SF Nooksack Skookum Edfro Ph 3 Design

Lummi Nation used this grant to study feasibility and develop conceptual designs for an instream restoration project on the SF Nooksack River southeast of Saxon, WA in Whatcom County (RM 12.8 to 13.9). Preliminary designs were developed with other grant funding. The goal is to restore SF early chinook spawning, rearing and holding habitat to recover self-sustaining runs to harvestable levels by addressing limiting factors of high temperature, low habitat diversity, and lack of key habitat. LNR hired an engineering firm to hydraulically model design alternatives for a project that restores habitat-forming processes. Alternatives were evaluated on benefits to chinook per hydraulic modeling and expected channel and biological response. Stakeholders helped select a preferred alternative to be developed into a preliminary design, basis of design report and construction cost estimate. The preliminary design includes construction of 46 ELJs, creation of 25 pools, excavation of up to 2,275 feet of new side channels, removal of 250 feet of riprap, covering over 1,350 feet of riprap with logs and other earthen material, reconnecting 4.7 acres of floodplain habitat, and planting 5.4 riparian acres.?South Fork early chinook are one of the highest priority populations essential for recovery of the ESA-listed Puget Sound ESU (WRIA 1 2005). The project will benefit LNRs native chinook broodstock hatchery program supporting recovery and address a temperature TMDL on a river threatened by climate change. It will also benefit ESA-listed steelhead and bull trout, other salmonids, and the Southern Resident Killer Whale.

The project goal is to engage stakeholders in developing a design concept that restores spawning, rearing and holding habitat to recover self-sustaining salmon runs to harvestable levels by addressing the limiting factors of high temperature, low variety of habitat, and lack of key habitat. An outreach plan will allow LNR to work alongside stakeholders to achieve a common goal of recovery of SF early Chinook. ELJs will be designed to form primary and secondary pools for adult chinook holding and juvenile rearing, combat channel incision and redd scour, improve floodplain connectivity to increase flood refugia for rearing, and promote hyporheic exchange to improve egg to fry survival.