The Chelan County Natural Resources Department (CCNRD) in partnership with the US Forest Service (USFS) implemented the Clear Creek Complex project which addressed three passage barrier culverts. The original culverts acted as barriers due to high velocities, slopes and outfall depth. Approximately 2.7 additional linear mile of stream habitat is accessable from replacing these problem culverts with bottomless arch culverts. Important habitat used by juvenile and adult ESA listed Upper Columbia summer steelhead for rearing and spawning is now available.
This culvert replacement was a part of a greater effort entitled “The Upper Wenatchee Passage Program” (UWPP) a collaborative effort between Chelan County Natural Resource Department, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) to acquire funds to replace nine barrier culverts that interrupted adult and juvenile salmonid passage in the Chiwawa and Middle Wenatchee subwatersheds. The biological goal of the UWPP was to increase fish passage into Alder Creek (2 culverts), Clear Creek (3 culverts), Beaver Creek (3 culverts) and Skinney Creek (2 culverts). All fish passage UWPP barriers (except Skinney Creek #1 due to an upcoming DOT highway realignment project) have now been replaced thanks to funding from the Salmon Recovery funding board and the Tributary Committee.
