Poorman Creek Culvert Replacement

Project Location:  Poorman Creek

Landowner:  Private and Okanogan County Road Right of Way

Species Benefitted: Spring Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout

Project Status: 
Methow Salmon Recovery Foundation is currently in the site restoration, monitoring, and adaptive management phase of this fish passage restoration project.

Funding: Salmon Recovery Funding Board, HCP Tributary Fund, and Washington Department of Ecology (Centennial 319).

Partners:

• Bureau of Reclamation
• Okanogan County
• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
• Washington Department of Ecology
• Wild Fish Conservancy

Phase 1: Culvert Replacement
In the fall of 2009 MSRF removed the the last fish passage barrier on Poorman Creek, a tributary of the Twisp River. The goal of the project was to restore access to upstream habitat for threatened Upper Columbia River (UCR) steelhead trout and endangered UCR spring Chinook salmon. The old barrier culvert on Poorman Creek Cutoff Road was replaced with a bottomless steel plate arch and engineered streambed.

Phase 2: Site Restoration, Monitoring and Adaptive Management
Ongoing site restoration with native plants began after construction ended in October, 2009. The plantings will be maintained through 2012 with WA Dept. of Ecology Centennial funds to ensure that the site is returned to pre-construction condition or better. The project site will be monitored for 3 years following construction to ensure that the project functions as intended. Adaptive management will take place on an as-needed basis to maintain function and benefit fish over the long-term.

This bottomless steel plate arch replaced a small corrugated steel pipe culvert. The old culvert was a slope and velocity barrier to fish passage at most flows. The new culvert should allow fish passage at most flows and provides access to 2-3 miles of upstream habitat.

 

 

CONTINUED

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