Johnson Creek Confluence/Milwaukie Bay Habitat Enhancement

This project will construct large wood complexes in the lowest reach of Johnson Creek including the confluence with the Willamette River for the benefit of both lower and upper Willamette salmon and steelhead stocks. This area is very important to salmon and steelhead populations, especially spring Chinook, because lower Johnson Creek is a cold water refuge and important rearing area for fish that leave their natal streams early to rear in the more productive lower Willamette. There is very little of this habitat left in the lower Willamette, making areas like lower Johnson Creek especially valuable. Project engineers are currently developing the 60% designs with the plan to construct in 2024. Additionally, stakeholder meetings have been conducted at each design phase and will continue throughout the design process. Project partners include the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB), the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), the Meyer Memorial Trust (MMT), JCWC, the Clackamas Basin Focused Investment Partnership, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Lower Columbia River Chinook and Coho salmon will benefit from increased juvenile rearing habitat at the confluence of Johnson Creek and increased juvenile rearing habitat in the cold water refugia provided in the lowest reach of Johnson Creek itself. These same areas will provide even more benefit to Upper Willamette Chinook and steelhead juveniles that leave their tributaries early in their life histories for more productive nursery habitats below the Oregon City Falls. Adult spring Chinook will also benefit from increased habitat for holding and resting during upstream migration in addition to cold water refuge within Johnson Creek, especially late in the spring when the water in the mainstem Willamette can reach as high as 77 degrees F.