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.