DESCRIPTION
This project is to construct two fish barrier corrections which are designed and permitted under RCO Grant #16-1776. Designs are complete, permit applications were submitted in January, 2017. Permits will be in hand in time for 2017 construction. One barrier is on Taylor Creek under the county South Bank Road crossing, the other is 75 feet downstream under an abandoned railroad grade crossing. The project is to replace the 33% passable county culvert with a structure that is passable to all aquatic species and life stages in order to open access to 2.88 miles of excellent spawning and rearing habitat in forestlands. The project will also remove two cement shotgun culverts and remove the old railroad grade overburden to open the barrier 75 feet downstream from the county site. Both barriers are 600 feet upstream from a fish passage barrier that is being corrected through HRP Grant #16-1336 in the summer of 2017 under Taylors Ferry Road. Five species of salmonids will benefit from the improved habitat conditions and availability in the Chehalis Basin as a result of this project. The project is on an unnamed tributary, called Taylor Creek for the purposes of this application, which flows into the Chehalis River at RM 28.7 in WRIA 22 near Elma, Washington. It consists of a fish passage barrier concrete culvert under Grays Harbor County's South Bank Road at road mile 14.74 as measured driving north from Oakville.
This project corrected two fish barriers on an unnamed tributary, called Taylor Creek for the purposes of this application, which flows into the Chehalis River at RM 28.7 in WRIA 22 near Elma, Washington. One barrier was under county South Bank County Road crossing at road mile 14.74, the other is 75 feet downstream from the county road under an abandoned railroad grade crossing. The county crossing was at stream mile 0.16. The railroad crossing was at stream mile 0.15.
The project replaced the county culvert with a bottomless arch, galvanized steel, structural plate culvert 84 feet long that will passable all aquatic species and life stages to allow access to 2.88 miles of excellent spawning and rearing habitat in the forest lands upstream. The project also removed two concrete shotgun culverts on an old abandoned railroad grade 75 feet downstream from the county site. Both barriers are 600 feet upstream from a fish passage barrier correction that was done at the same time through a different grant funding source located under Taylors Ferry Road. Chinook, chum, Coho, steelhead, and cutthroat will benefit from the improved habitat conditions . At the Taylors Ferry project Pacific Lamprey were found, so this project will also benefit that species since they were observed immediately downstream of the two Taylor Cr. South Bank Road sites.
NOTES
This project was originally filed under project ID W2217-004.
