Nov. 13, 2010 -
PRLog -- Demeter Design recently completed a culvert assessment within the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed. Fish passage, riparian condition, and channel morphology was evaluated as was land use at 120 culverts under contract to the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council (MFWWC). Project funding was provided by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board. Detailed measurements of culvert condition, construction, elevations, and adjacent instream and riparian habitat were collected at each surveyed culvert. RSTAR surveys were conducted at a subset of the sites. This information was used to determine the passability of each. The original survey points were based on outdated and inaccurate GIS data. As a result, a primary goal of this project was to field truth and record the locations of each culvert using high resolution GPS receviers. In addition to the 120 culverts surveyed, 50 of the original sample points were found dropped when culverts could not be located, had been replaced, were in fact bridges, or could not be accessed. Most culverts were on public forest lands while the remainder were predominantly private forestry and rural residential. The majority of the culverts surveyed were found to be barriers to fish passage. In combination with the reservoirs and other known barriers, these culverts appear to represent a significant limitation to salmonid populations. The data collected over the course of this project was integrated into a spatially enabled Access compatible database. Check out the report at our website!
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Demeter Design works with local municipalities, watershed councils, and management agencies to assess, monitor, restore, and report on habitat thoughout western North America.
