Fish Passage

DG. High road density (5.4 – 6.0 mi/sq mi)

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

Fair in lower, poor in upper, poor in Hanaford Creek.

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 – Preserve functional floodplain areas in the lower sub-basin.

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

Sediment

Poor (DG) in lower, good in upper. High road density, high levels of bank erosion and livestock access. In upper reaches, dam break floods.

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.

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

H - Reduce livestock access to streams.

L - Provide education regarding the impacts of vehicle activity in streams and increase enforcement.

H - Provide education regarding the impacts of livestock access.

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

LWD

DG – In Lower.

Fair – Poor in upper.

H - 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.  

H - 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

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 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.

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

Water Quality

Poor. Warm water temperatures, failing septics, agriculture and industrial waste, coal mining.

H - Actions need to address riparian and flow problems. 

H - Reduce livestock access to streams. 

H - Implement TMDL for water temperature and pH.

H - Increase activities that lead to natural recharge of the aquifers and maintain or improve hydrological 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 to monitor water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and turbidity.

H – Assess mercury in coal piles in the Hanaford Creek watershed.

Water Quantity

Poor. Closed to further water appropriations. Users: irrigators, mining, quarries, cities, livestock.

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 to monitor stream flow.

H – Assess actual water usage and compare to water rights.

Biological Processes

 Poor (DG)

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

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

L - Assess marine-derived nutrient processes.