Warm Springs Problem Roads

The Warm Springs Problem Roads Project was designed to improve anadromous fish (spring Chinook and summer steelhead,) and native fish (redband trout and bull trout) habitat in the Upper Warm Springs River. The Upper Warm Springs River Watershed Assessment (2015) identified elevated instream fine sediment, lack of connectivity (migration barriers) and high road densities factors limiting fish production within the watershed. Furthermore, this project was identified as being a priority project within the accompanied Upper Warm Springs River Action Plan. By removing 3 full fish barrier culverts, removing (obliteration and ripping) over 3 miles of riparian road, and revegetating the disturbed riparian area, the Project is expected to improve the aforementioned limiting factors.

Immediate results from the Project include:
• 3 miles of newly accessible cold water rearing/spawning habitat (Worksites #1 and #2)
• Obliteration and ripping of over 3 miles of riparian road within the watershed (Worksite #3)
• Conversion of 3.6 acres of roadway surface to 3.6 acres of planted riparian habitat, including erosion control, slope stabilization, and vegetation planting and mangement (Worksite #3)
• 3,500 square feet of lowered floodplain area that will be inundated more frequently (Worksites #1, #2 and #3)
• Creation of 280 feet of new side channel habitat (Worksites #1 and #2)
• Establishment of a 7,500-acre road closure area (Worksite #1, #2, and #3)

All project work elements were accomplished with minimal delays or changes from original plans and the Project was completed within the designated time frame. The only deviation from original plans was the project cost. Original engineer estimates approximated the construction costs to be $450,000. Despite the Projects construction going through a competitive bidding process, the lowest bid came in approximately $193,00 higher then originally estimated. The CTWS soil and water program was able to receive grant money from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to cover this shortfall.

In the short term, this project has obliterated 3,500 feet of poorly placed road (Worksite #3) that has chronically and directly contributed fine sediment to salmon and steelhead spawning areas in the Warm Springs River via Twinflower Creek, and removed 1.6 miles of stream side road that was placed within the riparian area (Worksite #3). A result of this is an immediate reduction in the amount of sediment reaching spawning grounds. Sediment has the potential to suffocate incubating eggs in the streambed substrate, decrease emergence success of fish from redds, and embed spawning substrates. 3 culverts were removed, opening up new spawning and rearing habitat in Twinflower and Bunchgrass Creeks. On a management level scale, the Project has demonstrated the need to reduce road densities within the Upper Warm Springs Watershed.

The overall success of the project will be determined well into the future as riparian vegetation matures and fish populations expand to the newly accessible habitat. It should be understood that the outcomes of this project are not immediate and it may take several years or decades to see its objectives fully met. This project was implemented to address decades of cumulative effects such as unnatural rates of instream sediment derived from roads and lack of a continuous and connected riparian network. It is expected that as vegetation matures, newly available large woody debris will be naturally recruited into the river creating a more complex and dynamic system that will encourage scour, sediment sorting and increase in pool habitat. As riparian vegetation matures it will create a microclimate within the riparian corridor which will increase effective shade, reducing stream temperatures, and act as a filtering strip for any hillside derived fine sediment that could be transported to the river.

The goals for this Project were to increase populations of spring Chinook, summer steelhead, bull trout and red band trout in the Upper Warm Springs River Watershed. By obliterating and ripping over 3 miles of stream side roads, it is expected that a reduction in fine sediment will enter streams; fine sediment has been identified as a factor limiting salmonid production within the watershed. Additionally, stream side roads reduce the amount of riparian vegetation and the amount of large woody debris available for recruitment to streams. After road removal, the disturbed areas were planted with native vegetation, these newly planted trees will eventually become available to streams as instream wood, creating enhanced fish habitat and increasing effective shade for streams.

The project removed three culverts, therefore giving fish the opportunity to expand their ranges into habitats that are important for all life stages. The removed culverts gave fish access to valuable spring fed, cold-water habitat that has been documented to rarely exceed 50 degrees Fahrenheit.