Quick Facts:

Project Status

In Development

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

A fish passage barrier on a river

About the Project:

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.  

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

Programs

The Fish Passage Program works with local communities on a voluntary basis to restore rivers and conserve our nation’s aquatic resources by removing or bypassing barriers. Our projects benefit both fish and people.
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.

Facilities

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.

Library Collections