DESCRIPTION
The objective of the Peshastin Forest Service Road System Improvement project is to reduce road-related impacts to aquatic habitat in the Peshastin sub-watershed. Roads impact stream habitat quality by constricting the floodplain width, introducing fish passage barriers, altering stream hydrology (increasing flashy hydroperiods), and increasing sediment loading. Specifically, USFS is targeting road treatments to reduce sediment input to streams and improve fish passage in the Upper (Tronson, Scotty, Ruby, and Shaser) and Lower (Camas, Hansel, and Mill) Peshastin subwatersheds as well as the mainstem of Peshastin Creek; there are no roads in the Ingalls Creek subbasin. Peshastin Creek is a tributary to the Wenatchee River, entering the Wenatchee downstream of the town of Peshastin at about River Mile 20. The mainstem of Peshastin Creek is identified as a Category 2 watershed and road work is identified as a priority action for Peshastin Creek in the Implementation Schedule for the Upper Columbia Spring Chinook Salmon and Steelhead Recovery Plan. Road system improvements would primarily benefit all life stages of steelhead but also listed bull trout and spring Chinook. Road system improvements in tributaries to Peshastin Creek are targeted at addressing limiting habitat diversity and quality in the tributaries and in the mainstem of Peshastin Creek.