Upper Luckiamute Side Channel Reconnection Project
The
Luckiamute Watershed Council in partnership with Hancock Timber Resource Group
and OWEB removed approximately 6,500 cubic yards of an abandoned railroad berm
along the mainstem Upper Luckiamute River during the summer of 2013. The
project is located on Hancock-owned and managed industrial timber land. The
berm was constructed around 1917 as part of the now-abandoned Valley-Siletz Railroad (see photo on right). Through the construction
process, the Luckiamute River channel was straightened, disconnected, and made
impassable to juvenile salmonids. The historic use of splash damming in the upper reaches of the Luckiamute during the early timber
boom scoured the large wood and gravels down to the bare bedrock.
By removing a portion of the berm, the stream channel now meanders naturally. Side channel habitat has been created and an additional four miles of upstream habitat is available for fish. In addition, large woody debris from the berm and from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was added to the side channel creating complex habitat. Fish were observed using the new side channel habitat almost immediately following construction. This project benefits Steelhead trout, cutthroat trout, coho salmon, and Pacific and western brook lamprey by providing complex habitat and eliminating fish passage barriers. This project required permits from the US Army Corps of Engineers, Oregon Department of State Lands, NOAA Fisheries, and Oregon Department of Forestry. In addition, this project required all work completed during the in-water work window and appropriate fish salvage efforts.
By removing a portion of the berm, the stream channel now meanders naturally. Side channel habitat has been created and an additional four miles of upstream habitat is available for fish. In addition, large woody debris from the berm and from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was added to the side channel creating complex habitat. Fish were observed using the new side channel habitat almost immediately following construction. This project benefits Steelhead trout, cutthroat trout, coho salmon, and Pacific and western brook lamprey by providing complex habitat and eliminating fish passage barriers. This project required permits from the US Army Corps of Engineers, Oregon Department of State Lands, NOAA Fisheries, and Oregon Department of Forestry. In addition, this project required all work completed during the in-water work window and appropriate fish salvage efforts.
