Before photo below:
After photos below:
Last July we completed an instream restoration project in the lower portion of Johnson Creek near Milwaukie in partnership with the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board on land owned by the Oregon Department of Transportation. As the water is receding this spring we are seeing rather impressive, and dare I say dramatic results following an uneventful winter. This reach of Johnson Creek was essentially a straight, shallow stretch of creek without any pools, logs or other habitat diversity.
Our project sought to provide this type of habitat diversity for the primary purpose of salmon rearing and resting habitat. This reach of creek also has several cold water inputs, where former tributary streams were piped and paved over, but still flow into Johnson Creek. The combination of the colder water with pools and log structures for cover would make excellent salmon habitat! A secondary function of these log structures and pools is to help the creek with natural flow processes such as low flow channel formation, creating and maintaining pool habitat, buffering flow velocities during periods of runoff and sediment accumulation. Given the shape this reach of creek was in before our project, we were cautiously optimistic of the potential results.
