Johnson Creek is a tributary of the Okanogan River near Riverside, Washington. This tributary is important to the overall recovery goals in the Okanogan Basin and is identified as one of few lower Okanogan River tributaries that provide cold water refuge for steelhead and Chinook salmon when summer Okanogan River water temperatures soar. The project will replace four undersized barrier culverts in lower Johnson Creek (one of which is under a state highway) with appropriately sized precast concrete box culverts and remove two other in-channel barriers reconnecting over nine miles of prime spawning and rearing habitats.  

Quick Facts:

Project Status

Active

Location 

WA, Okanogan

NFPP Project Funding

$600,000

Restoration Techniques

Culvert Replacement

Accomplishments

9 Stream Miles Reopened

Project Partner Lead

Trout Unlimited

Primary Species Benefited

Steelhead Salmon

Johnson Creek Culvert Debris Screen Structure
Image Details
A fish passage fish passage
Fish passage is the ability of fish or other aquatic species to move freely throughout their life to find food, reproduce, and complete their natural migration cycles. Millions of barriers to fish passage across the country are fragmenting habitat and leading to species declines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Fish Passage Program is working to reconnect watersheds to benefit both wildlife and people.

Learn more about fish passage barrier on a river

The National Fish Passage Program combines technical expertise with a track record of success. 

Implemented primarily through the Service's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Offices, the National Fish Passage Program provides financial and technical assistance to partners across the country. Since 1999, the program has worked with over 2,000 local communities, Tribes, and private landowners to remove or bypass over 3,400 barriers to fish passage and reopen access to over 61,000 miles of upstream habitat for fish and other animals. Staff have expertise in fish migration and biology as well as financial, engineering, and planning assistance to communities, Tribes, and landowners to help them remove barriers and restore rivers for the benefit both fish and people. 

Fish passage project proposals can be initiated by any individual, organization, government, or agency. However, proposals must be submitted and completed in cooperation with a Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office. (Please note that fish passage projects being used for federal or state compensatory mitigation or required by existing federal or state regulatory programs are not eligible for funding through the National Fish Passage Program.) 

CONTACT A FISH PASSAGE COORDINATOR IN YOUR AREA TO GET STARTED. 

Contact Information

Species

Steelhead are usually dark olive in color, shading to silvery white on the underside with a heavily speckled body and a pink-to-red stripe running along their sides.

Steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) belong to the family Salmonidae which includes all salmon, trout, and chars. Steelhead are similar to some Pacific salmon in their life cycle and ecological requirements. They are born in fresh water streams, where they spend their first 1-3 years of life....

FWS Focus
Species
Kingdom
Animalia
Taxonomic Rank
Species

Programs

A person is walks through a large wide culvert that passes under a gravel road. A small river runs through the culvert.
Across the country, millions of barriers are fragmenting rivers, blocking fish migration, and putting communities at higher risk to flooding. Improving fish passage is one of the most effective ways to help conserve vulnerable species while building safer infrastructure for communities and...
Program
Juvenile Northern Pike in aquarium at Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery, South Dakota
The Fish and Aquatic Conservation program leads aquatic conservation efforts for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We are committed to tackling the nation’s highest priority aquatic conservation and recreational challenges to conserve, restore, and enhance fisheries for future generations.
Program
Falls Church,VA

Facilities

Person in a blue inflatable kayak on a calm river
Mid-Columbia Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office
The Mid-Columbia Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office provides technical fisheries assistance and cooperates with Service programs; other federal, state, and local agencies; tribes, and various entities to conserve aquatic species and their habitats in the mid- and upper-Columbia River Basin.
Conservation Office
Leavenworth,WA

Partners