Mashel River Habitat Designs RM 0-3

This proposal is for a design planning grant for two adjacent restoration areas at the mouth of the Mashel River, coupled with a reach-scale design alternatives for the lower three miles of the Mashel River. The location specific restoration designs will focus on two adjacent work areas near the mouth of the Mashel River where bridge abutments, bank armoring, and fill will be removed to restore floodplain and side channel connections, river migration corridors, and salmon habitat. Supplemental installations of in-stream wood (logs or log jams) to boost salmon habitat and mid-term wood loading are proposed as well. For the additional lower three miles of the Mashel River, a GIS and field assessment of in-stream habitat and wood loading conditions will inform design alternatives for wood loading treatments. Viable wood placement options for the reach-scale area will be developed into design documents which will be used to inform future project planning and funding strategies. Deliverables for this project will include a Preliminary Design for restoration and a report summarizing results of the assessment. The three landowners for the entirety of the project area are all state agencies, State Parks, UW Pack Forest, and WA DNR. Site access is expected to be granted for the design work, with future restoration access pending formal requests and agreement. This project will support Chinook, coho, chum, and pink salmon, and steelhead and trout species.

Restoration Goal 1: Increase the quantity and quality of accessible off-channel habitat for rearing, juvenile salmon and steelhead. Restoration Goal 2: Improve river channel and habitat diversity for juvenile and adult salmon and steelhead. Restoration Goal 3: Improve floodplain-river connections and functions. Assessment Goal 1: Assess and update metrics for current wood loading rates and habitat features within the lower three miles of the Mashel River. Develop designs for the site specific locations as well as for wood-loading projects in the lower three miles of the Mashel River.