DESCRIPTION
The Robinson Landing Levee Setback Project is located on the Yakima River near Yakima Washington. This grant proposal action will be to obtain 2 acres currently located behind the lowest portion of the existing levee and move the levee landward. Conveyance through the reach will be increased by as much as 40% which will benefit ESA listed Steelhead and Bull Trout, as well as Chinook, Coho and other native species found in the Gap to Gap Reach of the Yakima River. A secondary benefit of this action will be to allow access to remove the old HWY 24 Bridge piers, which will encourage existing zones of sediment aggradation to begin to move downstream. The project will provide increased conveyance benefits for nearly 1 mile of riverine and riparian habitat at this location. Maps of the location will be provided. In a separate action, Yakima County is currently contracting for a NEPA/SEPA Review of the Gap to Gap Reach and will have results from that assessment by end of year 2013.
Yakima County Public Services proposes to develop a final design to setback 500’ of the lower right bank of the Robinson Landing Levee and remove a nearby abandoned bridge abutment and abandoned (instream) bridge piers. The Robinson Landing Levee is located on the Yakima River near Yakima, Washington. The design will utilize property located behind the lower portion of an existing levee in combination with local government owned property. Implementation of the design is expected to increase conveyance through the reach by as much as 40% to the benefit of nearly 3 miles of riverine and riparian habitat upstream and downstream of the project site. These actions will benefit ESA listed Steelhead and Bull Trout, as well as Chinook, Coho, and other native species found in this reach of the Yakima River. This application was originally intended to cover both construction and design of the levee setback, but has been changed to planning/design only to ensure that proper sequencing of all project components will minimize disturbance to the project site. The project will promote sediment mobility and encourage its transport through the reach. Maps of the proposed project site have been uploaded to PRISM.
