Kenai River Watershed
Welcome to the Kenai River Watershed! The Kenai-River Watershed
is located on the Kenai Peninsula in South-Central Alaska
(see figure above) and consists of about 2,200 square miles
or 1.4 million acres. The watershed drains diverse landscapes,
including glaciers, icefields, large lakes, high mountains,
and vast lowlands. Numerous tributary rivers, including the
Snow and Trail Rivers, flow into the Kenai Lake from headwaters
in the Kenai Mountains. The Kenai River begins at the outlet
of Kenai Lake, and flows for 17 miles before it passes through
15-mile long Skilak Lake. From Skilak lake the river flows
another 50 miles until it reaches Cook Inlet near the city
of Kenai (Dorava and Liepitz, 1996). The total length of the
Kenai River is about 82 miles. The section of the river located
between Kenai Lake and Skilak Lake is referred to as the "upper"
Kenai River. The section located between Skilak Lake and the
Sterling Highway Bridge in Soldotna is referred to as the
"middle" Kenai River; and from the Soldotna bridge to Cook
Inlet, is the "lower" Kenai River. Please visit the new project
investigating ground-water and surface-water interactions
near fish spawning areas on the Lower and Middle Kenai River.
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