It’s a pain for drivers, but timing is everything for work on local creeks. Here’s why

Our neck of the woods is home to a plethora of unique, fish-bearing streams.

Salmon are always top of mind, but steelhead trout and coastal cutthroat (both salmonoids) return to several area creeks, including Purdy Creek and Little Minter Creek. And, as many area-drivers have seen, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is working to remove two culverts within this watershed to improve fish passage.

Culverts — generically defined as structures that channel water under roadways — don’t always provide conditions that allow fish to swim through them; this could be due to height, depth, water velocity, or other factors. WSDOT is finishing up work under Little Minter Creek (which began in Spring 2019) while starting a new project to remove old culverts that are barriers to fish in Purdy Creek.

Two culvert improvements in one area may seem like a headache to drivers, but timing is everything for these projects.

WSDOT works closely with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to identify “fish windows” — timeframes that put the least amount of stress on fish in the streams when WSDOT is working in the water to remove the old structure and construct the improved passage. These timeframes set the clock on when other project components can be completed.

According to WSDOT, these windows are defined as when the fewest fish are expected to be in the stream, generally only a couple of weeks to months during the summer. Other factors used for determining a fish window include general conditions and fish life histories within broader reaches of the stream.

Mark Krulish, WSDOT Communications Consultant said: “WDFW biologists consider the impact of construction activities, equipment type and access, life history of fish life present, and other conditions when permitting this in-water work for us.”

Additionally, before WSDOT performs any in-water work on the culverts, they perform what is called a “fish exclusion.” This requires temporarily damming upstream and downstream of the project site, removing and relocating any present fish using nets and/or electroshocking, and creating a temporary bypass where water from the stream is rerouted around the project site.

“This helps us minimize impacts to fish that may already be present in the stream,” Krulish said. “Many of our construction projects see fish return soon after construction wraps up and start using the stream to migrate or spawn.”

State-wide program prompted by federal court injunction

These windows, combined with the uniqueness of each stream’s habitat and culvert removal project, are why these types of projects can take a while to finish.

The Little Minter Creek project, which is correcting fish barriers and outdated culverts under state Route 302, started back in spring 2019. When supply chain issues caused a delay in materials, WSDOT was pushed beyond their designated fish window and the work was moved into summer 2022.

These culvert improvements are part of a bigger, state-wide program to comply with the requirements of a 2013 U.S. District Court injunction to “correct barriers to salmon and steelhead, and open 90 percent of blocked habitat by 2030.”

Many other considerations go into each project for efficiency, not limited to identifying the problematic culverts and occasionally bundling barrier projects into one construction contract to reduce impacts to drivers (as seen with Minter and Little Minter Creeks). Each new passage structure will create access for fish to swim freely to upstream spawning habitat. As an example, after improving fish passages in both Little Minter and Minter Creeks, fish will gain more than 29 miles of potential habitat.

Though these projects may create a temporary headache for drivers, patience will pay off. Improving fish habitat has a trickle-down effect (no pun intended), benefiting both people and the environment.

Carly Vester has been writing an environmental column for The Peninsula Gateway since 2019. Her storytelling focuses on the intersection of people and the outdoors — from adventures across the west, to our environment and the rich history surrounding it. Her documentary films have screened internationally and her writing has been published locally and regionally.