Fish Passage

DG

Poor road density (3.6 miles/square mile)

H - Open three or more miles of good quality habitat used by at least one stock of salmon or steelhead.  Exceptions:  include very cost efficient projects addressing unique limiting habitat or benefiting multiple stocks.

H - Bridges are the preferred structure.  If culverts are used, they should be sized to allow full access to all fish species throughout all life history stages.

H - Inventory, assess, and prioritize all habitat blockages (culverts, dams, dikes, railroad grades, etc.).  Passage structures should be designed to allow passage for all fish species throughout all life history stages. 

H - Develop a database housed with the lead entity, to contain all blockage data. 

H – Assess fish passage at dam.

Floodplain Conditions

Poor in lower (developed); fair to good in upper (DG).

H - Reconnect potential off-channel habitat. 

H - Restoration actions need to increase instream LWD to help address channel incision and flow issues.  This includes appropriate riparian restoration to result in better future LWD levels.

H - Maintain, conserve, and prioritize off-channel and side channel habitat and associated riparian. 

H - Inventory impacts and suitable restoration sites for floodplain habitat coincident with the barrier/culvert inventory.

Sediment

Poor (DG) except in EF where it is rated fair.

High road density.

H- Decommission roads at risk of landslides, especially side-cast roads.

H - Correct high impact road sediment delivery problems via push-outs, cross-drains, and sediment traps etc.

H - Increase protection of steep and unstable slopes.

H - Stabilize and revegetate exposed mass wasting sites to reduce surface erosion.

L – Reduce livestock access.

H – Address the issues of coarse sediment blockage by dam and  ramping rates  for minimal sediment input.

H - Inventory roads and assess impacts to salmonids as well as prioritize restoration actions. 

LWD

DG

M - Actions are needed to increase LWD, or similarly functioning natural structures, in appropriate places.  This would include anchoring LWD and increasing natural recruitment potential (riparian restoration).

H – Prevent removal of appropriate pieces of LWD, and other natural structures, within the floodplain through increased education and enforcement. 

M - Determine appropriateness through inventory or other assessment of LWD, or other natural structure(s), placement.  (e.g. gravel recruiting,  hydrology, wood or structure size, gradient, near term LWD recruitment potential, and valley confinement).

Riparian

Poor in lower reaches and in EF; fair-good elsewhere.

Lower reaches impacted by development.

H - Revegetate open riparian areas with native plants including conifers in historical/appropriate places.

M - Interplant conifer into hardwood riparian areas that were historically conifer areas.

M- Plant conifer adjacent to and outside existing and limited existing conifer/hardwood riparian areas.

H - Funds, lands, and easement opportunities should be identified to obtain areas of mid-to late seral stage riparian with priority given to older stands.  This is applicable to lands that do not have current protection such as those outside of current forest practice regulations.

H - Assess and prioritize recovery and protection for riparian conditions.

Water Quality

Fair (DG)

M - Actions need to address sediment, riparian, and flow problems. 

L - Reduce livestock access to streams. 

M - Increase activities that lead to natural recharge of the aquifers and maintain or improve hydrological maturity. 

M - Restore wetlands and off-channel habitat.

H - Decrease activities that interfere with the natural recharge of aquifers or degrade hydrological maturity.

M - Conduct water quality assessment to determine specific sources attributing to water quality issues, and identify activities to correct water quality.

M - Monitor water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and turbidity in each major fork of the Hoquiam River.

Water Quantity

Poor (DG) based on hydrologic maturity.

H - Reduce water withdrawals from surface sources

H - Increase activities that lead to natural recharge of the aquifers and maintain or improve hydrologic maturity. 

H -Restore wetlands and off-channel habitat.

H - Decrease activities that interfere with the natural recharge of aquifers or degrade hydrological maturity.

H – Install a stream flow gage and monitor stream flow.

Biological Processes

L- Increase contribution of marine –derived nutrients through increased use of carcasses. 

H - Increase field surveys regarding salmonid distribution, escapement, and habitat use by life history stage.

L - Assess marine-derived nutrient processes.