Washington state river restoration project to revive salmon habitat, support local jobs

by NOAA Fisheries 17 May 21:40 UTC

Aerial view of the Ridgefield Pits in the foreground on the East Fork Lewis River before restoration. The Daybreak Pits can also be seen and are located adjacent to the Ridgefield Pits. The project will focus on restoring the nine Ridgefield Pits © Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership

Fishing for steelhead on the East Fork Lewis River © Clark-Skamania Flyfishers

This spring, NOAA partner the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership broke ground on a large-scale salmon habitat restoration project on the lower East Fork Lewis River in Washington State.

This project will support the recovery of threatened winter and summer steelhead, fall Chinook, coho, and chum salmon on one of the few undammed rivers in the Lower Columbia River watershed. It will also inject millions into the local economy and generate hundreds local jobs in construction, heavy equipment operations, trucking, engineering, forestry, and other industries.

In addition, the work will help maintain fishing opportunities that further contribute to the local economy.

Flooding destroys habitat

In 1996, Steve Manlow, Executive Director of the Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board, watched in horror as a 500-year flood event destroyed crucial salmon and steelhead habitat on the lower East Fork Lewis River. Flood waters breached the levees around nine abandoned gravel mining pits, fundamentally shifting the river's course.

This once-braided, multi-channel river began flowing through the excavated pits. It formed a series of interconnected warm-water ponds that prevent salmon and steelhead from migrating upstream for much of the year. The river channel deepened, cutting off floodplain habitat and causing severe erosion downstream.

Chum salmon migrating upstream - photo © Adobe Stock

Undoing decades of damage

Now, after nearly 30 years struggling to raise the funds, Manlow and dozens of project partners and advocates will witness the rebirth of this section of the river. NOAA's Office of Habitat Conservation awarded $7.6 million through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to support the Lower East Fork Floodplain Reclamation project.

The effort will:

Improve fish passage to high quality upstream habitat for summer and winter steelhead
Reconnect 300 acres of floodplain and 1.3 miles of side channel habitat
Restore 2.5 miles of spawning and rearing habitat
Reestablish 100 acres of floodplain forest to absorb and distribute flood waters
Reduce flood and erosion risks to homes, businesses, a popular hiking trail, and other infrastructure
Support the genetic diversity of a wild steelhead population

"It's a good feeling to know that through persistence and long-term dedication, it's possible to undo decades of damage," said Manlow. "By increasing the amount and variety of habitat in this key stream corridor, we can improve the survival of five salmonid runs protected under the Endangered Species Act."

Improving habitat for fish and people

Over the next 2 years, workers from the local, family-owned contracting company, Tapani, will:

Fill in the gravel pits while retaining areas of cooler water
Recontour the floodplain
Reactivate historic channels
Install habitat features
Plant trees and other vegetation along the river

This growth of trees and plants will provide future shade and lower water temperatures, allowing cold-water-loving salmon and steelhead to migrate through this portion of the river. Filling in the pits and recreating a more natural environment will help reestablish salmon in this area.

Contractors will also excavate floodplain habitat and place up to 5,000 logs and pieces of large woody debris in the river channel. This type of habitat provides juvenile salmon with safe places to grow, hide from predators, and feed on their favorite food source: insects drifting by in a cool, flowing river.

"By filling the pits and reconstructing the river channels, salmon will be able to use the site immediately," said NOAA Marine Habitat Resource Specialist Paul Cereghino. "After restoring the river and floodplain processes, the system can reshape itself for the rest of time."

The work will also help support a wild steelhead "gene bank." No hatchery-born steelhead have been introduced to the lower East Fork Lewis River since 2014. The steelhead here have been able to evolve naturally and adapt to changing conditions in the Lower East Fork Lewis River watershed.

"This is a unique native fishery—the biggest steelhead ever caught and recorded in the state of Washington came out of this river," said Paul Kolp, Restoration Program Lead for the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership. "This river is world-famous for fly fishing, and the fishing companies are looking for those wild steelhead. Completing this project will help ensure more winter and summer steelhead can reach their natal grounds upstream and successfully reproduce."

The entire project will improve recreational opportunities for the community and protect nearby infrastructure. Tapani is moving a public hiking trail further from the river's edge, where severe erosion has been progressively eating away at the stream bank. Enabling this river access to its full historic floodplain habitat can also help reduce future flooding for homes and businesses up to 4 miles downstream.

Tapani, Inc. heavy machinery operators and ground crew add structure and woody stems to the Wildboy Creek as part of the NOAA-funded Kwoneesum Dam removal project with Cowlitz Indian Tribe - photo © Cowlitz Indian Tribe

Restoration work benefits the local economy

The Lower East Fork Floodplain Restoration project is boosting the economy of rural Clark County. It sustains well-paying jobs at companies like Tapani and keeps skills and equipment used in forestry and infrastructure in demand locally.

"We're excited to contribute to a project that strengthens both the community and environment," said Brandon Farmer, Senior Project Manager at Tapani. Farmer estimates Tapani may employ as many as 50 staff members and subcontractors to complete the project. Most workers live within a short driving distance of the project site.

"My dad started the business in 1983, and now we have third-generation employees," said company Co-Owner Kevin Tapani. "We bring in about $20 to $30 million a year doing restoration work and we wish we had more of it. I love this work because it's improving things that are natural. I grew up swimming and fishing around the Lewis River. I want that for future generations, too."

This work is projected to support an additional 200 people, including engineers, foresters, food service providers, and skilled laborers. In total, the project is expected to generate more than $40 million for the local economy around Southwest Washington. These economic numbers are estimates based on a study done in Oregon which found that every $1 million spent on watershed restoration results in 16.7 new or sustained jobs (PDF, 28 pages) and $2.2 to $2.5 million in economic activity.

"NOAA funding helps our partners implement transformational habitat projects and take part in restoring beloved natural areas," said NOAA Marine Habitat Resource Specialist Adrianne Grimm. "Salmon restoration projects like this one do more than bring back fish—they bring jobs, stability, and a sense of pride to local communities."

Additional partners include: