Expanded habitat projects benefit fish and wildlife

The Columbia River Basin's fish and wildlife represent an important part of the Pacific Northwest's heritage and culture. Dams on the Columbia River system produce low-cost and clean electricity, protect against flooding and provide for irrigation and navigation. However, they have impacted the regions fish and wildlife populations. The Bonneville Power Administration and its partners that operate the Federal Columbia River Power System work to mitigate those impacts so healthy fish and wildlife populations and low-cost electricity can exist side by side. In order to meet 2008 Biological Opinion requirements, BPA expanded its already significant habitat program to address factors that limit fish and wildlife survival in tributaries and the estuary.

The tributary habitat program restores spawning and rearing habitat, opens channels for fish passage and leaves more water in streams where these fish live. We are implementing many projects to improve habitat quality, particularly in the areas where the endangered populations spawn and rear, including the Upper Columbia in eastern Washington and the Snake River in eastern Oregon and Idaho.

The estuary habitat program will improve survival for all Columbia River fish that migrate to the ocean, especially those that use the shallow estuary as a nursery to gain strength before heading to sea. We are protecting and restoring riparian and off-channel habitat and reconnecting flood plains. We are also developing a program to remove or modify pilings and dikes to increase fish access to productive habitat and reduce predation from birds.

Below are some examples of how the habitat projects will help fish:

Snake River spring/summer chinook and steelhead

Grande Ronde and tributaries

• Fish passage improvements in the Lostine, Wallowa and Joseph Creek watersheds to allow fish access to diversity of habitats.
• Channel enhancement and wetland restoration in Willow Creek and Indian Creek to provide rearing habitat and cool water refuges during the heat of summer.
• Culverts/irrigation diversion improvements in Catherine Creek to improve fish passage.

Salmon River and tributaries

• Water diversion removal or replacement to restore fish habitat in the Little Salmon and Lower Salmon rivers.
• Road decommissioning, road improvement and habitat restoration near mining sites in Big Creek watershed to remove migration barriers and improve spawning and rearing habitat.

Clearwater and tributaries
(Snake River steelhead only)

• Road decommissioning, culvert removal, noxious weed control, riparian rehabilitation along the Lochsa reduced excessive sediment delivery to streams, provided access to more spawning and rearing habitats, helped to cool water temperatures.
• Riparian rehabilitation to increase shade and nutrients along streams, culvert replacements to remove barriers to fish passage and allow access to more habitat on Newsome Creek.

Upper Columbia River spring chinook and steelhead

Wenatchee River

• Installing fish passage structure on Nason Creek to reconnect 0.6 miles of fish habitat.
• Installing fish passage structures in Alder Creek, Clear Creek and Beaver Creek to reopen 4.0 miles of spawning and rearing habitat.

Okanogan River (steelhead)

• Land acquisition to preserve riparian and floodplain function.
• Water acquisition to improve streamflow.

Lower Columbia River

Hood River (coho, spring chinook and steelhead)

• Install fencing, plant vegetation, install fish screens and fish passage structures; improve channel connectivity; remove/modify dams in Hood River subbasin to support wild fish spawning and rearing.

Wind River (steelhead)

• Removed the Hemlock Dam on Trout Creek to restore fish passage, improve water quality and habitat; channel realignment.

Estuary

River Mile 60, Willow Grove Acquisition (Coho, chum, chinook, and steelhead)

• Permanently protect important intertidal wetland habitat located at River Mile 60 of the Columbia River. The wetlands provide important habitat for migrating and juvenile coho, chum, chinook, and steelhead.

Skamokawa Creek Restoration

• Re-establish tidal-fluvial hydrology to historic Skamokawa Creek through interior culvert retrofits and channel enhancements.

Walluski River Tidal Restoration (stream and ocean-type salmon)

• Increase habitat complexity in the Walluski River and improve juvenile salmonid rearing by maintaining a natural dike breach, removing an additional 100 feet of the dike, and adding large wood to the tidal channels and floodplain to provide refuge and shelter for fish.

Mirror Lake Restoration (stream and ocean-type salmon)

• Increase access to potential spawning areas, lower water temperatures, establish native streamside vegetation.

Sandy River Restoration (stream and ocean-type salmon)

• Restore riparian forest, wetlands and riparian areas.