Smith River Estuary Backwater Habitat Enhancement Project - Tedsen Backwater

The project will enhance a naturally occurring backwater feature present on the south bank of the Smith River estuary by enhancing the duration and range of flows that migrating and rearing juvenile salmonids have access to off-channel habitat and low-flow refugia. The project will restore natural processes that maintain the feature. The project includes placing large wood structures in the stream as well as riparian restoration (planting and fencing) along the stream bank.

The project will increase channel complexity along the mainstem Smith River and addresses impaired estuary function by increasing the amount off-channel slow water rearing habitat. Impaired estuary function is a high stress to both the juvenile and smolt life stages of salmonids. This project will benefit and support Coho Salmon populations and implement high priority recovery actions identified by CDFW (2004) and NOAA (2014).