Two Springs Protection and Restoration Project- Rock Creek Subbasin

Restore two headwater springs in upper Quartz Creek, a tributary of Rock Creek in Klickitat County, Washington, to conserve and enhance quantity and quality of water, meadow protection and rehabilitation, and support biological diversity at both sites for fish and wildlife. This project will enhance the water quality and water quantity of one of the headwater tributary streams that support Middle Columbia Steelhead Distinct Population Segments in the subbasin. Oncorhynchus mykiss (O. mykiss) critical habitat has been identified by NOAAF in the subbasin and there is a recovery plan in place for the subbasin. Spring and meadow restoration within the subbasin has been identified in the recovery plan as a key restoration action to benefit the O. mykiss population. Spring restoration includes relocating two spring fed water troughs out of the spring outlet and riparian area to a new location where cattle trampling in the riparian locales will be minimized for the protection of water quality. Meadow restoration includes fencing cattle out of the meadow and spring outlet and planting native plants in the riparian channel adjacent to the meadow.



Worksite #1 Milk Spring Restoration Site:

The restoration of this site will include relocating a spring fed water trough at the current site away from the spring outlet and out of the immediate meadow location. The existing trough in the meadow will be removed with the spring piping and a new supply line will be dug to line up the junction line approximately 1200 feet away. A new water trough location will be developed at the new location which is away from the meadow at a new location to keep cattle out of the meadow, spring outlet, and riparian area. A combination of barbed wire fence and buck and pole fence will be installed outside of the meadow and spring locations to exclude cattle out of the restoration site (~1600 feet). Native wetland and riparian plants will be planted in the meadow and along the spring stream channel post construction. Invasive weed removal in the spring and meadow restoration site project footprint during and once post project. Livestock manure management will also be performed at this site.



Worksite #2 Simcoe Unit Spring Restoration Site:

The second site will also be a spring restoration site where the water trough will be re-routed away from the spring outlet and away from the riparian corridor to reduce cattle exposure to the sensitive area and improve the water quality of the spring water approximately 1500 feet away from the current location. Spring overflow will be re-routed to the nearest active stream channel and a cattle exclusion fence will be constructed to keep the cattle out of spring restoration area. A barbed wire cattle exclosure fence (~1600 feet) will be constructed around the spring outlet and the riparian corridor downstream of the spring outlet. Construction area will be revegetated and native riparian plants will be planted along the riparian corridor. Livestock manure management will also be performed at this site.

Spring and meadow enhancement and restoration has been identified in the Lower Mid-Columbia Mainstem Including Rock Creek Subbasin Plan and the Recovery Plan for the Rock Creek Population of the Middle Columbia River Steelhead Distinct Population Segment to assist in restoring historical hydrologic regime and improving the groundwater storage capacity in upper Quartz Creek. Spring and meadow enhancement will promote cold water refugia in the headwaters of the subbasin which will be of benefit to the O. mykiss of the subbasin.



In 2017, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) purchased the lands in the headwaters of Rock Creek (~2240acres) from a private Timber company. For the last 100+ years the primary land use activities have been logging and grazing. Now the lands have been recently changed from private to ‘open and unclaimed lands’ and the WDFW has a Tribal co-management obligation with Yakama Nation. The headwaters of Rock Creek are critical to the entire subbasin and sustaining a viable population of steelhead in Rock Creek. This will be the first restoration project in the headwaters of Rock Creek and will lead the way to additional restoration projects in the headwaters to assist in retaining cold water refugia for all salmonids downstream of the restoration site.