The rare release of a double glacial dam in the Kenai River is causing high levels of water and flooding risks across the Kenai Peninsula.
Two glaciers which are Snow and Skilak both release huge quantities of water simultaneously and flowing downstream towards the Kenai. This is known as the result of a dam-like glacial release that can occur after some of the glaciers melt and leaves behind an annual lake that was once the ice was.
“And this is blocked in the glacier’s main body. Each year, as the glacier is full it releases. There’s enough of hydrostatic pressure to make its way beneath the glacier and it’ll all go away in just a few weeks,” said Kyle Van Peursem who is a forecaster at the Alaska Pacific River Forecast Center in Anchorage.
Typically, the two glacial lakes are released each year for three or four years, however two releases simultaneously is an unprecedented event.
“It’s extremely rare that these happen at the same time it’s even rarer when they happen within a few days of one another,” he said.
It’s also surprising because it’s also not surprising, considering that the Snow Glacier Lake also released in the past. Van Peursem said there’s no plausible explanation for why this is happening.
He explained that The Snow Glacier lake began releasing water on Wednesday, which then flowed to the Snow River and down to Kenai Lake. Skilak Glacier Lake began releasing on Thursday, releasing the water to Skilak Lake and ultimately down the Kenai River.
Low-lying Kenai Keys area in eastern Sterling is the most at danger of flooding.
“They’re already witnessing some beautiful high-water levels within the Kenai Keys. Our witness there is sharing his observations with us about the canals that are that run through the Keys are full to the brim, and the roads are preparing to be flooded with water.” the man said.
A dam release from glaciers is the same kind of event that led to massive damage and flooding during Juneau early in the early part of August. However, Van Peursem says the Juneau release was a one-hundred year event. The double release of the Kenai could be a first however, it isn’t expected to cause that much destruction.
Van Peursem said the peak danger is expected to occur on the morning of tomorrow, but the warning remains in effect until the weekend. He advised boaters to avoid create a wake on these high-water areas, since it could cause more flooding for residents living along the river.
