The Little Nestucca River flows 18 miles from its headwaters to Nestucca Bay, emptying into the Pacific Ocean. There are more floodplains and wetlands in the upper Little Nestucca watershed than are usually seen in the Coast Range, which could be a result of highly erodible siltstone underlying the area.
Multiple culverts restricted fish passage and natural stream function on Bower Creek, a tributary to the Little Nestucca River in south Tillamook county. Bower Creek is home to Coho, Chinook, & Chum salmon, and Steelhead and Cutthroat trout. This project builds on past success in Bower Creek and replaced 2 failing 48″x 20′ corrugated metal culverts with a 30′ prefabricated concrete bridge. This project was performed on private land and was a win/win situation for the landowner and aquatic species.
Multiple culverts restricted fish passage and natural stream function on Bower Creek, a tributary to the Little Nestucca River in south Tillamook county. Bower Creek is home to Coho, Chinook, & Chum salmon, and Steelhead and Cutthroat trout. Phase 1 of the project has addressed the two culvert crossings furthest downstream. At Culvert 1717 (2) 4ft diameter pipes were replaced with a 26ft long and 21ft wide concrete bridge. Further upstream, culvert 1719 was transformed from a 3ft diameter pipe into a 25ft long bridge. Bridge construction included restoring the channel under the bridge and the close-in upstream and downstream areas. Since Construction, habitat in the immediate vicinity of the old culverts has significantly improved. Terrestrial, amphibious, and marine resources all benefited from the bridge constructions.