Green Cove fish barrier a ‘total blockage’ for fish passage

During the agenda-setting and commissioner’s meeting last August 15, County Manager Ramiro Chavez reported that the county’s public works is the recipient of a $3 million grant.

The amount from the federal Department of Transportation’s National Culvert Removal, Replacement & Restoration Grants will be utilized for the county’s Green Cove fish barrier removal project.

“The board received an email from the office of Senator Cantwell stating that the county has been awarded $3 million from the federal Department of Transportation,” Chavez reported.

Culverts, dams, dikes, and other obstructions reduce the habitat available to fish, thereby limiting their access to spawning and rearing areas, resulting in decreased production.

Thurston County has 353 known fish passage barriers, and state law requires the removal of the structures in streams that inhibit fish passage. 

The Salmon Recovery Portal stated the county may restore fish passage by removing the blocking culvert on Green Cove Creek at Country Club Road because the culvert ‘is a total blockage, removing it would open up two miles of spawning and rearing habitat.’

Anadromous fish species found in the area include steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta), coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), sea-run cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii), and some others of value to the Chinook.

At present, the county placed a 3-foot plastic slip lining throughout the culvert to help prevent failure.

“We did not go with the cheapest option, we went with a more expensive option to try to meet all the needs that the community and all the different surrounding community members articulated,” District 3 Commissioner Tye Menser said. “To get some help on this is a really big deal because we were really stretching to try to make that higher dollar option viable and we thought we had a plan, but this is going to help a lot.”

The completed project will open up over 3.5 miles of upstream habitat and connect an extensive wetland complex.

“It's not a small undertaking to go for federal money and to qualify for these kinds of this kind of funding at the federal level. So I know it was a huge undertaking by Public Works staff. So thank you, Jennifer, thank you so much to your staff, all of them who work on this,” District 1 Commissioner Carolina Mejia said.

Chavez said that he will come back with a lot more information related to the financial plan next week.

“This is an incredible uplift. I don't remember the last time we got a direct appropriation from the federal government, and this is nothing but remarkable,” said Chavez.

The commissioners congratulated the Public Works staff for their efforts in securing the funding.