DESCRIPTION
The project restored a section of floodplain on the Upper Wapato Reach of the Yakima River. The County removed existing waste concrete armor and abandoned levee systems to improve the area available for flood storage and function and allow the development of side channel habitats on lands already managed for conservation purposes. The project also revegetated areas with native species that are currently dominated by invasives to improve upland habitats, reduce the source areas for invasive plants in this reach, and revegetate a bank that is eroding at a high rate due to lack of vegetation.
The County installed 400 plants along the eroding bank in the upper end in 2010. The waste concrete was removed from the WDFW lands in 2011 using county crews and equipment. The County removed the remainder of the armor from the island in the river in 2012 and also knocked down the levee on the WDFW land and completed a fall planting at both locations.
The project was successful with its goal of seeking to achieve floodplain restoration on the Upper Wapato Reach of the Yakima River. Yakima County removed waste concrete armor and breached the abandoned levee systems to improve the area available for floodplain function and storage at the Sunnyside Wildlife Area and a former wrecking yard upstream of the Donald-Wapato Bridge near the town of Donald. Both the former wrecking yard island site and the Wa. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife site were cleared of concrete and invasive plant species, and the worksites were revegetated with native species. The project provided improved riparian function and developed side channel habitats on lands already managed for conservation purposes. Before and after series photographs have been provided to illustrate the great success of the project! Maps have been uploaded to clearly define the newly occupied side channels, changes in flow through the reach, and bank erosion reduction. Continued project condition improvement is expected and will be monitored annually. The project has garnered a great deal of support around the Yakima Basin and all agencies with an interest in the project have been pleased with the results.
Adult Middle Columbia River Steelhead, (ESA listed species), fall chinook, and coho salmon spawn in this reach of the Yakima River. Plans are being made to begin a summer Chinook salmon reintroduction strategy. This reach will provide suitable spawning habitat for them as well. It is important to maintain a suitable migration corridor through the reach since future plans also include plans to reintroduce sockeye salmon. Other native species benefited by the project include resident rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, mountain whitefish, river lamprey, northern pikeminnow, redsided shiners, speckeled dace, tui chub, chiselmouth, suckers, and sculpin.
