Green Creek Restoration Design-Build

Green Creek is a large tributary of the Pysht River that supports populations of coho, chinook, and chum salmon as well as steelhead, Habitat conditions in Green Creek have been simplified, primarily due to the chronic loss of in-channel wood because of historic forest management. In this project, the Tribe will hire a qualified engineering firm to conduct a geomorphic, hydrologic, and hydraulic analysis of Green Creek from its confluence with the Pysht River to River Mile 1.5. That analysis will inform a Basis of Design Report, which will be used to produce engineering designs for the restoration of spawning and rearing habitat used by Pacific salmon. The resulting design and cost estimate will be used, in addition to project implementation funds included in this PCSRF project, to help secure additional grant funds to construct the project in its entirety. That design work is expected to be completed in calendar year 2025. The Tribe anticipates project implementation to occur in calendar years 2026 or 2027.

The tribe anticipates the implementation phase of the project to utilize a heavy lift helicopter that will place wood in complex arrangements to accelerate recovery of natural processes in the system. Rock collars will be used to anchor those wood pieces. The Pysht watershed has been historically impacted by industrial forestry and is known to be chronically deficient in in-channel wood. The lower portion of the project reach is now in a long-term conservation ownership, while the upper portion of the reach is managed under Washingtons Forests and Fish Agreement. It is anticipated that wood aggregations will improve pool structure, help trap alluvium, and improve floodplain connectivity.



On 11-15-2025 NWIFC, on behalf of the Lower Elwha Tribe, submitted a request to NOAA to cancel a proposed FY 2025 Hoko River habitat restoration project in the amount $252,200. Over the last year additional grant funding materialized from the USFWS and NOAA that provided the remainder of the construction money ($2.5+ million) necessary to implement the Hoko River project. The alternate use of the funding is to contribute to this project, which also includes PCSR FY 2023 and 2024 funding, and EPA Puget Sound Tribal Implementation grants to achieve a construction estimate of ~$1.2 million. The project is intended to be implemented in calendar year 2026 or 2027. More specifically, the added FY 2025 funds ($252,200) will contribute to the implementation phase of this project. The project was short of the funding needed to complete all the designed large wood habitat treatments. The FY 2025 PCSRF will make the project financially whole to assure implementation will occur as designed.

The objectives of this project are to complete a final restoration design for the lower 1.5 miles of Green Creek, a Pysht River tributary. That design, when implemented will result in improved spawning and rearing conditions throughout the reach. A portion of this project will be retained to begin purchasing and assembling materials for a future restoration project, specifically 100 rock collars. The future restoration project will require additional funding that the Tribe will seek once the design is completed.