DESCRIPTION
Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group proposes to improve fish habitat and reconnect floodplains by completing final design and constructing structures to snag and retain large wood in the North Fork Teanaway River, north of Cle Elum, WA. These structures will be designed to increase floodplain inundation, increase pool frequency, capture gravels to cover exposed bedrock, and provide cover for fish. The Teanaway River Forks have legacies of splash damming, timber harvest, grazing and large wood removal. Each fork displays exposed bedrock, low pool frequency, and high stream temperatures, and each fork lacks the key large wood pieces that would otherwise act to trap smaller pieces. This project will be a first step in restoring ecosystem function and resiliency in these streams, and will directly benefit Mid-Columbia steelhead and spring-run Chinook.
With Yakama Nation, Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group (MCF) improved fish habitat and reconnected floodplains by installing 10 large wood structures and breaching two berms along 0.95 miles of stream within a 2-mile reach of the North Fork Teanaway River, north of Cle Elum, WA. The wood structures are working to increase floodplain inundation, increase pool frequency, capture gravels to cover exposed bedrock, and provide cover for fish. The berm breaches have reduced constraints on the river and reconnected multiple side channels. This project was part of a larger effort funded through multiple grant sources to replenish large wood along a 3 mile reach of the North Fork Teanaway River.
The Teanaway River Forks have legacies of splash damming, timber harvest, grazing and large wood removal. Each fork displays exposed bedrock, low pool frequency, and high stream temperatures, and each fork lacks the key large wood pieces that would otherwise act to trap smaller pieces. This project is a first step in restoring ecosystem function and resiliency in North Fork Teanaway River, and directly benefits Mid-Columbia steelhead and spring-run Chinook, as well as resident cutthroat and rainbow trout.
In January 2020, RCO added $281,631 of Yakima Basin Integrated Plan funds awarded by Department of Ecology to this Project Agreement to afford construction of log jams 7-9 and make up for a budget shortfall caused by 1) the need to revise the design to meet Bonneville Power Administration's permitting requirements, 2) the cost of procuring and placing large wood exceeding the estimates made at the time of application, and 3) additional coordination with project partners for permitting and implementation.
