The Calapooia, Luckiamute, Marys River, North Santiam, and South Santiam Watershed Councils were awarded $8.7 million in funding from the Department of Commerce and NOAA to restore fish passage in the Mid-Willamette region. 

This funding will restore fish passage to 18 different sites in the Mid-Willamette, opening up access to 43 miles of high quality spawning and rearing habitat for a variety of native fish, including Upper Willamette River spring Chinook salmon and winter steelhead trout, which are both listed under the Endangered Species Act. The funding will also help to develop permit-ready designs for another 6.7 miles of habitat.

In addition to restoring access to healthy fish habitat, this project will also work to build resilience while improving infrastructure, reducing hazards, and engaging the community. The projects span the full range of fish passage types, including culvert improvements, in-stream fish passage improvements, and the assessment of alternatives to, and review, of a dam removal. 

This work builds upon 16 years of close regional collaboration between the Calapooia, Luckiamute, Marys River, North Santiam, and South Santiam Watershed Councils, whose combined service area consists of 31 percent of the Willamette watershed. We are grateful to be given this opportunity to continue to restore watersheds in the mid-Willamette. 

The project, “There and back again: A salmonid’s tale to restored fish passage in the Mid-Willamette”, was submitted by Marys River Watershed Council on behalf of the Mid-Valley River Connections collaborative. This project is 1 of 51 projects recommended by the Department of Commerce and NOAA for $245 million in funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.