Austin Hot Springs Conservation Area Habitat Enhancement

Located on property owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon (CTWSRO), in unincorporated Clackamas County, OR, the 150-acre property includes nearly a mile of mainstem Clackamas River (at RM 60) and approximately 35 acres of riparian habitat with the remainder of the property covered by coniferous and deciduous forest. The land was acquired by the Tribes in 2017 with funds from the Willamette Wildlife Mitigation Program (WWMP). The Property is under a Conservation Easement funded and held by BPA, whose purpose is to preserve in perpetuity the Conservation Values of the Property.



The Clackamas River is a priority river for the recovery of native salmon and trout populations in the Lower Columbia Basin. The overall goal of the project is to restore habitat for a multitude of species, including Coho, Chinook and steelhead salmon, Pacific Lamprey and bull trout, as well as other native fish populations utilizing the Clackamas River. This project will address primary limiting factors by; increasing off and side-channel habitat, improving floodplain connectivity, increasing riparian habitat quality, increasing large wood abundance along the mainstem Clackamas River and remediating impacts from unauthorized users to the hot springs and riparian areas.



Proposed restoration activities entail; remediation of impacts to the hot springs side channel and riparian areas from unauthorized users including removal of user created structures from the hot springs side channel, excavating two new side channels, enhancing two existing high flow channels, and placement of large wood structures for flow routing, habitat creation and maintenance. Grading and de-compacting user created parking and camping areas and removal of driveways from USFS 46 are also important project components. Replanting of the area will be conducted. The in-stream portion of the construction project is planned for construction during the in-water work window (July 15 – August 30) of 2024.



Worksite #1 Proposed Work:

The existing hot springs side channel will be graded to remove user created water control structures and other non-natural components and excavation of an overflow channel to the river. The project will also excavate and grade two new side channel in existing terraces (camping and parking areas) that are above and outside of Ordinary High Water (OHW). Two other off channel areas (partly or entirely within OHW) adjacent to the Clackamas River will have minor grading. A NPDES 1200c permit from DEQ will be obtained for this site prior to starting construction related activities at the site.



The construction and placement of various large wood structures is an integral component of the project. 6 “apex” style and one “deflector” style large wood structures, as well as, 73 other less complex large wood structures and over 180 logs will be placed throughout the side channels and along the mainstem of the river. Transport of ~1200 cyds of small wood and slash from PGE stockpiles at Faraday Dam to the site is part of this task. Fish salvage will be required to construct most if not all complex log structures (apex and deflector) along the river and for remedial grading actions in the hot springs side channel.



The former campground, parking areas and roads not within the footprint of the new side channels and wood structures will be de-compacted to a minimum of 12” and contoured to leave an undulating and hummocky finish surface grade. De-compacted and contoured surfaces shall be treated with floodplain wood at a density of ~60 pieces per acre. Additional slash from Portland General Electric Company and other sources will be applied at ~ 150 cyds per acre.



Erosion control will be implemented during construction and post-construction for site stability including spreading straw/mulch and seeding disturbed areas. The planting of the

The goal of the project is to address key limiting factors to salmon populations in the upper Clackamas River, identified as improved access to, and conditions of, side channel and off-channel habitats, and habitat complexity for rearing juvenile salmonids. Secondary goals are improved floodplain vegetation conditions and precluding unauthorized vehicular user access to the site.