Panel backs reclassifying Kenai River as impaired
Critics say it could hurt river's reputation by grouping it with more polluted places
KENAI - A local parks advisory board voted to support a proposal to list the lower Kenai River as impaired under the federal Clean Water Act.
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Supporters believe the listing will help motivate the agencies responsible for looking after the salmon-rich waterway to cooperate and fix pollution problems.
Robert Ruffner, executive director of the Kenai Watershed Forum, said pollution in the river has not drawn the attention it deserves despite evidence that it has been a problem for as long as 15 years.
But opponents of the proposal said it would ruin the river's reputation by lumping it into the same category as waterways with far worse pollution problems.
"The city of Kenai, we're very much in favor of reducing hydrocarbons on the river," said Keith Kornelis, who is Kenai's public works manager. "I would hope that the agencies would not need this listing in order to take action."
Board members voted 9-2 in favor of supporting the DEC proposal to list the Kenai River as impaired under the federal Clean Water Act. Kornelis and Soldotna city representative Rick Wood voted against the proposal.
"We still have a pristine river," Kornelis said. "The river is not the polluted river that people would assume when they see it's impaired."
Water samples measuring excessive pollution levels support the listing, said those favoring the proposal. Water samples taken from 2000 to 2006 measured hydrocarbon levels exceeding state standards of 10 parts per billion every year in the month of July.