The Spanaway Creek fish passage project was recently completed by the Pierce County Public
Works and Utilities Department Water Programs division. The project consists of a natural
looking man-made creek channel that will allow fish to get past the Bresemann Dam. The new
creek channel is a boulder "chute-and-pool" style bypass channel with a flow control structure at
the upstream end. It is located in Pierce County's Bresemann Forest near Spanaway Lake Park
and Sprinker Recreation Center, about 1,000 feet north of Military Road.
History
The Bresemann Dam is a concrete and wood structure in Spanaway Creek that was constructed
in 1953 by then-Washington State Department of Game. It replaced an older dam at the same
location that was built in 1894 on the site of a furniture factory. The existing dam contains two
screens that were originally intended to prevent the escape of stocked trout in Spanaway Lake.
Behind the dam is a 1.7-acre pond bordered by private residences on the south and Bresemann
Forest on the north.

In 2002, Pierce County's Clover Creek Basin Plan recognized Bresemann Dam as a barrier to
salmon and steelhead that could migrate upstream from Clover Creek. State law requires that fish
passage be provided for at dams or other obstructions (RCW 77.55.060). Three design options
for correcting the barrier problem were presented at a public meeting in February 2005. Local
residents were opposed to removing the dam because it would drain the pond. The design
ultimately selected was a relocated outlet channel that preserved the pond and dam but provided
a natural appearing, low-maintenance creek channel for fish movement and other aquatic life.
On-site project preparation began in June 2007 with the bulk of construction occurring between
July 15 and 30.
Project Facts
- The length of the new channel is 260 feet, with a variable width that averages 8 feet.
- Water was first introduced into the new channel on July 24, 2007.
- By design, the channel will convey about 60 percent of the normal flow and the remaining 40
percent flow will go over the dam, with low flow being 5 cubic feet per second. There is no
flow restriction at the spillway, so high flow in the channel will be identical to high flow at
the dam.
- In addition to the new creek channel, the project includes a trail, 2 footbridges, public
artwork and an adjustable weir.
- The project's total cost including design and construction was $400,000, funded by local
surface water management fees.
- The final project design and construction avoided impact to the maximum number of mature
trees possible - 6 trees were removed and 30 were preserved. Wood from the 6 removed trees
was incorporated into the project as benches, bank stabilization and in-water habitat features.
Community Benefits
The design of the new Spanaway Creek Fish Passage channel appears natural, as opposed to the
artificial appearance of a traditional concrete fish ladder. Members of the community can
continue to enjoy the pond and historic Bresemann Dam, and can cross the new fish bypass
channel via 2 new bridges. The site is a new destination point in the Bresemann Forest trail
network, and includes signage, enhanced wildlife viewing, places to rest and public artwork on
the water control structure.
The artwork is entitled "Return to the River" and consists of nine fish made of weathering steel
attached to the water control structure. Rights to use the art were donated by Arizona artist Linda
M. Feltner, who previously created an identical installation for the NE