White Salmon Fish Passage Inventory

Through this project, UCD conducted a stream-based, watershed-wide survey of fish passage barriers and hazards.

The primary project objectives and outcomes were as follows:
-Identify and assess all passage barriers and hazards in potentially anadromous fish-bearing streams of the White Salmon watershed.
-Produce database of fish passage structures and quantitative barrier determination.
-Report findings, maps, and priority indices and produce a prioritized potential project list (Top Ten Report).

Funding for the White Salmon Fish Passage Inventory enabled Underwood Conservation District (UCD) to coordinate and facilitate a thorough inventory of passage barriers and hazards in anadromous fish habitat of the White Salmon watershed. Fish passage around or through Condit Dam is being required of PacifiCorp by the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission (FERC), and current plans and permits are being finalized to remove the dam in Fall of 2011. While there are many unknowns to the recolonization of salmonids in the watershed post-Condit Dam removal, the need for a passage inventory has been clearly identified by various partnering agencies, planning groups, and reports (i.e. Klickitat lead Entity Technical Committee and Citizens Review Committee, Limiting Factors Analysis, White Salmon Subbasin Plan, White Salmon Watershed Management Committee, etc.).

The data collected in this passage inventory provides much-needed information on where to prioritize future habitat restoration work above Condit Dam.

The goal of this project was to increase/improve information and fill data gaps in order to facilitate the selection of restoration projects and barrier removal projects that have a high certainty of success and benefit to the watershed. This project was designed to provide both qualitative and quanitative information to help prioritize and implement projects.