The Project is located adjacent to a historic oxbow, south of the Quillayute River in Reach 4 between river miles (RM) 3.7 and 4.6, as shown on Figure 1-1 (see attached). The Project area is included in future plans to restore and enhance off-channel wetlands as well as in-channel habitat within sections of the Quillayute River (Tetra Tech 2021). Part of these plans include reactivation of the historic oxbow, which will likely increase fish densities inside channels and tributaries like the unnamed stream that passes through the Steep Hill Culvert.
The purpose of this Project is to replace the existing Steep Hill culvert with a bridge to address fish passage concerns. Replacement of this culvert is included as one element in the larger scale Historic Oxbow Project, but to meet grant funding requirements, this preliminary design phase is now being evaluated separately as a joint project between Quileute Natural Resources (QNR) and the Wild Salmon Center (WSC). The existing culvert passes flow underneath a gravel road from an unnamed stream that runs east to west and is fed by groundwater as well as surface water runoff. The upstream section of the stream is surrounded by wetlands and includes a series of beaver dams within 300 feet of the culvert. The downstream end is incised and drains into the historic oxbow. The existing culvert is undersized and inverted, making it a barrier to fish passage. Replacement with a prefabricated bridge combined with channel regrading will help to alleviate these concerns.