Enstar to install gas line under Kenai River

Enstar Natural Gas Co. is planning to install a gas distribution pipeline underneath the Kenai River to extend service to several subdivisions on the river’s south side.

Anchorage-based Enstar is the main gas utility serving Southcentral Alaska.

The company has applied to the Alaska Department of Natural Resources for an easement across the Kenai at river mile 34 in the Sterling area.

A DNR public notice published Jan. 10 says the gas main will be installed with horizontal directional drilling.

It will be a plastic pipe, 6 inches in diameter, operating at 60 pounds per square inch gauge, Enstar’s application says.

Boring beneath the Kenai will begin on the north side of the river at Huske Street. The bore will extend about 950 feet, with 360 feet beneath the river and the rest beneath the banks. The bore will maintain a minimum depth of 20 feet below the river, Enstar says.

Construction is planned for between February and August.

The Kenai is famed for its runs of Chinook and sockeye salmon. Development along the river is a longstanding concern because of the potential impact on salmon habitat.

—Wesley Loy