This implementation project will construct the cdfw-approved 100% engineered designs for reconnecting and improving off-channel habitat in a disconnected oxbow in lindsay creek, a tributary to the…

This implementation project will construct the cdfw-approved 100% engineered designs for reconnecting and improving off-channel habitat in a disconnected oxbow in lindsay creek, a tributary to the lower MAD river near blue lake, california. Specifically, the project will replace the existing culverts and reconfigure the geometry of an existing partially abandoned oxbow along the mainstem channel to allow for more frequent and longer duration flooding during high to moderate flow events (see attached engineering design plan figures). This project will also significantly increase the area inundated during lower flooding events. The goal of this project is to reconnect and make improvements to this off-channel habitat area for coho salmon and pacific lamprey within and alongside lindsay creek. The goal is to physically reconnect and reconfigure a mostly abandoned oxbow to allow for more frequent and longer duration connectivity between the oxbow and mainstem channel during winter flow events. The two undersized and poorly configured culverts will be replaced with properly sized and aligned culverts to facilitate fish passage connectivity to and from the mainstem of lindsay creek into the oxbow channel under a wide range of streamflow and high flow conditions. Habitat features composed of woody debris will be constructed throughout the project oxbow and in lindsay creek. The limbs of the oxbow will be modified to allow for a greater area of flooding and to ensure fish passage in and out of the oxbow. This project represents a relatively straightforward opportunity to improve salmonid habitat within the basin.