Wednesday August 31, 2022
The News Tribune —
Our neck of the woods is home to a plethora of unique, fish-bearing streams.
Salmon are always top of mind, but steelhead trout and coastal cutthroat (both salmonoids) return to several area creeks, including Purdy Creek and Little Minter Creek. And, as many area-drivers have seen, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is working to remove two culverts within this watershed to improve fish passage.
Culverts — generically defined as structures that channel water under roadways — don’t always provide conditions that allow fish to swim through them; this could be due to height, depth, water velocity, or other factors. WSDOT is finishing up work under Little Minter Creek (which began in Spring 2019) while starting a new project to remove old culverts that are barriers to fish in Purdy Creek.
Two culvert improvements in one area may seem like a headache to drivers, but timing is everything for these projects.