Russian River tributary (Mill Creek) Restoration I

Restoration Stories

MillCreek-before-1024x768Mill Creek is a major tributary to the Russian River and harbors some of the best habitat for federally endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead trout of any tributary in this watershed. However, fish access to this reach has been severely impeded for many decades by a flashboard dam. Restoring access at the barrier is the highest priority fish passage recovery action for coho in the Russian River. Through construction of a roughened ramp and side channel, the project eliminates this barrier and restores fish access to 11.2 miles of high quality habitat upstream. This project required years of planning and negotiations with local property owners. The project was implemented by Trout Unlimited and Prunuske Chatham, Inc. with funding from the NOAA Restoration Center’s Community-based Restoration Program, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Fisheries Restoration Grant Program, and the Sonoma County Water Agency. The site before construction from Prunuske Chatham. © Trout Unlimited
Mill Creek Fish Passage Pre Construction Photo: Mill Creek is a major tributary to the Russian River and harbors some of the best habitat for federally endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead trout of any tributary in this watershed. However, fish access to this reach has been severely impeded for many decades by a flashboard dam. Restoring access at the barrier is the highest priority fish passage recovery action for coho in the Russian River. Through construction of a roughened ramp and side channel, the project eliminates this barrier and restores fish access to 11.2 miles of high-quality habitat upstream. This project required years of planning and negotiations with local property owners. The project was implemented by Trout Unlimited and Prunuske Chatham, Inc. with funding from the NOAA Restoration Center’s Community-based Restoration Program, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Fisheries Restoration Grant Program, and the Sonoma County Water Agency. Learn More © Trout Unlimited