Barker Creek
Barker Creek is a significant source of freshwater input to Dyes Inlet and home to spawning, chum, cutthroat and steelhead. In addition, critically threatened juvenile chinook salmon use nearshore and estuarine habitat such as this to feed and find shelter as they prepare for a long and difficult ocean voyage.
The project goals were to replace a salmon passage barrier (the existing 5-foot culvert), restore natural functions to the estuary upstream of the old culvert, and remove the blockage to transport large woody materials. Those goals were achieved by constructing a 36-foot wide and 13-foot tall bridge and plugging the old culvert.
The old culvert—100 feet long and only 5 feet in diameter—was a significant barrier to fish. At low tide, fish could not pass. And the abrupt edge it created—between fresh and salt water —also deterred fish.
Mid Sound worked with project partners, including Kitsap County Roads and Friends of Barker Creek, to design a replacement for the culvert – a 34 foot bridge to replace the 5 foot culvert.
Construction was complex. It required building a sheet pile wall to keep the tides from inundating the work area. And the footing for the bridge had to be dug down several stories! The road was closed for weeks to allow for the large bridge pieces to be brought in and installed.
Now, multiple species of fish have access to over 2.75 miles of upstream habitat. And a more natural flow of sediment has restored plants and animals upstream and down.
Partnerships
This project had a total cost of $1.2 M, and was funded by: Salmon Recovery Funding Board, Suquamish Tribe, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, Bella Vista, USFWS, and Port of Silverdale.