The clear creek reconnection project will correct a complete fish passage barrier on the bottom of clear creek a tributary to elochoman river in wahkiakum county washington

Clear creek is a relatively short (2.1 stream miles) stream that runs almost entirely through commercial timberland. Coho (lower columbia river ESU threatened) are known to spawn there and steelhead (lower columbia river DPS threatened) may also spawn there. Reach 1 of clear creek is also likely used temporarily by adult and juveniles of all three species plus chinook salmon (lower columbia river ESU threatened) as they progress up or down elochoman river. The fish passage barrier in question is a sloped under sized and bent 5.5 foot culvert that passes clear creek under elochoman valley road with a 100 foot clear span bridge that more than meets stream simulation and 100 year flood criteria requirements. The project will reestablish access to upstream spawning grounds for fall chinook chum coho winter steelhead lamprey and sea run cutthroat as well as passage for juveniles of those species and resident trout. In addition to the bridge the project will add in stream large wood habitat structures as well as a new pool immediately adjacent to the elochoman river confluence to serve as a cold water refuge for salmonids traveling up or down elochoman river (clear creek is consistently colder than the elochoman especially in the summer months). Spawning gravels will be placed in the new channel below the bridge which may be of particular interest to chinook.construction for the project is expected to begin in june 2024 and be substantially complete by the end of september 2024. Revegetation (seeding and planting with natives) will continue through the rainy season as stock becomes available from nurseries.wahkiakum county public works has been trying to replace this culvert for more than a decade since the state terminated its state route 407 designation for elochoman valley road. The county received several grants for the project in the past but was never able to construct IT due to staffing shortages and rising construction costs. Crest took over primary grant and project management responsibilities in order to complete this project before the culvert fails and closes elochoman valley road. This project builds on past efforts that removed fish passage barriers upstream of elochoman valley road including a water intake structure for a now defunct fish hatchery on the elochoman river and an undersized culvert under an old logging railroad turned logging road. Concurrently with the clear creek reconnection project washington department of fish and wildlife is working to remove part of the stream side infrastructure at the defunct elochoman hatchery location. Future work by the agency will fully restore the old hatchery site.