Peter Ready and Greek Creek Culvert Replacements

Peter Ready Creek and Greek Creek are tributaries to Slate Creek, a major tributary to the Salmon River and home to ESA-listed steelhead, spring/summer Chinook, and bull trout. These culvert replacements restore fish passage and improve riparian function for listed species in the Slate Creek watershed. The projects replaced existing undersized and perched culverts with larger span, open bottom structural plate culverts at steam grade. Peter Ready Creek replaced a 3’ round culvert with a 13’ wide x 6’9” high arch culvert to open 0.71 miles of upstream habitat. Greek Creek replaced a 4’ circular culvert with a 12’ wide x 6’3” high arch culvert to open passage to 2.43 miles of upstream habitat. The structures include rock weirs to hold the stream grade in place while creating habitat features for fish rest areas. Natural stream simulation was used including open bottom arches with natural substrate, streambanks within the culverts, and low flow channels. The projects were successfully completed per design specifications and aids in restoring spring/summer Chinook, steelhead, and bull trout passage to over 3.14 miles of spawning and rearing habitat in the Slate Creek drainage.



This project received an extension to allow more time for the bidding process.

Historic management activities have affected aquatic processes within the Slate Creek drainage, resulting in the degradation of the stream/ riparian processes. One specific element compromising habitat, and thus reducing juvenile survival, includes loss of connectivity. As a watershed that has valuable habitat present and is home to ESA-listed species, the Slate Creek watershed has very high restoration potential, perhaps the highest potential within the lower Salmon subbasin (USFS 2000). Slate Creek has been identified as having the highest potential for steelhead production and a priority watershed for spring/summer Chinook while it is noted to be the only tributary stream that is used by Chinook salmon annually for spawning in the subbasin (USFS 2003).



Removing potential migration barriers in the watershed will restore connectivity and open access to quality spawning and rearing habitat. Replacing two undersized culverts will allow access to both juvenile and adult fish to tributary habitat with mature riparian vegetation and expands the current accessible habitat within ‘High’ potential habitat areas. The goal of this project is to enhance habitat connectivity and fish passage in the Slate Creek watershed to assist in the recovery of anadromous and resident fish species.