Teanaway Community Forest Floodplain Restoration

The Mid-Columbia Fisheries (MCF) proposed to restore Teanaway River complexity by placing up to 1,000 pieces of wood at strategic locations along 12 miles in the NF, MF and WF of the Teanaway River, which is the largest undammed tributary to the Yakima River located northwest of Ellensburg. This work was planned to complement and expand upon the large wood trapping structures designed and installed under SRFB #17-1177.

Within the grant performance period, MCF completed wood replenishment in the NF Teanaway and re-grading along Indian Creek. With grant funds, MCF and the Yakama Nation (YN) placed 1000 pieces of unanchored large wood in 1.5 miles of the North Fork Teanaway (approximately RM 4.6 - 5.6 and 6.3 - 6.7) in 2019 using helicopter and ground-based equipment. In 2020, MCF and YN re-contoured over 5000 feet of artificial ditch networks in Indian Creek (left bank tributary to the NF Teanaway) to reduce artificial drainage, and rearranged logs throughout the Indian Creek floodplain to improve the function of a previous large wood placement project implemented by the YN (no new structures were installed).

MCF will continue working with a Technical Advisory Team and Natural Systems Design to assess alternatives and a phasing plan for restoration work in the Middle Fork and West Fork Teanaway under SRFB 20-1390. The permitting and design timeline did not allow this grant to support work in those forks.

The project site lies within the state-owned Teanaway Community Forest, which was purchased in 2013 as an element of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan. By placing woody material and re-contouring artificial ditch networks, the project benefited the spring Chinook, coho, and steelhead that are extant to this watershed. The wood is already helping to retain spawning substrate and aggrade the channel bed. Enhanced recreation opportunities include fishing, hunting in recovered riparian areas, and outdoor observations. The Other Instream Habitat Project Activies included: hand-placed approximately 200 cubic yards of bruch incorporating into eight plugs installed to trap water of the floodplain and prevent it from draining through old road ditches. Water retention was immediate.
See the Final Report Narrative in PRISM for more information, including complementary projects implemented with other funding. PCSRF 2015 funds were spent within the award period.

The goal of this project is to enhance overall aquatic habitat productivity for spring Chinook, coho, steelhead in treated reaches, including improved groundwater recharge and storage, increased pool habitat, improved spawning gravel retention, improved stream flow complexity, and improved water quality.