Potlatch River Watershed Restoration Potential and Project Prioritization

This project supported planning efforts to propel the next phase of Latah SWCD’s steelhead habitat projects in high priority subwatersheds throughout the Potlatch River watershed. With these funds Latah SWCD coordinated with the Potlatch Implementation Group and other agency partners, explored habitat restoration potential throughout the watershed, identified and prioritized near and long-term project concepts, and developed multiple restoration proposals. Information gathered from surveys and assessments could also be combined with IOSC’s recently developed Geomorphic Analysis/Assessment for the Big Bear Creek subwatershed to further optimize project selection and prioritization.

Specifically, Latah SWCD conducted a watershed scale crossing assessment, surveyed several crossings for fish passage barriers, and coordinated with private landowners, state and federal agencies, and other partners to develop and prioritize near and long-term projects. Twelve proposals requesting a total of $1,932,879 from multiple funding sources were developed as a direct result of these planning funds. Extensive mapping exercises will continue to provide information for future project development as well.

In addition, results from this project’s surveys and assessment have added elements to the Potlatch River Watershed Management Plan 2019 Amendment’s near- and long-term project schedules.

A change of scope was completed to expand the geographical range for planning and prioritization to include the Potlatch Watershed, rather than just the Big Bear Creek Watershed, resulting in the large increase in the metrics acres encompassed and miles affected. This project’s original geographic range was just the Big Bear Creek Watershed, based on the premise that a Big Bear Falls passage enhancement project would be implemented in 2020. However, that passage enhancement project (006 18 CW) was cancelled in October 2021. Two amendments to extend the project end date were completed.

This PCSRF proposal will be complementary to IOSC’s Geomorphic Analysis/Assessment, and identification and prioritization of potential short and long-term projects will be achieved through the collaborative process outlined in the 2019 Amendment and the PIG. The Potlatch River Watershed Management Plan – Amendment 2019 identified a project implementation schedule through 2022. The Amendment is scheduled for formal adoption by the Latah Soil and Water Conservation District.



Results from this proposal’s project assessment would allow for additions to the 2019 Amendment’s near-term project schedule and will facilitate the identification of potential long-term projects (2023-2027). Known limiting factors in the Big Bear Creek subwatershed are passage barriers and low summer baseflow. Enhancement of adult steelhead passage above Big Bear Falls could open 20 km of potential steelhead habitat in Big Bear Creek (Bowersox et al. 2012). “However, without continued habitat restoration efforts that address additional limiting factors (e.g. reduced late-summer streamflow), the full potential of steelhead production in the Big Bear Creek drainage may not be realized” (Bowersox et al. 2016). Therefore, the strategic planning effort proposed via this PCSRF Round 22 application is needed in Big Bear Creek to maximize restoration impacts on steelhead production.