Anchor River

Current Conditions:

The Anchor River station is offline until we reinstall equipment at the new bridge!

Data Graph:

Our goal is to make water temperature data accessible to all Alaskans. By serving up data online in real-time, we hope to provide in-season information for local fishers, weir operators and fisheries managers to increase our understanding of the relationship between fish movement and water temperature.

Site Information:

On September 7, 2013 we installed the first station on the Anchor River at the Old Sterling Highway Bridge in Anchor Point with field support from members of the Kenai Chapter of Trout Unlimited and staff from BeadedStream LLC. Funding provided by the Kenai Peninsula Fish Habitat Partnership and the Western Native Trout Initiative.

 

Since 2002, Cook Inletkeeper has been collecting continuous water temperature data below the confluence of the North and South Forks. Monitoring has revealed that Anchor River temperatures consistently exceed Alaska’s standards.  Temperatures above 13°C exceed Alaska’s standard for egg and fry incubation; temperatures above 15°C exceed Alaska’s standard for migration routes. Water temperatures have even been recorded above 20°C which by State Standards “may not be exceeded.”  Cook Inletkeeper's research on water temperature in salmon streams suggests that the Anchor River is highly sensitive to climate change impacts.

Additional Resources:

For water level information: National Weather Service - River Forecast Center

For fish count information: Alaska Dept. Fish & Game - Fish Counts