SSHEAR Legacy Fishway Resolution

The intent of this restoration project is to restore fish passage at three off-channel habitat sites. The goals for this project are to provide permanent access to high quality, high quantity habitat through naturally functioning processes for juvenile salmonids, primarily coho.
Tall Timber and T-bone Springs are located in Clallam County, WA on Rayonier Timber Company property; Elkhorn is located in Clallam County, WA on City of Forks Property. All three sites have fishways, that were constructed by the WA Department of Fish and Wildlife in the early 1980s that were constructed to provide passage to juvenile rearing habitat. Over time these structures have deteriorated and become partial barriers. Tall Timbers and T-bone also include downstream weirs to aid in fish passage while Elkhorn has a dam structure in the location of the historical beaver dam at the original outlet of the pond.
This project would replace the man made infrastructure with more natural functioning solutions that would be sustained over time. The sponsor proposes to install roughened channel structures and small wood structures to maintain passable gradient and rearing pond levels. Each site will be examined to determine the best approach for the site conditions. Priority Species targeted by this project are all species of juvenile salmonids, mainly Coho, for rearing, and has potential for adult spawning of Coho and Steelhead.

Any failure of the structures will limit fish passage, reduce the water levels, lower the quantity and quality of rearing habitat, and deliver fine sediments to spawning areas downstream. To prevent this a solution that provides fish passage, retains rearing habitat, and does not require maintenance needs to be implemented. This project will evaluate the viable options, create designs that mimic natural conditions, and implement these designs.
Goals:
i. Maintain or improve fish passage for juvenile Coho salmonid
ii. Maintain or improve rearing habitat for juvenile Coho salmonid
iii. Restore the extent and diversity of off channel aquatic habitat availability to pre-disturbance conditions for juvenile salmonid in a watershed with limited or threatened habitat availability
iv. Reestablish natural flows to promote normative sediment delivery and passage while eliminating the need for chronic maintenance of fishways for fish access to quality habitat.