Anchor, Alderwood and Old Wagon Fish Passage Project

The Catching Slough Sub-basin was recently ranked very high in the Coho Salmon Recovery Strategic Action Plan (SAP) for the Coos Basin. This restoration project proposes to restore watershed function by addressing fish passage and access to off- channel habitats by upgrading 4 undersized, rusted and severely damaged stream crossing culverts. These crossings are well past their life expectancy and have experienced significantly reduced flow conveyance and are limiting critical fish passage to anadromous fish habitat. Alderwood Creek is a DEQ 303(d) listed stream that drains into Catching Slough near Coos Bay and is situated along a narrow agricultural valley thats been heavily impacted by past land management practices, resulting in stream channelization, channel simplification, and removal of riparian buffers. To address the 4 failing and undersized crossings we are partnering with the Coos County Road Department to upgrade 100% of the fish passage crossings in the Alderwood Creek sub-basin. These outdated structures will be upgraded with two 108” round pipes (Alderwood Lane & Old Wagon Road) and two 60” culvert/tidegate combinations (Anchor Road). New tidegates will be aluminum side hinge gates equipped with mitigator floats and auxiliary doors. Crossings have been sized to meet NOAA and ODFW fish passage criteria and will improve access to critical Coho habitats by providing access to spawning and rearing habitat (key habitat limiting factors).

This project will restore anadromous fish access to SSBT (Salmon Steelhead & Bull Trout) stream habitat. Upgrading these undersized culverts will provide fish passage and prevent future issues that may occur such as plugging and velocity barriers helping to improve access to spawning and rearing habitat upstream. Connecting existing drainage features and redirecting these tributaries through existing drainage will provide off-channel habitat for juveniles and establish a connection to these cold-water tributaries during the summer months while providing improved drainage for these landowners throughout the winter months.