Borough Requests Support for Talkeetna Erosion

For the past several years, erosion has destroyed the dike and revetment protecting the Talkeetna river bank at the end of Main Street. A study completed by the Army Corps of Engineers in January 2024 shows an increase in erosion rates at the dike and revetment, including the areas around Main Street and farther south. 

In a recent letter to US Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, as well as Representative Nick Begich, Mat-Su Borough Mayor Edna DeVries notes that recent surveys of the area show that the damage to the revetment is far worse than previously thought.

Borough Manager Mike Brown says staff have created a storymap website to show the history of the issue, studies conducted, and repairs made to date. 

“I think it does a good job of kind of telling the story so that people can understand. You know because if you walk up to the bank of the river, you can kind of see some of the evidence of erosion in the immediate area, but you don’t really understand the bigger picture and how it affects the infrastructure.”

Brown notes the Borough has spent more than $3 million over the past decade to make repairs to the dike and revetment, which he says is unsustainable. The Borough is requesting one million dollars in federal funding for the initial design work. 

“The one million really is to go out, advance the studies and the design work to determine what is the best course of action. What this proposes is extending the revetment south all the way down to protect the Spur Road. And so that’s a pretty significant expansion of the existing facility. But arguably, based on just what we’ve seen recently, it’s going to have an effect on airstrip, homes, potentially the road, the railroad. There’s a number of potential impacts as this continues to erode to the south.”

The full project, including construction, is estimated to cost about $20 to $30 million. The Borough is asking for federal support to partner with the Army Corps of Engineers to study and construct the project under the Water Resources Development Act. The mayor’s letter notes the risk to public safety, essential services, and community infrastructure that will continue to escalate if the erosion is not addressed. 

Brown says Talkeetna residents are welcome to visit the Borough’s storymap at matsugov.us/talkeetnarevetment to learn more about the project and urges them to reach out to elected officials with comments.