Tide Gate Pipe Sizing Tool - Phase 3 - Model Refinement and Implementation

Salmonid Restoration Planning and Assessments

Project ID	OWEB 222-8404-22405
Recovery Domains	-
Start Date	07/27/2022
End Date	12/21/2023
Year	2020
Status	Completed
Last Edited	04/11/2024

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Description

These funds supported the development of a pipe sizing tool for tide gates. The tool was developed by Northwest Hydraulic Consultants with guidance from a multidisciplinary team (ODFW, NMFS, CoosWA and OWEB). Tide gates are a coastwide watershed problem that negatively impact natural resources and local economies. Specifically, failing tide gates put agricultural and municipal lands at risk of inundation and block or limit fish passage to highly productive habitats for ESA listed salmonid species. This tool utilizes the existing tide gate inventory and hydraulic data/models to help tide gate landowners and practitioners estimate the size of culvert and tide gate needed for tide gate upgrade projects utilizing a user-friendly web-based system. This product will ultimately help streamline the complicated and costly planning process by giving users an intial estimate of the projcts scope so they can determine the appropriate next steps.

Project Benefit

This technical assistance grant will benefit salmon, steelhead and other native fish by completing the final development phase of a tool that will assist in streamlining the design and permitting of tide gate replacement. Specifically, the tool will identify the size of the culvert necessary to meet state and federal fish passage standards with a tide gate. Along the Oregon Coast and Columbia Estuary, failing tide gates are currently limiting fish access to critical slow-water refugia, tidal rearing habitat and upland spawning habitat. Lack of access to winter rearing habitat is the primary limiting factor for ESA-listed Oregon Coast coho (NMFS Coho Recovery Plan 2016). Coho and other anadromous fish use tidal habitats for feeding, rearing and as a source of slow water refugia during high winter flows. Studies have shown smolt growth rates are often 1.5-2.0 times greater for off-channel and tidal wetland habitats compared to stream locations (Nickelson 2012, ODFW, unpublished 2014). Nickelson (2007) estimated that these types of habitats historically were capable of rearing sufficient number of coho juveniles to produce 11-17 returning coho adults for every acre of high functioning floodplain wetland. Overall, this grant will promote the recovery of salmon and steelhead by streamlining projects that include tide gate replacements with upgrades that improve fish passage to these critical habitats.

Source

Funds

State

$100,050

Other

Report Total:

$100,051

Worksites

22405

Worksite Identifier: 22405
Start Date:
End Date:

Area Description

No Area Description data was found for this worksite.

Location Information

Basin:
Subbasin:
Watershed:
Subwatershed:

State:
Recovery Domain:
Latitude: 43.367907
Longitude: -124.215102

ESU

Oregon Coast Chinook Salmon ESU
Oregon Coast Coho Salmon ESU
Lower Columbia River Coho Salmon ESU
Columbia River Chum Salmon ESU
Pacific Coast Chum Salmon ESU
Lower Columbia River Steelhead DPS
Oregon Coast Steelhead DPS
Lower Columbia River Chinook Salmon ESU

Map

Photos

Metrics

B.0 Salmonid Restoration Planning and AssessmentsY (Y/N)

. . B.0.a Planning And Assessment Funding 100,051.00
. . B.0.b.1 Area Encompassed 50,000.0

. . B.1 Restoration Planning And CoordinationY (Y/N)

. . . . B.1.a Planning and Coordination funding 100,051.00

. . . . B.1.b.10 Designing or maintaining restoration data systemsY (Y/N)

. . . . . . B.1.b.10.a

Name of plan implemented

National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Region, 2011-01-01, Columbia River Estuary ESA Recovery Plan Module for Salmon & Steelhead; National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Region, 2013-06-01, ESA Recovery Plan for Lower Columbia River Coho Salmon, Lower Columbia River Chinook Salmon, Columbia River Chum Salmon, and Lower Columbia River Steelhead; National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Region, 2016-12-01, Recovery Plan for Oregon Coast Coho Salmon Evolutionarily Significant Unit; Office of the Governor, State of Oregon, 1999-01-01, The Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds; Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2003-09-12, Oregon's Native Fish Conservation Policy; Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2007-03-01, Oregon Coast Coho Conservation Plan for the State of Oregon;

. . . . . . B.1.b.10.b

Description and scope of the plan implemented

Recovery Plan for Oregon Coast Coho Salmon Evolutionary Unit, The Recovery Plan states restoring watershed and estuarine processes to increase rearing habitat quality is vital to recovering coho populations. Specifically, it states that “increasing rearing habitat is the best way to improve the resilience of Oregon Coast coho.” This project will facilitate the restoration of access to coho habitat along the coast., , Oregon Native Fish Conservation Policy, The Oregon Native Fish Policy states that restoration projects should “give priority to management actions that address and remedy the primary factors of decline.” This project will address the greatest limiting factor to coho recovery: the, lack of slow-water refugia, by developing a tool , that will streamline tide gate designs that will improve access to off-channel, tidally influenced slow-water refugia., , Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds, The Oregon plan recommends altering tide gates to restore wetland hydrology, as a vital restoration action for recovering coho populations in the state., , Oregon Coast Coho Conservation Plan, The Oregon Coast Coho Conservation Plan recommends focusing on lowland areas on private lands to restore over-wintering rearing habitat. It also determined that “the best strategy for protection and restoration of high quality over-winter rearing habitat in these privately-owned, lowland areas is to seek voluntary participation of the landowners in activities under the Oregon Plan.”, , Columbia River Estuary ESA Recovery Plan Module for Salmon and Steelhead and Lower Columbia Conservation and Recovery Plan both state the recommendation to: "upgrade tide gates or perched culverts where (1) no other options exist, (2) upgraded structures can provide appropriate access for juveniles, and (3) ecosystem function would be improved over current conditions.