DESCRIPTION
BPA Contract 58682. The Right Bank Elbow side channel project is an existing groundwater-fed side channel that is isolated from the river by a push-up levee across the inlet. The lower portion of the existing channel has perennial ground water flow and is connected to the Twisp River for at least a portion of the high flow period each year. Visual observations indicate that this channel supports some level of fish use throughout the year. Removing the constructed levee will allow fish to enter the side channel from the upstream end, increasing the off-channel habitat available for juvenile spring Chinook and steelhead rearing.
BPA Contract 58682. This project worked to provide surface water flow into and through two existing isolated side channels at the Elbow Coulee project site on the Twisp River. On the left bank the project enlarged a notch through a man-made levee to allow more flow into the side channel that was reconnected in 2008. This allowed the river to maintain the side channel and allowed more fish to access the side channel rearing habitat. On the right bank the project excavated a notch through an existing man-made levee that isolated a side channel from the river. This allowed surface water into the top of the side channel and allowed fish to access the side channel rearing habitat.
