Berwick Creek at Labree Fish Passage Const (SRFB)

The proposed restoration project will replace an existing 13-foot(ft) wide by 7-ft tall by 23-ft long box culvert with an approximate 19-ft wide by 10.5-ft tall by 39-ft long split box culvert at Labree Rd milepost (MP) 0.459 in Lewis County, Washington. This barrier structure, which carries flows from Berwick Creek, is 33 percent passable due to a depth barrier. The Prioritized Chehalis Barriers - May 2020 layer in the Chehalis Fish Passage Barrier Prioritization interactive mapper identifies the existing barrier, Site 601812, as a Priority 1 barrier. Replacement of this culvert is anticipated to restore access to 1.33 linear miles of habitat for the Southwest Washington Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) of coho salmon and 1.33 linear miles of habitat for the Southwest Washington Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of steelhead trout once the downstream barrier, a WSDOT barrier at Site 125 1302W05A, is replaced. According the the Chehalis Fish Passage Barrier Prioritization mapper total accessible habitat above this culvert once all downstream and upstream barriers are removed will be 10.90 linear miles for coho salmon and 8.88 linear miles for steelhead trout.



Additional construction will include 80 feet of realignment/regrade of streambed to provide fish passage during low flows. Channel regrade activities were limited to the minimum distance required to meet stream simulation design. Large woody debris will maintain the thalweg during low flows for fish passage.

The primary goal of the proposed Berwick Creek at Labree Fish Passage Const (SRFB) project is to restore fish passage to all life stages of coho salmon and winter steelhead trout in the Chehalis River. Additionally, the project proposes to enhance habitat for all life stages of coho salmon and winter steelhead trout by addressing limiting factors such as low variety of habitat types; reduced quantity and quality of instream habitats; poor riparian cover/conditions; flow conditions; fish passage barriers; sedimentation/fine sediment; and channel instability.