Bolen Kelly Habitat Design

This project funded final designs for a habitat improvement project along a one mile reach of the upper Walla Walla River. Six separate landowners on both sides of the river are interested in a project that will create better instream habitat, improve the riparian area, create meanders and side channels and improve bank stability. This reach is utilized by ESA listed bull trout and steelhead, and also reintroduced spring Chinook salmon. A previously funded OWEB technical assistance grant helped fund a geomorphic assessment and development of habitat enhancement alternative plans and report. This project provided 100% designs necessary for restoration permitting and costing out the habitat project.

This project will result in engineering designs for instream and riparian area habitat improvements in an area that has known steelhead and chinook salmon spawning, and is also seasonal rearing habitat for bull trout. This design will build upon the completed geomorphic assessment and habitat alternatives report and drawings that were presented to the landowners. The landowners were enthusiastic about moving forward with designs and a restoration project. The landowners are willing to provide part of their properties for expanding meanders, allowing side channel creation, and establishment of larger riparian buffers. These designs will provide the information needed to pursue project permitting and restoration funds for construction of habitat improvements to over 3/4 miles of a channelized reach of the river. Potential improvements will include re-establishment of meanders, creation of side channels, pools, fenced and planted riparian setbacks as much as 200 feet back from the current streambank, installation of roughened riffles for grade control and pool creation, placement of pocket water habitat boulders, and root wad placements.