flow releases and to make sure the lake level gets high enough, the project owners have also reduced generation at the Eklutna Power Plant for the past several months.

06/11/21

Two of the primary studies being conducted this year are an instream flow study and a geomorphology/sediment transport study. Both of these studies require our team to establish transects (cross sections) in the river for data collection. The project team conducted a site visit with the Technical Work Group (TWG) this week to establish those exact transect locations. The following entities from the TWG participated in the site visit.

• Native Village of Eklutna
• Alaska Department of Fish and Game
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• National Marine Fisheries Service
• Trout Unlimited
• Alaska Pacific University
• Hydropower Project Owners

In order to collect data for both the instream flow and geomorphology/sediment transport studies, the project owners are planning to use the drainage outlet gate at the base of the spillway in the dam to release specific flows into the river this fall. However, this gate is not used on a regular basis and a large pile of rocks and debris had accumulated in front of it over the years. The project owners hired a team of divers to remove the rocks from the front of the gate so we could inspect the gate and determine if it was operational to conduct the study flows. The rock and debris removal was initiated this week and is scheduled to be completed in August. Upon inspection, there was some concern that the gate was not in good enough condition to conduct the flow releases this fall, so the decision was made to replace the gate in August at the same time as the remaining rock and debris are removed.

05/14/21

The project owners are happy to report that we have received letters from each of the parties to the 1991 agreement officially concurring with the scope of work in the study plans. Following the process outlined by the four state agencies involved in the project (Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities), the state concurrence letters and the Proposed Final Study Plans were also sent to the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA) as the governor’s representative for review. The AEA provided no additional comments, and the study plans were finalized in May. The Final Study Plans are now available on the documents page of this website, and field work will be initiated later this month.

03/24/21

After receiving comments from the Technical Work Group (TWG) and others on the Draft Study Plans, the Project Owners held multiple meetings with the TWG in November and December 2020 to discuss their comments. The Project Owners then revised the study plans based on all comments received, and distributed the Revised Draft Study Plans to the TWG on January 18, 2021 for a second round of review and comment. Another meeting with the TWG was held on January 25, 2021 to review the major revisions to the study plans and to answer any clarifying questions from the TWG before the comment deadline on January 29, 2021. The Project Owners revised the study plans again to address the second round of comments from the TWG, and then distributed the Proposed Final Study Plans to the Parties to the 1991 Fish and Wildlife Agreement on February 24, 2021 for review and concurrence. The Project Owners are currently working to obtain all necessary permits and authorizations for the planned summer field work season.

12/17/20

In September 2020 the project owners’ technical team held several meetings with the TWG to establish a study program framework. The project owners then developed Draft Study Plans and distributed them to the TWG on October 26, 2020 for review and comment. The comment deadline was November 25, 2020. A subsequent TWG meeting was held on November 30, 2020 to review the TWG’s comments on the Draft Study Plans. The project owners continue to work with the TWG to address their comments and finalize the study plans by early next year.

09/16/20

Earlier this year the project owners’ acquired aerial imagery, spherical videography, and LiDAR of the entire Eklutna River as well as the northeastern shoreline of Eklutna Lake along the lakeside trail. The spherical videography is now available online at https://biglook360.com/eklutna/. Segments 1-7 show the river and lake shoreline going upstream at a higher altitude, while segments 8-14 are going downstream at a lower altitude. The imagery, videography, and LiDAR will be utilized during the ongoing study planning process this year and during subsequent study implementation.  

08/17/20

In June 2020 a Technical Work Group (TWG) was established for study planning purposes. The TWG consists of technical experts and representatives from the following entities:

• Native Village of Eklutna
• Alaska Department of Fish and Game
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• National Marine Fisheries Service
• Trout Unlimited
• Alaska Pacific University
• Alaska Institute for Climate and Energy
• Hydropower Project Owners

The first TWG meeting was conducted on July 15 in preparation for a site reconnaissance that was conducted the following week. The purpose of the site reconnaissance was to further familiarize the utilities’ technical experts with the existing conditions in the Eklutna River and surrounding area. Immediately following the site reconnaissance, a second TWG meeting was conducted on July 23 to kick off the study planning process. Over the next few months, the utilities’ technical experts will be working with the TWG to develop study plans, which are expected to be finalized and submitted to the Governor by the end of the year.

06/01/20

On Thursday April 16, 2020, a meeting was held with agencies and interested parties to review preliminary comments on the Draft Initial Information Package (IIP), discuss information needs, and establish a technical work group (TWG) for study planning. Meeting minutes are available on the Documents page of this website under Final Documents. The comment deadline for the Draft IIP was April 24, 2020. All submitted comments are also available on the Documents page of this website under Comments on Draft Documents. The project owners are currently reviewing all submitted comments and will address them in the Final IIP. A site reconnaissance is planned for the week of June 15 to further familiarize the owners’ team with the existing conditions in the Eklutna River and surrounding area. The owners have reached out to those who agreed or volunteered to participate in the TWG to confirm their interest. The first TWG meeting will be scheduled shortly after the site reconnaissance. The owners’ team is also acquiring aerial imagery, videography, and LiDAR this spring which will be made available to the TWG for study planning purposes.

04/03/20

On March 24, 2020, the project owners uploaded the Draft Initial Information Package (IIP) to the Documents page of the project website for review and comment. A meeting with agencies and interested parties is scheduled for Thursday April 16, 2020 to review any preliminary comments on the Draft IIP, agree on information needs, and establish one or more technical workgroups for study planning. Comments on the Draft IIP can be submitted to Samantha Owen via email at owen@mcmjac.com and are due by Friday April 24, 2020. The project owners will review all submitted comments and address them in the Final IIP.

11/14/19

During the last week of August, the owners’ team conducted a site reconnaissance of the Eklutna River. The primary goal was to provide the project owners’ technical and regulatory staff with the chance to review and observe site conditions and project facilities. In addition, the site reconnaissance allowed technical staff to assess the potential scope of study efforts needed to provide the Governor and his/her staff with data to establish the Fish and Wildlife Program required by the 1991 Fish and Wildlife Agreement. For more information, please reference the trip report which can be found on the Documents page of this website under Final Documents.

08/14/19

The project owners held a technical group follow-up meeting on July 16, 2019 to promote discussion amongst the resource agencies and interested parties. At the meeting, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Eklutna Inc. and the Native Village of Eklutna each presented a summary of some of their ongoing studies and data collection that are currently being conducted in the Eklutna River basin. In addition, the owners presented some additional project details and summarized the comments received from agencies and interested parties thus far. During the last week of August, the owners’ team will be conducting a site reconnaissance of the Eklutna River to become familiar with the existing habitat and surrounding area.