Scott Swanson
A weir system intended to open the mouth of Ames Creek to winter steelhead and cutthroat trout was finished last week.
The weir, a South Santiam Watershed Council project, was built by excavating bedrock at the mouth of the creek, creating a “natural” fish ladder for the steelhead and trout to ascend 16 feet into the creek from the river in steps interspersed with deep pools where fish can rest.
The project began Sept. 10 and was finished Oct. 11.
The creek was returned to its normal bed Thursday after being diverted around the work area through a series of pipes during the month the work was taking place.
“It was a technically challenging project,” said Eric Hartstein, SSWC coordinator. “There was some really hard bedrock in there, so hammering out the bedrock in couple places took more time than, at least, the contractor imagined it would.”
He said the benefit was that “we were able to build it out of existing bedrock instead of bringing in boulders. We just basically hammered the stuff right out of bedrock.”
Before Foster and Green Peter dams were constructed in the 1960s, the South Santiam River would flood the mouth of Ames Creek.
The goal is to enable fish to move up the 17 miles of Ames Creek and its tributaries.
The project complements work done by Cascade Timber Consulting farther up the Ames Creek drainage, according to Hartstein. CTC has fixed culverts and installed bridges in recent years to open up the creek.
The project, built by Aquatic Contracting of Portland, cost slightly over $150,000, which was funded primarily through the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, with some additional cash from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and federal timber payments through the county.
Hartstein said he checked early this week and fish had not entered the new pools, created by the weir, yet. He said some of the surrounding terrain will be planted with native trees and shrubs to complete the project.
For more information about the project or the Watershed Council, contact Hartstein at (541) 367-5564.