Cougar Creek Fish Passage Design

The Asotin County Conservation District sponsored a design project to develop construction ready final design to replace the existing Cougar Creek culvert, which is a partial to fish passage barrier where Cougar Creek flows under the Grande Ronde River Road in Southeast Washington. The barrier poses an imminent threat to Snake River steelhead and limits their access to approximately 2.25 miles of rearing and spawning habitat upstream of the culvert. As stated in the Snake River Salmon Recovery Plan, steelhead are especially effective at accessing and utilizing stream reaches with suitable habitat, however, their distribution is limited due to environmental issues such as migration barriers. Cougar Creek flows directly into by the Grande Ronde River approximately 140 feet below the barrier. The project resulted in a final design report, construction ready engineered plans, and completion of the environmental compliance requirements for the Cougar Creek fish passage project.

The goal is to provide fish passage to Snake River steelhead in Cougar Creek for spawning and rearing. The design addresses how the undersized culvert will be replaced with an adequately sized structure improving access to more than 2.25 miles of habitat. By improving passage at this location, this project once implemented will allow all life stages of steelhead to fully utilize the stream reach.