Tuesday December 12, 2023
CalTrout —
In December 2023, CalTrout and our partners restored access to three miles of anadromous habitat in Mill Creek – the lowermost tributary to the Scott River – for the first time since the 1980s!
Through the Scott Bar Mill Creek Fish Passage Restoration Project, we removed an existing road crossing, which was a total barrier to fish passage, replaced it with a channel spanning bridge, and re-profiled the channel and its confluence with the Scott River. The existing confluence with the Scott was a steep bedrock cascade, which blocked fish passage during all but the highest flows. The new channel is at a much lower slope and filled with great habitat features for cover and shade.
Now, regardless of upstream conditions in the Scott, whether it runs dry or disconnects, coho salmon will always be able to access this tributary for spawning and rearing. Habitat will also be used by fall-run Chinook salmon, steelhead, lamprey, and other native fishes.
Following bridge installation, we’ll use native plants to revegetate the site and provide shade. Our team will also monitor juvenile and adult salmonid use until 2025, when our current funding expires. Check out what the project looked like prior to construction here and how we made sure fish were safe throughout the process here.