Fish Passage Improvement
Access to cool and clean upstream waters is crucial for the health of our native fisheries including ESA-listed salmon and steelhead.
The watershed council prioritizes fish passage in the mainstem Calapooia River and the highest priority tributary systems including Brush and Courtney Creeks. Without access to these headwaters, instream habitat restoration like wood or boulder placement is less effective. Removal of diversion dams and barrier culverts have been the councils primary tools, with replacement of properly sized, passable structures or alternative, more modern diversion systems like pumps or engineered grade control. Since 2006 in partnership with the local community and agencies the watershed council has removed three small concrete dams on the river, and 8 barrier culverts. Timber industry partners have also contributed to passage in the headwaters per the Oregon Forestry Practices Act.
Cox Creek
The Cox Creek-Willamette River confluence area has an active floodplain including mature riparian forest, riffle-pool stream morphology, and an off-channel pond. The site is characterized by seasonal inundation, diverse microhabitats, and transitional vegetation cover. During the winter and spring of 2013, the Council worked to remove non-native species such as reed canary grass, Himalayan blackberry and English ivy.
These invasives covered roughly 70 percent of an area that also supports remnant native plant communities including cottonwood-dominated floodplain forest, mixed riparian forest and willow dominated shrub-scrub wetland. Although degraded to varying extents, these plant communities continue to provide important habitat, water quality and recreational functions. The riparian and confluence sites are owned by City of Albany, ATI Wah Chang (ATI), and Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and are managed for light recreational use by hikers and bicyclists. Site management consists of parking lot and sidewalk maintenance for public access, as well as a trail system that parallels the Willamette River from Baldwin Park downstream to the second Oxbow Lake (Second Lake).
Invasive Species Control
11 acres of intensive vegetation control, 9 of which required intense reed canary suppression - 2500 stems/acre
Dam Removal
The dam was originally built to impound water for a meat packing plant that formerly occupied the site. ATI now manages the property and the dam long ago outlived its useful lifespan. ATI and City of Albany supported dam removal to reduce liability and improve fish passage on Cox Creek.
Riparian Restoration
5 acres of standard riparian vegetation control- 1000-1500 stems/acre
Education
Held a field trip involving sixth graders from Central Linn Elementary in the benefits of restoration and fish passage barrier removal at Cox Creek
Funding
Two additional sources of mitigation dollars to support all 16 acres of site preparation, planting and maintenance through 2017 and received City of Albany in-kind assistance with plant watering and some maintenance
Improved Recreation Access
Educational and demonstrative components such as signage along trails and high traffic areas, and public tours with City of Albany
These dam removal, riparian restoration, and confluences sites are adjacent to the City of Albany’s Talking Water Gardens, an innovative, integrated wetlands system designed to provide an additional level of natural treatment for combined municipal and industrial treated wastewater effluent.
Infrastructure on the terrace adjacent to the project area includes the City of Albany wastewater treatment facility, ATI, and transportation corridors including the railroad and road systems. These facilities are located on the eastern perimeter of the sites, but influence Cox Creek. The facilities directly affect channel morphology, aquatic and riparian habitats, and water quality. However, relative to past interactions between these properties and the adjacent waterbodies, contemporary impacts are undoubtedly a fraction of the historical disturbance. Limiting factors for the Albany Oxbow Lakes and Cox Creek confluence area are taken from NMFS (2008) and include observations from the assessment.
Limiting factors include:
Altered water temperatures
Degraded water quality due to stormwater runoff and discharge from industrial facilities
Riparian vegetation loss due to riparian conversion for agriculture and industrial development
Habitat simplification due to historical and contemporary industrial use of oxbow lakes and the adjacent floodplain
Fish passage barriers on tributary streams.
Specific actions identified in the Recovery Plan to address limiting factors in the mouths of tributaries to the Willamette River and other approaches to address problems in the Albany Oxbow Lakes area include the following:
Assess and address fish passage barriers particularly on Cox Creek.
Using the framework in the “Willamette Planning Atlas,” protect and restore aquatic habitat function at the mouths of tributaries; increase non-structural capacity of floodwater, restore natural riparian communities and their function; increase channel complexity; and increase native floodplain forest.
Manage invasive plant species and expand native riparian areas
Enhance habitat in Oxbow Lakes and lower tributary reaches
Address stormwater inputs to tributaries and oxbow lakes.
“Creek, floodplain restoration projects underway“, City Bridges, City of Albany Newsletter, January 2013
“Cox Creek to get makeover” Democrat Herald, July 10th 2012
“Two watershed projects planned in Albany,” Democrat Herald, January 1, 2013
“Albany set to begin 2 watershed projects,” KGW Online, January 2, 2013
Springtime on Cox Creek (An Update), Hasso Herring, March 30, 2013
In April 2008, the State Land Board recognized the Calapooia Watershed Council and its many partners for the Brownsville Dam Removal in an awards ceremony honoring exemplary projects that promote responsible stewardship of Oregon’s natural resources. In presenting the Stream Project Award, Governor Ted Kulongoski, chair of the Land Board, commended the Council for developing a broad partnership to “Protect Oregon’s natural resources for future generations.” This project exemplifies the spirit of cooperation that is so important for a successful outcome.”
Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board’s 2008 Guide for Small Dam Removal, written by Denise Hoffert-Hay
Biophysical and socioeconomic monitoring results for the Brownsville Dam Removal Project, led by Oregon State University. This study has been funded by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board and NOAA’s Open Rivers Initiative.
Journal articles relevant to the environmental outcomes of dam removal:
- List of all OSU publications, dissertations, presentations related to the Brownsville Dam Removal monitoring project, 2008-2011
- Kibler KM, Tullos DD, Kondolf GM. 2010. Learning from dam removal monitoring: challenges to selecting experimental design and establishing significance of outcomes. River Research and Applications. DOI: 10.1002/rra.1415.
- Kibler KM, Tullos DD, Kondolf GM. 2011. Evolving expectations of dam removal outcomes: downstream geomorphic effects following removal of a small, gravel-filled dam.
- Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) Evolving Expectations of Dam Removal Outcomes: Downstreem Geomorphic Effects Following Removal of a Small, Gravel-Filled Dam