CHIMACUM CREEK - WRIA 17.0203

Description: The Chimacum watershed drains into southern Port Townsend Bay, about 5 miles south of the City of Port Townsend. The Chimacum watershed is approximately 22,347 acres (about 35 square miles), draining the majority of the Quimper Peninsula.

Stock Status: See salmon distribution maps (upper right side of screen).

Federally listed (threatened) – HC/ESJF summer chum spawning and rearing;
Puget Sound Chinook salmon rearing in estuary
Healthy - coho (2002 SaSI)

NOTE: Summer Chum stock was extirpated (extinct in 2002 SaSI) but has been re-introduced beginning in 1996 using Salmon Creek stock. Since 2004 over 60% of returns have been naturally-spawned based on otolith monitoring.

Land Use: The upper watershed is composed of agricultural, forestry, and rural residential land use. The valley in the middle watershed is mostly composed of working farms. Toward the lower reaches, Chimacum Creek flows through more residential and commercial land. Overall, there are 3,046 acres zoned for agriculture in the watershed, representing about 14% of the total watershed area. Rural residential zoning is found in about 8,528 acres (38% of the watershed). A total of 152 acres of land is zoned commercial (0.7% of the total). The predominant residential zoning in this watershed (4,112 acres) is one residence per 20 acres. However, the lower watershed is located within the Tri-city areas of Chimacum, Irondale, and Port Hadlock, which are zoned at much higher densities.

For all references and an expanded version of this description see the Hood Canal Coordinating Council’s Habitat Recovery Strategy for the Hood Canal and Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca, version 09-2005

For more information, see the following:

http://jccd.blip.tv/
Video telling the story of the Summer Chum recovery process in Chimacum Creek from the late 1980's - mid 2000's.

http://www.olympus.net/edu/wos
Wild Olympic Salmon website, which contains a written history of the Chimacum Creek Summer Chum recovery process.