Engineering & Designs for In-stream Habitat Enhancement Project on Middle Klamath River Tributaries

The projects final outcome was similar to the original project description. The project planning areas included the Scott River, Horse Creek and Beaver Creek. Planning steps were made toward project development and designs at in three locations.
The Tribe worked collaboration with local watershed groups, private lands owners, federal and state agencies. Local watershed groups included the Salmon River Restoration Council, Scott River Restoration Council, Scott River Resource Conservation District and the Middle Klamath Watershed Council.
The Tribe teamed up with the Siskiyou RCD on a large scale project in the Scott River Valley. The project is the start of a multi-year planning process necessary to restore large floodplain habitats along the valley reaches of the Scott River. Work products from this project included a flood inundation model for the 3 mile long project reach located on the Menne Ranch. The model is critical for moving forward with other design steps and site designs for things like off channel oxbow ponds and beaver analog structures. PCSRF funds were used to pay for the hydrologic flood model at this site.
Project designs were completed for Horse Creek at two sites, Fish Gulch and lower Horse Creek. Conceptual designs were completed for the lower Horse Creek site which is all private land. The designs are being used for landowner outreach and will be further developed pending cooperation from landowners. The Fish Gulch project is located on public land in the upper reaches of Horse Creek. The Fish Gulch site included multiple oxbow ponds and wood structures in the project design. An old historic mining pond was incorporated into the project design. The designs were completed to a level necessary for cost estimates and permitting purposes. The designs were modified and field fit during the construction phase. This project was constructed in fall of 2018.
The Beaver Creek sites are located partially on private land and public land. The US Forest Service used the design team’s preliminary design to start the NEPA process. Groundwater wells were installed and being used in the design process. The Beaver Creek project is still in the early development stage, but the conceptual designs are being used to for implementation proposals and environment permits. Additional funding will be needed to move forward with the design work.

Work with the Middle Klamath Watershed Council and engineering consultants to develop engineered habitat enhancement designs on Horse Creek for off-channel ponds/levee setback and lower Beaver Creek for off channel ponds/levee setback.
The Horse Creek project will include final designs for two off channel ponds near Fish Gulch Creek and designs for levee setbacks in the creek reach between Middle Creek and Fish Gulch Creek. A preliminary design was completed in 2016 for the off channel pond sites, but more work is needed on the final design. The levee setback and floodplain restoration component has started with topographic surveys conducted in 2015, but will require hydraulic modeling and other engineering work for a final design package. There are roads, bridges and agricultural lands nearby therefore engineered designs are necessary. This funding will support hydraulic modeling and other engineering costs.
The Beaver Creek off channel ponds design will include land surveying, hydraulic modeling and groundwater mapping. Piezometer wells were installed at this site during 2016 and show promising results for construction of groundwater fed off channel ponds. Topographic surveying is needed to complete a hydraulic model for the sites. It’s still unclear if high level engineering plans are needed which will depend on the results of the hydraulic modeling and floodplain inundation mapping to determination of risk to existing roads and other infrastructures.
Work with the Scott River Resource Conservation District (RCD) and engineering consultants to develop a floodplain habitat enhancement design in the Scott River Valley between river mile 46 and river mile 48.
During 2017 the Tribe formed a partnership with the Scott River RCD, Cal Trout and a large agricultural landowner in the lower reach of the Scott River Valley. The site includes approximately 3 miles of river including both sides of the river channel which presents an opportunity for large scale habitat restoration. The river reach is surrounded by active agricultural lands and is affected by historic levees, habitat simplification and channelization. Hydraulic modeling and other engineering techniques are necessary to complete this design due to the complex nature of the site. It is also anticipated that a county floodplain development permit will be necessary as a FEMA permit requirement. During 2016 preliminary design and scoping began for this project including installations of piezometer well, aerial photo mapping using a drone and field reconnaissance with engineers. Piezometer well monitoring results show shallow groundwater exists with respect to potential construction of winter rearing habitats. The project proponents have received a small amount of funding from Cal Trout and are applying for additional funding for engineering design during 2017.

Deliverable: Conceptual project designs for juvenile Coho Salmon habitat enhancement will be completed for three project areas including Scott River near river 46, Horse Creek near Fish Gluch/Middle Creek and lower Beaver Creek.