In response to ongoing flooding in a Kalifornsky Beach-area neighborhood, the Kenai Peninsula Borough will fund a study to find solutions.
The borough assembly approved $175,000 for the study and work from its general fund, or savings account, at its meeting Tuesday night.
For more than a decade, flooding has been a problem in the neighborhood, a low lying area with drainage issues caused by the lack of water passage across Kalifornsky Beach Road. In the spring, when heavy snow melt started to affect properties, area residents began speaking out at assembly meetings, and the borough mayor committed to fixing the problem.
Over the last several weeks, the borough has been taking actions to lower water in the neighborhood, and meeting with state agencies about the problem.
The funding approved by the assembly will go toward a study conducted by an independent consulting firm. Borough Mayor Peter Micciche addressed the money at last night’s assembly meeting.
“What we’re trying to do first is evaluate the effectiveness of what we’ve done so far, make sure we’re doing the right thing,”he said. “We want to help them and not hurt them.”
He emphasized that as a second-class borough, KPB does not have flood control powers beyond roadside ditches. So he said the borough will hand off work to other agencies, and may not ultimately spend all of the money.
The flooding also led to a lawsuit from the borough, against property owner Dave Yragui, who dug an illegal mile-and-a-half long canal in response to the flooding. The study will include “analysis of unpermitted trenching and ditching,” and consultants will provide a recommendation on how to address it.
The assembly unanimously approved the funding, following some uncontested amendments.
