DESCRIPTION
This project will bring all 18-miles, 10-miles mainstem Deschutes river and 8 miles upper tributaries, through final design and permitting. The upper Deschutes (RM 31-41) and the upper Deschutes tributaries (Thurston, Johnson, huckleberry and Mitchell) are the highest priority reaches for restoration within WRIA 13 according to the Strategy Update. The project would accelerate the implementation timeline of the Upper Deschutes Conceptual Design, 21-1138, and seeks to build upon recently competed scientific reports and assessments to develop the final design restoration treatment for the upper watershed that addresses known salmonid limiting factors for both juvenile and adult Coho, Chinook and winter steelhead, as well as TMDL status. Multiple treatment types have been prosed in a phased implantation approach varying in degrees of complexity from tipped trees, helicopter wood placements, and engineered log jams. The majority of these river reaches are owned by Weyerhaeuser Timber Co (WeyCo), one of the largest landowners in WA state and a company that SPSSEG has been building a working relationship with over the past decade. WeyCo has been involved throughout the conceptual design phase and is supportive of moving forward with the project. This project is scalable in nature and is geared towards permitting a phased implementation approach for the entire 18-miles.