Fish Passage

DG, Suspect Poor.  High road density (4.2 mi/sq mi) and initial culvert inventory lists extremely high number of potential blockages.

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 of salmon or steelhead

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

H - Inventory, assess, and prioritize all habitat blockages (culverts, dikes, railroad grades, etc.) for all salmonid life history stages. 

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

Floodplain Conditions

Poor (DG). Rip-rap, dikes, roads, wetland loss (fill), decline in beaver activity.

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 - Reduce bank protection.

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

H - Prevent further diking, rip-rap, and other bank protection.

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

Sediment

Poor (DG). High road densities, landslides caused by roads, high bank erosion and livestock access.

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 - Reduce livestock access to streams.

H - Increase protection of steep and unstable slopes.

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

M - Provide education regarding the impacts of livestock access to streams.

M - Increase enforcement and provide education regarding the impacts of vehicle activity in streams.

H - Protect existing good quality spawning habitat.

M - prevent further degradation of unstable banks.

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

H - Inventory, prioritize, and list causes of bank erosion.

LWD

Good in upper; DG (likely poor) in lower.

L - 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).  This priority level might change to high after assessment in lower reaches is completed.

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).

M - Conduct surveys to determine LWD levels, pool habitat, and riparian conditions in the lower drainage.

Riparian

Poor in lower, mixed in upper.

H - Revegetate open riparian areas with native plants including conifers in 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 and 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 – Continue enforcement and revision of current regulations that preserve and enhance riparian regeneration.

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

Water Quality

Poor (DG).  Warm water temperatures and high turbidity. Causes: riparian loss, sedimentation, livestock.

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

H - Reduce livestock access to streams. 

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

H - Implement TMDL for water temperature and pH.

H - Restore wetlands and off-channel habitat.

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

H – Continue to monitor water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and turbidity.

Water Quantity

Poor (DG) in lower; good (DG) in upper. Not meeting base flows, poor hydrological maturity except in upper NF and SF where hm is good. Water withdrawn for City of Chehalis and agriculture.

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

H - Reduce water withdrawals from both surface and ground 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 – Continue monitoring stream flows.

Biological Processes

Fair (DG)

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

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

L - Assess marine-derived nutrient processes.