CTWS Side Channel Restoration Implementation

The Clackamas River Basin Council (CRBC) is working with the landowner Confederated Tribes of Warms Springs Reservation of Oregon (CTWSRO) to reclaim side channels and floodplains at the property. Located in the upper Clackamas, several miles below the Big Bottoms reach. The project site is a 150 ac property completely surrounded by the Mt. Hood National Forest with USFS 46, a paved two lane road, bisecting the property. In-stream and floodplain habitat has been degraded due to road building, bank revetments and modification of the hot springs. Additionally, the riparian area has been degraded by unauthorized camping. CRBC, in partnership with the Tribes, propose to restore in-stream habitat along a 1-mile reach of river by adding large wood structures, grade the hot springs side channel to remove user created water control structures, and create 2 new side channels. The riparian area will be restored by removing invasive species and planting. Partners include: Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, Clackamas Partnership, CRBC, USFS, Johnson Creek Watershed Council and ODFW.
This project is funded by PCSRF funds via OWEB and by PCSRF funds via CRITFC and funds have been parsed accordingly. To view the entire project, view this alongside 18-Warm-04 in the PCSRF database.

Clackamas River basin ESA-listed fish species; Spring Chinook, Lower-Columbia River Coho and Lower Columbia River steelhead are negatively impacted by loss of habitat, impaired water quality and lack of access to historic spawning areas, such as side channels. This project will restore habitat elements believed to be most limiting to these populations of salmon and steelhead as identified in local and regional assessments referenced above and in this application.

Lack of Large Wood: Limited pieces of large wood were noted by surveyors within the active channel area of the project reach. A lack of mature conifers within the riparian and upland areas limits future recruitment of large wood from those areas and it is likely there is little recruitment from upstream reaches given that the highway continues as you travel upstream of the project area. Large wood, especially key pieces are an important component of creating and maintaining physical habitat diversity for the ESA-listed fish. Significantly increasing the density of large wood in the project area would greatly enhance biological conditions for these fish. Large wood creates hydraulic roughness along the channel and, in turn, recruits gravels needed for spawning fish. Spawning fish depend on appropriately sized gravel and cobble that are not always found in a river devoid of the roughness provided by instream wood. Rearing salmonids also depend on in-stream and overhead cover for refuge from predators, Large wood provides refuge for juvenile salmonids, as well as a substrate where food resources tend to accumulate, in the form of macroinvertebrates.
Loss of Side and Off Channel habitats: This project will directly benefit the salmonids by greatly increasing the amount and quality of side and off channel habitats at the site. The hot springs side channel will be enhanced by removing the user created water control structures and addition of large wood. Two new side channels will be excavated into low flood plains between the river and FS46 creating ~2,000 linear feet of side channel habitat. Two existing off channel areas will be loaded with large wood which is currently lacking in the reach.