| Partnerships take the snarl out of Bear Creek |
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| Partnerships take the snarl out of Bear Creek |
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Bridge improvements help fish traverse Bear Creek to spawn
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Spanning interstates and small rural roads as well as rivers, streams and deep canyons, Oregon's approximately 6,700 bridges provide safe passage for motorists and pedestrians travelling to work, home or their favorite scenic getaway. Through thoughtful engineering, bridges also allow for the unimpeded flow of waterways that provide safe passage for fish and wildlife, including Coho salmon, which are listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act as threatened in many parts of the state.
Tucked beneath the on-ramp to Interstate 5 from Bear Creek Road is a concrete culvert that was originally built to allow Bear Creek to run seamlessly under the roadway. After years of erosion, fish passage at this culvert has become difficult because of the 12- to 14-inch drop onto hard earth and rocks at the downstream end. Additionally, the shallow water inside the culvert stops fish from passing during all but the rainiest months of the year, preventing fish such as Coho from travelling upstream to spawn and rear their young.
During his 23 years with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and eight years as the statewide ODFW and ODOT coordinator, Randy Reeve forged partnerships between the agencies that were instrumental in protecting the natural environments and its inhabitants. Reeve is continuing that work as an environmental manager for Parametrix and with Slayden Construction on a design-build team that is performing the work on the bridge program project in Curtain. Seeing the dilapidated fish passage, which lies just outside the construction boundary for the Bear Creek Bridge replacement, Reeve rallied the troops to ensure that its restoration was incorporated into the scope of the project.
"Whenever I see an opportunity like this, I try to take it," Reeve said. "It's just the right thing to do."
Working with Chris Hunter, Region 3 consultant project manager, Reeve developed a plan for repairing the culvert to improve fish passage. This plan incorporates plastic weirs that ODOT has left over from other fish passage projects around the state. These weirs – similar to fish ladders – will give the fish increased water depth inside the culvert and places for them to rest. He designed a roughen chute, or low-flow channel, which allows for the year-round migration of fish large and small that will eliminate the foot-long drop at the outlet. Because of the contractors’ familiarity with ODOT scope constraints and ODFW’s environmental priorities, they were able to execute creative solutions, such as this passage improvement, within existing projects, improving local habitats without additional funding from the state.
"Because of the collaboration that results from our lasting partnerships, we are able to incorporate beneficial projects like the fish passage at Bear Creek into the overall scope of the bridge program," Hunter said. "These additions improve our environment and communities, while protecting some of the state’s most vulnerable species."
The passage will be completed during the in-water work period between July 1 and Sept. 15, 2010. Building during the dry season, when water levels are lowest, protects fish in sensitive life stages through the rest of the year including migration, spawning and rearing of their young. After the passage has been completed, fish, including Coho salmon, will be able to travel upstream year-round, which will help the populations thrive and protect them from further endangerment.
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