Yellowhawk Creek is the principle corridor for native Steelhead to reach the pristine spawning and rearing habitat of upper Mill and Blue creeks. The objective of this project is to remove the two primary fish passage barriers on the Yellowhawk, resulting in improved passage from the Walla Walla River to the protected headwaters of Mill Creek. This Steelhead run has been proposed for listing as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. These migratory fish cannot pass through the channelized, concrete portion of Mill Creek that flows through the city; therefore, they must utilize the Yellowhawk Creek corridor. This project will replace two concrete irrigation dams with five fish-passable v-log weirs and rootwads, and enhance a small section of riparian buffer. The removal of fish passage barriers has been recommended in several regional plans written for restoring salmon and steelhead in the the Walla Walla Basin. This project was ranked first in priority by a group of citizens and technical professionals within the watershed, including the Umatilla Tribes, Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Walla Walla County, Cities, sportsmans groups, local colleges, Department of Ecology, local irrigation districts, private landowners, and others. Project design will begin immediately, and will be installed by September 30, 1999.
