Restoration project aims to reverse decades of ecological damage in Lower Peshastin Creek

PESHASTIN – After decades of degradation and reshaping, Lower Peshastin Creek will be returning to near its historical shape, providing better habitat for Spring chinook, steelhead, and bull trout.

The project to restore Lower Peshastin Creek, led by Cascade Fisheries, will clean up toxic lead waste, rebuild fish habitat, and preserve a critical cold water refuge where Peshastin Creek meets the Wenatchee River, known as a confluence. The project is located at the Dryden Dam public access site, on Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) land.

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. According to the Washington Department of Ecology, Peshastin Creek is approximately two degrees Celsius cooler than the Wenatchee River.

“Peshastin [Creek] is one of the only cold water refuges in the lower Wenatchee basin, and in drought years, that can be really important for fish to have refuge to survive when the main stem of the river can be excessively warm and inhospitable for fish. So, that's one unique feature about Peshastin here, that this project will help improve those conditions going forward,” said Amanda Barg, Assistant Regional Habitat Program Manager of WDFW.

However, over the last century, Peshastin Creek has changed immensely, primarily due to the construction of Highway 97 through Blewett Pass. According to the Old Blewett Blog, travel began in the 1870s as a way to access gold mining. The original highway was built in the 1920s and later rerouted for a more streamlined path in 1956. The blog states that the new route reduced the number of curves from the original’s 248 down to 37. The straightening of this highway also straightened Peshastin Creek. According to a 1999 U.S. Forest Service report, this transformation shortened it by almost a mile, and Peshastin lost 34 percent of its floodplain.

“And when you straighten a river, you're increasing the slope, which increases the velocity, which increases the shear stress, the erosion, and everything,” said Jason Lundgren, Executive Director of Cascade Fisheries.

At the site of the confluence, Peshastin Creek maintained its floodplain paths, with a winding primary channel and a straight secondary channel leading into the Wenatchee River. However, when the access road was built in 1975, the creek was straightened to what it is today, which is one narrow, fast-moving channel, with little habitat. Additionally, the area surrounding the confluence is contaminated with lead shot from the former Dryden Gun Club nearby.

The project will begin late this summer with clearing the site of lead and fencing off pesticide contaminated areas. Then, in 2025 Cascade Fisheries will rebuild a channel similar to the original, recreating a floodplain. Lundgren estimates the crew will move about 20,000 cubic yards of material in order to add the accessory channel. Wood will also be added to create deeper pools and hiding places for fish. 

While the project will have a direct impact on fish, it is also expected to have a broader impact on the area, by cleaning up toxicities, building climate change resilience, and increasing biodiversity.

“When you distribute the water across the floodplain, there tends to be a bunch of water quality benefits. When you're reconnecting sort of the groundwater table, it tends to cool water temperatures, and you tend to have more quantity and diversity of macroinvertebrates which feed the whole future the whole food web,” said Lundgren.

Vegetation is also expected to improve and expand, which will in turn attract more wildlife.

The cleanup will not overlap with peak boating season, but construction may, said Lundgren. However, public access will be maintained throughout construction, with traffic control and minor delays.

According to Lundgren, completion of the project will cost just under $3.5 million. The Department of Ecology will be funding the cleanup, with funding support from Bonneville Power, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Bureau of Reclamation, and the State Salmon Recovery Board for restoration.

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