Fish Passage and Habitat Design on Spring Creek

This project evaluated fish passage options at the earthen dam on Spring Creek in the White Salmon River Basin. Yakama Nation met with the landowners and design engineer to evaluate design alternatives. Based on observations and discussions, landowners expressed preferences that were developed into a fourth design alternative. The fourth alternative included design schematics and visualizations of the potential conditions once fish passage is restored. With their preference for this option confirmed, the fourth design option was carried forward and the deliverables for this project included a conceptual plan set as well as alternatives that were not carried forward.
In addition to the design alternative selection and engineering designs, an outreach document was developed addressing some of the initial concerns shared by the landowners and voiced by the community at large regarding the history of the pond. The outreach document explains the timing of use of Spring Creek above the dam by the different fish stocks, since steelhead (O.mykiss), are expected to recolonize between 1.25 to 3.0 miles of habitat above the dam, with coho and Spring Chinook potentially using a portion of the lower project area as well. The outreach document presented an artistic rendering of the future look of the site based on the fourth design option, and addressed noted questions regarding future access to a location for the Husum Fire Department or other fire response to obtain water from the pond as has historically been the case in an emergency.
A Basis of Design Report (BDR), Preliminary Designs (Appendix A), FishXing Culvert Analysis (Appendix B), Alternative Designs (Appendix C), and an Outreach document for new landowners and the community were included as deliverables.

The goal of this project is to complete a preliminary design for the removal of this earthen dam on Spring Creek. With removal of the dam Steelhead and other species will be able to access upstream habitat previously inaccessible.