Catherine Creek Hall Ranch Highway Relocation Design - ODOT Summary

ODOT shall develop implementation ready, engineered stamped designs, for the relocation of Highway 203 to outside the Catherine Creek floodplain on Hall Ranch, to address the primary limiting factors for all life stages of spring Chinook salmon and summer steelhead in the project reach.

The Catherine Creek-Hall Ranch Project is located on Catherine Creek (RM 50.1 to 52.2), tributary to the Grande Ronde River, near Union, Oregon. The project reach is Tier 1 habitat and supports all freshwater life stages of ESA listed spring Chinook salmon, summer steelhead, and Oregon state sensitive species redband trout. It is also a
migration corridor for ESA listed bull trout. An estimated 25-50% of Catherine Creek spring Chinook salmon spawning annually occurs in the project reach. Extensive rearing of Chinook and steelhead occurs on Hall Ranch.

Catherine Creek was once a multithreaded, complex series of anastomosing channels that occupied nearly the entire valley floor. Human impacts, most notably the construction of Highway 203, reduced the multiple channel planform to a single channel between 1936 and 1954. Manipulations to the channel, streambanks, and floodplain in this reach of Catherine Creek limits salmonid production. The main channel has been cut off from 26 acres of floodplain along the left of Highway 203 and heavy livestock grazing occurs in the project area.

Catherine Creek Chinook experience high overwinter and smolt migration mortality. Smolts leaving natal areas are very small and migration rates are low. Reconnection and restoring floodplains has been identified as vital to supporting the biological processes necessary for salmonid survival.

The technical assistance is to fund ODOT to prepare and complete an engineered project design for relocating Highway 203 out of the Catherine Creek floodplain. Roadway design will occur concurrently with fish habitat restoration design. ODFW will use these designs and associated documents to pursue implementation funding, complete permitting requirements, and implement the restoration project. The Catherine Creek-Hall Ranch fish habitat restoration project will include relocating Highway 203 and reconnecting Catherine Creek with 26 acres of floodplain. It will also include project components to improve floodplain and off-channel rearing habitat complexity.

ODOT shall work closely with project partners, including: ODFW, OSU, ODOT, GRMW, BPA, USWCD, and CTUIR.

Wallowa McDaniel Ph3 Technical Assistance - Tetra Tech Summary

GRMW and ODFW seek the services of Tetra Tech to work from the conceptual design (Attachment A) and produce design plan sets (15%, 30%, 80%, and Final), specifications, and engineered cost estimates. ODFW will use these documents to pursue implementation funding, complete permitting requirements, and implement the restoration project. Technical Assistance funding is being provided by BPA and OWEB. BPA funding will be used for Tetra Tech project management; data collection; meeting with project partners (ODFW, BPA, and GRMW) to review conceptual design, project objectives, and at 30% design; site investigation, site survey, and project reach geomorphology; hydrology analysis; hydraulic analysis; and development of 15% designs and the preliminary design report.

The Wallowa River-McDaniel Fish Habitat Restoration Project is located along the Wallowa River, tributary to the Grande Ronde River, in Wallowa County, Oregon. This section of the Wallowa River provides important spawning and rearing habitat for ESA listed spring Chinook salmon and summer steelhead. Chinook and steelhead spawning and rearing has been documented in the project reach. It is also used by ESA listed bull trout, Oregon Sensitive Species redband trout, and other important native fish species.

The limiting factors and threats for spring Chinook salmon and summer steelhead in this reach of the Wallowa River include lack of habitat quantity and diversity (primarily a lack of pools and large woody debris), excess fine sediment, high summer water temperature, alteration of the hydrograph, and passage barriers. The causes are primarily attributable to livestock grazing, logging, and agricultural development. Primary life stage affected is juvenile rearing.

Tetra Tech shall develop implementation ready, stamped engineered stream restoration project designs that address the limiting factors for all life stages of salmon and steelhead, bull trout, and other native species utilizing the project reach. The project design shall be rigorous, data-driven, resilient, constructability-focused, and permit-ready while focusing on restoration techniques that can make measured improvements to the limiting factors identified for spring Chinook salmon and summer steelhead within the project reach. HIP III conservation measures shall be incorporated for compliance. The engineering firm shall also develop technical specifications and engineered cost estimate for Project implementation.

Tetra Tech shall work closely with ODFW and project stakeholders. Frequent and open communication, including onsite, in-person design meetings with ODFW, BPA the GRMW, and the landowner are required.

The Project will contribute to narrowing and deepening the Wallowa River; increasing habitat complexity; increasing quantity and quality of pool and migration, holding, spawning, and rearing habitat; and increasing quality and extent of riparian habitat. ODFW has developed a conceptual restoration design for the Project that includes engineered large wood structures, side channels, riparian restoration, and floodplain enhancement (Attachment B).