Instream Flow Protection: Southeast – Phase 13

This project maintained stream flow gages on the Thorne River and and prepared and submitted reservation of water (ROW) applications for the Thorne River, Fish Creek, Davis River, and East Fork Hobo Creek.

It was originally anticipated that this project would also complete an ROW for Salmon River; however, the Salmon River ROW, though started, was not completed in time to report it. Thorne River was originally included only in the related project AK44920_GAGE because we anticipated that it would require more gaging data than could be accomplished during the project period before submitting an ROW; however, enough gaging data was collected that an ROW was also developed and submitted. Therefore, Thorne River was added as a work site to this project and its final metrics in project AK44920_GAGE were zeroed out so as not to double count the length of stream. Conversely, it was anticipated that there would be sufficient data to develop ROWs for the Eva Creek and Eva Outlet reaches, but additional flow data was required. Therefore, these work sites were added to project 44920_GAGE and final metrics in this project zeroed out so as not to double count the length of stream. (The worksite Eva Outlet was erroneously included in the preliminary metrics but, because it was the same location (i.e., reporting on the same stream reach) as Eva Creek, it was deleted from the database.) The length of Fish Creek to be protected for flow through its ROW was originally estimated at two miles, but upon further investigation, a fish passage barrier was discovered .1 miles above salt water, leading to the change in stream length protected.

The rivers of SE AK support some of North America’s most viable and productive salmon and steelhead fisheries. Salmon and steelhead depend on sufficient quantities of water to meet their spawning, rearing, incubation, overwintering, and migration habitat requirements. This project will benefit salmon and steelhead populations (including those used for important subsistence fisheries) throughout SE AK by legally reserving water needed to sustain their production.