Willy Dick Creek Barrier Removal & Floodplain Enhancement Project

The overall projects goals were to increase the quality and quantity of ESA listed Middle Columbia River Steelhead spawning and rearing habitat, improve fish passage, and enhanced water quality, and quantity. These goals were achieved by removing a portion of the levee to allow the stream to realign into its historic channel, removing a culvert that blocked fish passage and disrupted hydrologic function at the site, placement of 60 individual unanchored logs and stumps with roots, and planting of native plant species/seed (using non-PCSRF funds). Overall the project treated 0.75 stream miles, made four miles of stream accessible once the culvert was removed, created 0.25 miles of off-channel stream area, created 10 pools with the placement of the log structures and treated eight acres with riparian plantings.

In the future, using other funding sources,post-implementation monitoring by Yakama Nation Fisheries Staff will continue with annual or bi annual re-survey of topographic survey points to monitor the physical effectiveness of the project. Validation monitoring will consist of annual steelhead redd counts, smolt trapping via two rotary screw traps (main stem Toppenish Creek), and snorkel surveys. In addition, riparian vegetation monitoring will be conducted to monitor the success of riparian plantings.

This project will allow unimpeded steelhead passage to 4 miles of available spawning habitat
And remove a culvert and potential velocity barriers.

Will allow Floodplain re-connection, add riparian plantings and:

-balance the sediment budget
-increase the summer base flow (longer hydro period)
-decrease the water temperatures
-increase the vegetative cover and nutrient cycling
- Improve food web interactions

Results of the project will also increase instream habitat complexity by creating
-refugia/rest areas for the fish;
-provide foraging areas; and
- add channel roughness