The West Fork at Jones Creek project took place on 0.6-mile reach of the upper West Fork Hood River between the confluences with Jones Creek and Ladd Creek. The project is located on
United States Forest Service (USFS) land on the Mt. Hood National Forest. The Upper West Fork provides some of the best spring Chinook, coho, and summer steelhead habitat in the Hood River Watershed because of its abundant, clear, and cold water in the summer. However, past timber management practices, like splash damming and removal of large riparian conifers, have led to insufficient amounts of large instream wood and loss of connectivity between the main channel and historic side channels. These factors have decreased the amount and quality of salmon and steelhead habitat.

The U.S. Forest Service and Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs have been actively restoring fish habitat on the Upper West Fork for several years. In 2016 and 2017, almost 1,000 pieces of large wood were placed in its channel and floodplain, and rock berms that had been created in the early 1900s were notched to allow the river to access its floodplain once again. More recently the Watershed Group has joined the team to assist with fundraising and project implementation. The long-term objectives of these projects are to improve spawning and rearing habitat by trapping and sorting spawning gravels, reconnecting side channels, creating new pools, increasing cover, and improving stream food web dynamics.

The goals of the West Fork at Jones Creek project were to improve and expand salmonid spawning and rearing habitat within the treatment reach. This was accomplished by placing approximately 380 pieces of large wood in 10-15 structures. Large wood structures will improve spawning habitat by trapping and sorting spawning gravels. They will improve rearing habitat by maintaining or reconnecting side channels, creating new pools, partitioning flow, increasing cover, and improving stream food web dynamics.

The project was managed by USFS staff. USFS provided the large wood and paid for its delivery to the site, and performed a modeling analysis of the design. Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs developed the design for this project and assisted with implementation oversight. The Watershed Group staff assisted with contract administration, and is conducting pre- and post-project monitoring.

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In summer of 2016, the Watershed Group, in partnership with Larry and Linda Hilton and the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, removed the Odell Dam, restoring year-round fish passage to approximately five miles of winter steelhead habitat in Odell Creek. Unlike the Powerdale and Condit Dam removals, this project required restoration of the stream channel after the dam was removed. This included diverting the stream through a bypass pipe during the 3-month construction period and removing over 2,500 cubic yards (~210 dump truck loads) of sediment that had accumulated behind the dam.

Once the new channel area was excavated, large boulders and cobbles were placed to create the backbone of the new channel, and smaller cobbles, gravel, and sand were placed on top to form a natural streambed. Large wood was placed along the edge of the channel to improve fish habitat and protect 750 newly planted trees and shrubs from high streamflows. Lastly, a concrete vault with a fish screen was installed at the edge of the channel to replace the former irrigation diversion provided by the dam.

The Odell Creek Dam was built by Fred and Wilma Plog near the mouth of Odell Creek in 1985. It was operated as a private hydroelectric power-generating facility until 2010, at which time the Oregon Water Resources Department permit expired. To renew the permit, the dam needed to meet current fish passage and screening standards. However, an economic evaluation determined that upgrading the fish ladder and screen would cost more than future net power revenues would generate. Given the project’s negative value and the significant environmental impact to the creek, the landowner and hydro plant license holder agreed in 2013 to pursue decommissioning of the dam and restoration of the creek. Funding for this $450,000 project was provided by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs.

Odell Creek is a non-glacial tributary of the lower Hood River, which has the potential to support winter steelhead, as well as populations of resident rainbow trout and coastal cutthroat trout within the 11 square mile watershed. To track the success of the dam removal and creek restoration, the Watershed Group has been conducting project effectiveness monitoring since the project was completed in 2016. This includes annual photo point monitoring for a visual representation of change over time, and monitoring of stream morphology characteristics over time. The Watershed Group also assists the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs with annual fish surveys to track fish presence in the stream post-dam removal. As of 2019, the channel is performing very well and supporting a healthy population of fish. The riparian plantings are also doing well. The willow and Dogwood stakes along the channel margin have more than tripled in size. In the fall of 2019, the Watershed Group and a group of volunteers replanted an area on the west bank of the project where some plantings had suffered due to soil conditions.

Check out the dam removal and stream restoration process here.

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