Fairbanks subcommittee drafts new Chena River plan with freeze, salmon, and flood goals

The Fairbanks North Star Borough's Chena Riverfront Plan Subcommittee met June 24 to review three draft chapters on natural river function, floodplain management, and cultural history. The meeting also covered timeline, public involvement, and project scope for the updated plan. Three chapters remain unassigned: land use, economic development, and implementation.

One proposal in the draft would restore winter ice on the Chena through minor wastewater discharge changes. The draft states the plan "supports minor changes to wastewater discharge to allow the Chena to freeze when and where feasible." The draft also proposes riparian buffers ranging from 25 feet to more than 1,000 feet, depending on habitat sensitivity.

The floodplain chapter emphasizes maintaining the borough's standing in the National Flood Insurance Program and ensuring the dam and levee system protecting Fairbanks meets federal standards. The Fairbanks North Star Borough joined the program in 1969 as the second community in the nation to do so. The 1967 flood, estimated as a 300-year event, caused six deaths and more than $85 million in damage.

A 2024 Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation assessment found elevated fecal coliform and E. coli in the Chena after rain events. The draft flags PFAS and invasive elodea as emerging threats. Chapter assignments not yet drafted include Indigenous and subsistence use, recreation and river access, transportation and shared-use paths, and water quality and fisheries.

The subcommittee has not set a public comment period or a date to present a completed draft to the full commission.