NOAA grants $2.57M to Cowlitz Indian Tribe to open salmon migration route

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on Wednesday, Dec. 14, that it will award $2.57 million to the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and and its partners to remove Kwoneesum Dam from Wildboy Creek, a Washougal River tributary in Skamania County.

The funding is part of a $39.8 million package awarded to tribes, communities, and local governments in Washington state for the removal of fish passage barriers such as small dams and culverts to open up salmon migration routes and allow more salmon to return to their spawning grounds, according to a news release issued by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.).

The projects will help recover habitats for endangered migratory fish and support the sustainability of commercial, recreational and Tribal fisheries.

“These first projects from the NOAA’s Restoring Fish Passage Through Barrier Removal Program will support 10 projects in Washington aimed at jumpstarting salmon recovery by removing salmon-blocking culverts and other stream obstructions,” Cantwell said in the news release.

“Barriers like obsolete dams and impassable block salmon from migrating to their spawning grounds across the state, from the Skagit and Snohomish rivers in Northwest Washington to the Washougal River in Southwest Washington, and the Yakima River and Columbia River basins in Central Washington to the Hoquiam River on the Olympic Peninsula. These projects help recover salmon stocks important to Southern resident orcas, coastal ecosystems and our economy by supporting commercial, recreational and Tribal fishing communities.”

The removal of Kwoneesum, a 55-foot tall, 425-foot long rock fill embankment dam, will restore fish access to a minimum of 6.5 miles of “highly productive” habitat, benefitting native fish and other aquatic species, the news release states.

The Cowlitz Tribe has finished the final design, secured permits for dam removal, and completed habitat restoration designs to place 1.2 miles of log structures in the stream to restore habitat complexity and capture sediment, according to the news release.

“Salmon are foundational to Washington state’s economy, culture, and traditions,” U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said in the news release. “Preserving and protecting fish populations and habitats matters for all of us. I did everything I could to secure historic investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for Washington state fish passages and Tribal fisheries. I’ll keep working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure Congress is doing its part to help save our salmon.”