As the debate over restoring the Eklutna River has intensified, the story has also gotten more complicated. Here’s what you need to know to follow the issue.
Water is released from the a dam on the upper Eklutna River on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021 near Eklutna Lake. The dam has been closed and the river has been dry for many years, with most of the water diverted to produce power and supply Anchorage with drinking water.
But over the past six months, a big fight has erupted over how the effort to restore the river should move forward. However, as the debate over restoring the Eklutna River has intensified, the story has also gotten more complicated. Here’s what you need to know to follow the issue:that allowed the city and electric utilities to buy the Eklutna Hydroelectric Project from the federal government. The renewable energy facility currently provides a small percentage of power in the Anchorage and Wasilla areas.
However, a key sticking point is that the plan largely would not benefit a fifth salmon species, sockeye salmon, which typically rely on lakes for rearing. That’s because it would not allow fish to reach Eklutna Lake. At the root of the debate is new information that came to light in recent months, leading the Assembly to question whether the Bronson administration has properly overseen the city’s stake in the project.
On top of that, the Assembly earlier this year learned that the Bronson administration signed a deal with the utilities last October that will govern Anchorage’s drinking water rights for 25 years.
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