Historic channel restoration takes shape as Lower Peshastin Creek Project enters phase two

PESHASTIN — The Lower Peshastin Creek Habitat Restoration Project is making major progress this summer, with crews completing lead contamination cleanup and now rebuilding fish habitat.

Led by Cascade Fisheries, the project will restore a historic river channel and preserve a critical cold water refuge where Peshastin Creek meets the Wenatchee River. The project is located at the Dryden Dam public access site, on Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) land. 

“Salmon decline has been a serious issue, but the problem just gets more confounded by more population, more demands on water, more demands on land. So we are trying our best to improve conditions for fish so that when they do come here, they have the highest chance of survival…This is where we feel like we have a little bit of say in their success,” said Cascade Fisheries Executive Director Jason Lundgren.

Peshastin Creek is not only an important spawning and rearing site for natal fish, but it also provides cold water refuge for both natal and non-natal fish, or those coming from other locations along the Wenatchee River. It supports three species listed under the Endangered Species Act: upper Columbia Spring chinook, upper Columbia steelhead, and bull trout. 

While Peshastin Creek has been identified as a vital habitat, human activities have significantly altered its shape and function. The construction of Highway 97 shortened the creek by a mile and restricted connectivity to more than one-third of its floodplain. In 1975, the dam access road cut off a historic channel at the confluence of the Wenatchee River, which Cascade Fisheries is working to restore as the primary channel. 

“They put the road in, cut off the main channel, and the story goes, they ran a bulldozer right down the current channel and just made it a nice, efficient conveyance of water, which is fine for building a road, but not good for fish or for river processes that maintain healthy aquatic ecosystems,” said Cascade Fisheries Project Manager Aaron Rosenblum.

The first phase of the project began in August 2024, cleaning up lead contamination from the nearby Dryden Gun Club. According to Rosenblum, the lead contamination was originally expected to be within the top six to 12 inches of soil, but was discovered to be 18 to 24 inches in many parts, and even went as deep as 30 inches. Bullets had also broken down into fine dust.

“Most of it was getting blown around, definitely blowing into the water and kind of just all over the site…This was not a place that you wanted to bring your kid to come and play in the dirt, necessarily. But now all of that’s cleaned up,” said Rosenblum.

The crew sorted and recycled approximately 2,000 pounds of lead from the area, according to Rosenblum. Fine contaminants will be treated and buried under 15 feet of soil, a method that will ensure the toxin will not leach into other areas.

This summer, the project has moved quickly through the beginning of phase two, which has included excavation, grading, and building log jams. Approximately 2,100 cubic yards of material have been removed to re-establish the connection to the historic channel and expand the floodplain area. 

The crews have also started constructing 34 engineered log jams (ELJs) and 13 wood structures to enhance plant diversity, sediment sorting, gravel retention, and pool creation. Excavated rock sorted into different size classes will be strategically placed in the channels. 

“This kind of stuff is just like magnets for fish. And there's not many places like this. You go up, down the Wenatchee…and you just don’t see this sort of complex habitat,” said Lundgren.

Mid-July, the group will have a month-long window to work on the existing channel. Teams will start by removing any fish and de-watering the channel. Then, crews will rebuild the scoured channel by introducing about 3,500 cubic yards of streambed material. Once the work to rebuild both channels is complete, three acres of riparian vegetation will be restored to an area that was once mostly brush.

By next spring, Cascade Fisheries anticipates the restored channel will create a floodplain with diverse habitat for all life stages of fish and a riparian area with native plant life. According to Lundgren, the crew also plans to rebuild a trail with interpretive signs and a kiosk.

WDFW, as the landowner, is facilitating the project. Funding and technical resources for the lead clean up were provided by the Washington Department of Ecology. The habitat restoration project is funded by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and the Bonneville Power Administration. The total project cost is expected to be between $3 and $3.5 million.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media