Buford Cr Fish Passage_SiteID 990048

This project restored fish passage at a previous barrier culvert on Buford Creek located in southeast Washington at the State Highway 129 crossing. The culvert is located approximately ¼ of the way up the Buford Creek Watershed where it passes under State Highway 129. A 2008 Walla Walla Community College Road Crossing Barrier Assessment and a 2009/2010 Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Fishway Assessment Report designated the crossing as a partial passage barrier to ESU Snake River Steelhead. According to the SRSRB Lead Entity, the pre-existing 11 foot wide corrugated metal pipe culvert posed an imminent threat to anadromous fish (steelhead) on a local scale, and limited their access to nearly five miles of stream above the culvert, two miles of which are designated critical habitat. The former culvert inhibited functional sediment transport due to being nearly two thirds undersize for the site creating undesirable conditions both above and below the culvert. Primary partners on this project included Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT), SRSRB, WDFW, and Asotin County Conservation District (ACCD). Additionally, 0.1 acres of riparian planting was implemented along the project stream.

The goal of this project is to eliminate limiting factor of limited spawning access and reduced natural sediment transport in this reach by removing a fish barrier. Removing the barrier will provide access to 1.9 miles of critical spawning habitat (5 miles of total habitat upstream) benefiting ESA listed Snake River Steelhead trout.