The project is centered around the monroe drop structure, a 9-foot tall low head DAM on the long TOM river at river mile 6.6 that is owned by the U.S. Army corps of engineers (USACE)

This Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 1 under the National Fish Passage Program (CFDA 15.685) provides $740,000.00 to the Long Tom Watershed Council, a non-profit organization, to remove the Monroe Drop Structure, a 9-foot tall low head dam on the Long Tom River that blocks upstream passage for endangered Upper Willamette River spring Chinook salmon and other migratory fish. The project will restore 15 miles of mainstem and tributary rearing habitat, improve sediment transport, and reduce water temperatures and predatory fish impacts. The award will also fund channel restoration, scour protection, revegetation, and replacement of a fish passage barrier culvert to provide access to off-channel habitat. This project is the first step in the Long Tom Watershed Council's long-term vision to restore 100 miles of habitat in the Long Tom and Coast Range tributaries.

IT is the downstream-most barrier on the long TOM river and blocks upstream passage for juvenile upper willamette river spring chinook, which are ESA-listed as threatened. The project would open up access to 15 miles of mainstem and tributary rearing habitat for juvenile chinook. The DAM also blocks or impedes passage for pacific lamprey and coastal cutthroat trout that would otherwise use habitat upstream of the DAM for spawning and rearing. The DAM also disrupts sediment transport processes, increases water temperatures, and creates ideal conditions for warmwater predatory fish as well as algae blooms. There are two other USACE low head dams upstream of the monroe drop structure on the long TOM river. Ltwc has been working with USACE for nearly 20 years to develop plans for improving fish passage at all three dams, and once that vision is realized fish passage will be restored to 100 miles of habitat in the long TOM and coast range tributaries where ltwc has restored dozens of miles of habitat. The proposed project is the first step in achieving this vision and is the highest priority aquatic project in the long TOM watershed. The project will remove the DAM, restore the channel 1,000 upstream of the DAM, install scour protection at the footings of a state of oregon highway bridge near the DAM, revegetate the project area with native trees and shrubs, and replace a fish passage barrier culvert to provide access to 1 2 mile off-channel habitat in historical long TOM river channel segments adjacent to the DAM. Ltwc, USACE, the city of monroe, the confederated tribes of siletz indians, and USFWS nfpp are partners on the project.