Habitat Projects in the
Hoquiam River Watershed
Dekay Rd. ·
Lentz Creek
The
Dekay Rd. Project was funded in cooperation from the Salmon Recovery Funding
Board and Grays Harbor County. The Dekay Rd. Project is located on
Poulson Creek, which is a tributary to the West Fork Hoquiam River.
Completed in August of 2006, this project addressed 3 fish barrier culverts
on a
county
road north of Hoquaim. All three culverts were primarily barriers to
juveniles. Two sites consisted of double pipes, with the third, an
undersized, single, concrete culvert. Replacements were made with two
bottomless box culverts on the first two and a concrete bridge on the third.
Poulson Creek has excellent Coho and Cutthroat spawning and rearing.
Small populations of these species were observed inhabiting the stream prior
to barrier removal. The mainstem Hoquiam River has documented use by
Chinook, Chum and Steelhead. Now that the barrier culverts have been
removed it is only a matter of time before juveniles using the mainstem
river will utilize the upper portions of the watershed (except for Chum,
which do not rear in fresh water). All adult species can now use the
lower portions for spawning. This project opened up three miles of
habitat for salmonids and other resident aquatic species.
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Dekay culvert from downstream view shown AFTER construction.
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Double pipe fish barrier, photo taken BEFORE construction.
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The bottomless box culvert laid in place DURING construction
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The old cement culvert from the Dekay bridge site. This illustrates how undersized the culvert was for this location.
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Footings laid for culvert replacement DURING construction
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Dekay bridge construction, pictures footings being laid into place DURING construction.
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Dekay bridge cement slabs laid into place.
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Funded throught Family Forest Fish Passage Program and
constructed for less than $60,000, the Lentz project replaced a 4 ft.
diameter, elevated and undersized fish barrier culvert under a private small
forest landowner road. The barrier was at the lower end of an unnamed
tributary to the East Fork Hoquiam River. Once the barrier was
corrected with a 10 ft. diameter, galvanized steel, currogated culvert, 1.3
miles of habitat upstream was made available to Coho, Cutthroat, and
steelhead. There are no fish barriers below this culvert.
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Lentz Project shown AFTER construction.
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Lentz Project outlet, pictured BEFORE construction.
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Lentz Project inlet, BEFORE construction.
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Lentz Project DURING construction.
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Lentz Project DURING construciton.
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First water throught the new culvert for the Lentz Project fish barrier replacment.
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