Susitna Valley Lakes & Rivers
Susitna Valley lakes and rivers are recreational hot spots for many Alaskans who want to boat, fish, access their remote cabins, and relax. Boaters come from all over the Valley and Anchorage to jet ski, waterski, fish, and boat on Big Lake. The Little Susitna River is a popular sport fishing location during chinook and coho salmon season. The Deshka River is also an important chinook salmon fishing area, and is also where many boaters have remote cabins.
Unfortunately, some of these recreational boating activities have negatively affected water quality in these waterbodies. High levels of petroleum hydrocarbons have been found in a few of these lakes and rivers, and increased turbidity is of concern in narrow river channels. These pollutants can negatively impact fish health, habitat and behavior. We know that some of the more popular and easy to access locations have seen the most impacts, but we hope to educate all boaters on all Susitna Valley waterbodies about how they can do their part to protect clean water through clean boating practices.

Read our FY14 Clean Boating on Big Lake and Little Susitna final reports.