DESCRIPTION
The North Olympic Salmon Coalition and our partners have been implementing actions in lower Salmon and Snow Creek watersheds for over 15 years in an effort to restore the ecosystem which supports endangered summer chum salmon, ESA listed steelhead, coho and cutthroat trout. To date, the vast majority of efforts have centered on Salmon Creek. This project compliments those efforts, especially the estuarine recovery efforts, with actions in the Snow Creek Estuary. A conceptual design had been developed and was the springboard for developing final plans for Snow Creek. This project developed 100% design for Snow Creek Estuary and Railroad Grade Removal. This project, when implemented, will improve connectivity and quality of salt marsh habitat in Snow Creek for summer chum rearing and will not constrain potential future restoration actions. Design elements included: 1) removal of side cast dredge material constraining lower Snow Creek and disconnecting the entire length of the creek from salt marsh and tidal channels, 2) removal of fill from the historic estuary surface, 3) reconfiguration of the mouth of Snow Creek to maximize tidal hydrology and existing tidal channel networks, 4) development of a largely isolated nearshore pond into a healthy off channel habitat.
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