Snyder Cove Creek Fish Passage Project

The project area includes Snyder Cove Creek, a perennial, fish-bearing watershed that flows into the east side of Eld Inlet in Thurston County, western Washington State, where the stream is blocked by a fish passage barrier culvert. By interrupting habitat connectivity, even a single barrier can have a disproportionately large impact on the abundance and resiliency of wild fish populations. Removing this barrier would improve access to habitat for coho, chum, resident and sea-run cutthroat, possibly steelhead, sculpin, and lamprey. In addition to blocking fish passage, the undersized barrier culvert has interrupted the natural transport (sediment and wood) processes that were historically present.

WFC staff replaced the undersized, and now failing, 3-foot culvert with a 14-foot wide, 10-foot tall, 45-foot long box culvert that will provide a huge increase in flow capacity and provide wild salmonids access to critical spawning and rearing habitat upstream from the project site.

Effectiveness monitoring was performed by the conservancy and the college for three years post-project. This project complemented a People for Puget Sound feasibility assessment for removing a bulkhead adjacent to the barrier culvert.