The 1999 PCCD culvert survey identified the FS 7020 culvert at Slide Creek & the FS 7021 culverts at Straight Creek and Burns Creek to be the highest priority fish passage barriers in the Greenwater River Watershed. The culverts were prioritized using WDFWs priority indexing methology. The outlet of the Slide Creek culvert is perched ~ 8 ft. above a shallow pool with heavily eroded approach fills on each side. The Straight Creek culvert was plugged during a 1995 flood event & cut a new channel through the adjacent road fill. The new incised channel is a barrier to all fish life-stages. The Burns Creek culvert is still intact, but is undersized for amount of flow & debris produced & too steep to allow fish passage. This project will involve replacing the FS 7020 culvert at Slide Creek with a 45 long concrete bridge & removal of the culverts & associated fill material within the bankfull widths of Straight & Burns Creeks on FS 7021. The stream banks of Straight & Burns Creeks would be revegetated with weed free mulch, red alder saplings, & conifer saplings. This project will result in improved passage of salmonids at all life-stages & open 2.5 miles of potential refugia. Both chinook & native char (bull trout & Dolly Varden) are present in the mainstem Greenwater River adjacent to confluences of the streams mentioned above, & listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
