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North Santiam Watershed Council |
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Because the North Santiam Basin is so large, council members use sub-basin action planning to prioritize and complete projects. Volunteer citizens living in each area help the council identify and prioritize projects it will work on. This division is based on sub-watersheds. |
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Snake Deford
This project is taking place on Snake Deford Creek as a partnership between local landowners near Mill City. Decades of farming along the floodplain portion of the stream have resulted in substantial channelization. The stream has two failing cattle crossings and has been known to flood local residents and roads. This creek is one of a few streams downstream of Detroit Dam with enough year-round flow to support a naturally rearing steelhead population and provide seasonal rearing habitat for juvenile spring Chinook salmon.
Project goals: ● Improve fish habitat ● Resolve erosion and flooding ● Improve water quality ● Remove invasive plants & establish native riparian plants
Additional private landowners are being actively recruited to potentially enhance Snake Creek. Mill City will also be involved in this project as part of their storm water drainage plan.
Site Map for Snake Deford Watershed
Hatch Airport
The culvert has been replaced to improve fish passage! More habitat restoration will follow! The 1996 flood damaged a culvert running underneath this rural airport runway. The culvert was replaced but the hump in the middle was too high and at a wrong angle to allow adequate fish passage and water flow to off-channel habitat of the North Santiam River. The channel affected by this culvert is a side channel of the North Santiam River. The culvert collects debris, which appears to be the primary obstruction. Without the obstruction, this channel will provide important fish rearing and resting habitat for anadromous fish species.
Project goals: ● Improve fish passage by replacing culvert ● Remove invasive plants ● Restore off-channel and backwater habitat ● Improve adjacent wetlands and riparian forests
Fish Passage Barrier Inventory
The NSWC is currently working with the South Santiam Watershed Council to build a fish passage barrier inventory to identify and prioritize fish passage barriers that need to be fixed throughout the Santiam Basin. The councils will use this database to work together with willing landowners to fix barriers. Gravel Bed Enhancement
Since construction of Detroit and Big Cliff Dams, gravel transport has been blocked from almost 60% of the North Santiam Watershed. Gravel is a normal and critical component of spawning habitat for cutthroat trout, spring Chinook, and winter steelhead. Currently, the Council is collaborating with US Army Corps of Engineers and Federal Lakes Recreation Committee for Detroit Lake to design the removal of trapped gravel and the placement of gravel downstream to enhance salmon spawning grounds.
Landowner Restoration Projects
Both private and public landowners play a large role in restoring and improving the health of the watershed. The North Santiam Watershed Council offers links to technical and financial resources to help landowners complete restoration projects on their property to improve watershed health. If you’d like to do a project, please contact us! We are currently focusing on Marion Creek, Stout Creek, Bear Branch Creek, and Snake Deford Creek.
North Fork Clean-up
A cleanup along the Little North Santiam River takes place twice a year with the help of Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry, Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center, Marion County, SOLV, and residents who live in the area. This river is a popular recreation spot for visitors; as a result, trash accumulates both along the road and river throughout the summer. If you live in or recreate in the area, please come help us keep this area beautiful!
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Before & After at Culvert Outlet |