Restoring Connectivity for Chinook and Coho Salmon in the Little Tonsina River (Bridge 568)

The Little Tonsina River is a largely pristine, intact sub-drainage in the Copper River watershed that supports both Chinook and coho adult and juvenile salmon populations. This project will remove a dual culvert structure, the only barrier at the bottom of the Little Tonsina drainage. Currently the culverts are blocking up and downstream movement of juvenile fish and are a partial barrier to migrating adults. Project partners Copper River Watershed Project (CRWP), Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G), Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (ADOT/PF), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and Chugach Alaska Corporation will replace the two adjacent undersized culverts with a single-lane bridge that has a single clear span of at least two times the bankfull channel width, restoring critical connectivity to an estimated 113 km of upstream habitat.

Replacing the undersized culverts of the Lower Tonsina River crossing will open access to approximately 113 km of upstream habitat for Chinook and coho salmon.