DESCRIPTION
Bainbridge Island Land Trust and its partners will design, permit, and construct a project on Springbrook Cr to remove an undersized culvert that is only 67% passable to fish and remove over 187 linear ft of rock armor. Springbrook Cr, located on Bainbridge Island, is federally designated as critical habitat for ESA threated Puget Sound steelhead. A new bridge crossing, large wood, coir wraps and native vegetation will be installed along the banks where armor is removed. The project takes place on private land at stream mile 0.39. It was identified in the Springbrook Cr Watershed Assessment (SCWA) (Project 14-1547) as the second highest priority stream restoration project. It will provide fish access to over 3.76 miles of upstream fish habitat once a downstream barrier is corrected (final designs are in process), widen this section of channel to reflect natural stream conditions, improve connectivity between intact stream reaches adjacent to the existing undersized culvert, allow the stream to withstand anticipated higher flows anticipated in a changing climate, and allow for wood and sediment transport. Using the conceptual design developed by Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC) as part of the SCWA and updated May 2022, a final design will be developed with the landowner, WFC, and other stakeholders, permitting will be completed, a construction bid package will be developed, and construction will be implemented. Project success monitoring will take place for up to 3 years.