Mat-Su Borough to work with Army Corps of Engineers on flood control project study

For the past few years, Talkeetna residents have watched the beach at the end of Main Street wash away at varying rates.  This summer, high, fast water damaged the revetment that runs parallel to the river and keeps the channel directed away from downtown.  Earlier this month, the Mat-Su Borough placed 500 cubic yards of rock to shore up the revetment, and it’s unknown how long that repair will last.

The revetment was designed in the ‘70s by the Army Corps of Engineers, and has a planned operational life that runs out in about a decade.  Borough Flood Plain Administrator Taunnie Boothby says it was inevitable that something new would eventually be needed.

“It was always expected that there would have to be something coming in the future, and the 205 project hopefully will be that something.”

The 205 project refers to a program which allows the Army Corps of Engineers to build small scale flood control projects without specific approval from Congress.  The Mat-Su Borough Assembly recently approved a measure that allows borough staff to begin the project process.

The first phase of the project is studying what might be needed and what can be built.  The first hundred thousand dollars of research is funded by the federal government, and there is a fifty-fifty split aftwewards.  Once the study is complete, the borough will be presented with options.  Once an option is chosen, the federal government again picks up the majority of the cost, but Taunnie Boothby says there will likely need to be additional funds to cover the local match.

“Design and construction is a 65% federal share and a 35% local match, so we’re going to have to be looking towards garnering partnerships to deal with that 35% in the future.”

The flood service area that includes Downtown Talkeetna has an associated mill rate, but the likely cost of any flood control project would far exceed the available funds.

Taunnie Boothby says she hopes to be able to hold a public meeting later this year, provided that the status of the COVID-19 pandemic allows for one.  She says options are being considered that would allow public input while maintaining social distancing and other measures to prevent the spread of the disease.