DESCRIPTION
This design-only project produced final designs for a future construction project to correct a partial fish passage barrier and other problems caused by irrigation infrastructure on McDonald Creek, a tributary to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The final design products include drawings, specifications, and engineer's opinion of construction costs. Also performed under this grant where a cultural assessment and a completed but not submitted JARPA.
This design-only project produced final designs for a future construction project to correct a partial fish passage barrier and other problems caused by irrigation infrastructure on McDonald Creek, a tributary to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The final design products include drawings, specifications, and engineer’s opinion of construction costs. Also performed under this grant where a cultural assessment and a completed but not submitted JARPA.
The project site is located adjacent to Hwy 101, 5 miles west of Sequim, in Clallam County. The restoration measures include 1) removal of the diversion dam, irrigation outtake, associated fill, and all other irrigation structures located in McDonald Creek and on its floodplain, 2) restoration of about 1200’ of stream channel, and 3) modification of the channel to produce a 1% grade to replace the existing the 5’ drop at the dam removed. The project restores 1200’ of mainstem habitat and improves fish passage into 4.5 miles of mainstem habitat used by coho, steelhead, and cutthroat and an additional 1.6 miles of tributary habitat used by steelhead.
Agnew Irrigation District has a certificate of water right (certificate 4, page 1804) to draw 5 cfs of water from McDonald Creek for irrigation. McDonald Creek flows during the peak irrigation season (late august early September) are insufficient to supply 5cfs. Under low-flow conditions irrigation withdrawals harm fish resources in McDonald Creek. At times during the irrigation season, Agnew Irrigation uses McDonald Creek as a conveyance and delivers Dungeness River water (which they hold a certificate of water right) into McDonald Creek to supplement the flows necessary to fulfill their irrigation needs. This water supplementation does not and is not designed to benefit aquatic resources. In fact, the co-mingling of these two water sources has the potential to cause straying of anadromous fish species.
In addition to flow concerns, irrigation infrastructure results in additional harm to salmonid resources. Agnew Irrigation District uses a full spanning concrete diversion dam to direct stream flows to their headworks and canal. The diversion dam is a partial to total fish passage barrier for juvenile salmonids and at least a hazard for adults. A poorly maintained and ill-advised fishway and fish bypass system likely do more harm than good for juvenile salmonids attempting upstream or downstream passage. While high quality habitat exists above this structure, access to this habitat is restricted by the irrigation infrastructure and operation. Habitat downstream of the structure has been degraded by past sediment sequestration, armoring, and floodplain fill.
This project generated designs that are feasible and would remedy all of the above mentioned impacts to salmonid resources. When constructed the project designs would result in a return to a more natural flow regime in McDonald Creek, reduced conveyance losses in the Agnew Irrigation system, sufficient Dungeness River water to meet Agnew Irrigation District needs, no comingling of Dungeness River water and McDonald Creek water, and most of all would benefit steelhead, cutthroat, coho, and other aquatic resources.