Father and daughter rescued by boat from Kenai River island at mile 73

A father and daughter got stranded on a Kenai River island on July 27 after rising water cut off their path back to shore. They had to be rescued by boat.

Todd Torkelson called Soldotna Dispatch to say he and his 24-year-old daughter, Claire, had crossed to an island at mile 73 and could not cross back. The water had risen and become too swift, according to the Alaska Wildlife Troopers dispatch report posted Aug. 9.

Troopers directed the pair to a spot where a boat could reach them. They coordinated with Jordan Laumattus, manager of the Russian River Ferry, who launched a boat and returned both to the riverbank.

The Kenai River is monitored by official gauge systems, including a NOAA gauge and a USGS monitoring location at Cooper Landing. The Kenai Peninsula Borough also maintains a river-gages resource page for local waterways. A National Weather Service flood watch had covered the western Kenai Peninsula, including Cooper Landing, Sterling, Soldotna and Skilak Lake, but that watch ran from July 19 through 10 p.m. July 20, a week before the July 27 rescue. It does not establish the conditions behind this incident.

The Cooper Landing Chamber, on its Kenai River page, tells river users that "it is important to note potential hazards such as gravel bars, rocks, and changing water levels."