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The Nestucca River is 53 miles long and drains an area of 258 square miles. The headwaters of the Nestucca are located west of McMinnville, and the river flows in a west-southwest direction to the Nestucca Bay, which empties into the Pacific Ocean. The highest point on the river is at 2,200 feet above sea level, and tidal effects reach seven miles upstream to Cloverdale. The only impoundment, McGuire Reservoir, was constructed in 1969 near the headwaters and provides domestic and municipal water to McMinnville.
Forestry is the major land use in the watershed, and approximately 82% of the watershed are forest lands. Douglas fir is the predominant tree species in the watershed. Red alder and bigleaf maple dominate most rivers and streams, and oceanfront forests are dominated by lodgepole pine (shorepine).
The Nestucca watershed is a productive fishery resource, with many anadromous fish species (chum salmon, chinook salmon, coho salmon, searun cutthroat trout, and steelhead trout). Other species include lamprey, dace, sculpins, and pacific giant salamanders.
The pre-existing culvert was undersized, near catastrophic failure, blocking fish passage during high and low flows and maintenance burden to the county. We replaced the failing culvert with a 52′ pre-stressed concrete bridge that will allow unimpeded access to 4.4 miles of mainstem upstream habitat on Clear Creek. This project addressed the final fish passage barrier on Clear Creek, and threatened Coho salmon a well as Chinook, Cutthroat Trout, Steelhead, Sculpin, Pacific Lamprey will be able to fully utilize the basin for spawning and rearing.
The pre-existing culvert at only 4′ diameter was considerably undersized, failing, and blocking fish passage during high. We, in partnership with the NRCS, replaced the culvert with a 67′ railcar bridge. This project was an excellent example of a “Working Lands” project that benefitted a member of the local agricultural community as well as the fish and wildlife within the basin.
The pre-existing culvert at 11 feet wide, 7 feet high and 32 feet long was undersized, failing, blocking fish passage during high and low flows and maintenance burden to the county. Bear Creek and its tributaries provide over 5 miles of habitat to threatened Coho salmon a well as Chinook, Cutthroat Trout, Steelhead, Sculpin, Pacific Lamprey. We replaced the 9ft wide culvert with a 35’10” bridge.
The pre-existing culvert at 9 feet wide and 32 feet long was undersized, failing, blocking fish passage during high and low flows and maintenance burden to the county. Boulder Creek and its tributaries provide 4 miles of habitat to threatened Coho salmon a well as Chinook, Cutthroat Trout, Steelhead, Sculpin, Pacific Lamprey. We replaced the 9ft wide culvert with a 72ft bridge.
The project replaced two failing culverts on Moon Creek road approximately 4 miles east of the community of Beaver, in the Nestucca Basin. Culvert 1208, a 30-inch diameter, 51-ft long concrete culvert was replaced with an 12-ft span, 60-ft long, corrugated aluminized steel pipe. Moon Creek is an important tributary to the Nestucca and is the 2nd highest coho producer within the basin. The tributary also provides important aquatic habitat for Sculpin, Pacific Lamprey, Pacific Giant salamander, Crawdads, and more. This project was part of the Salmon Super Highway partnership.
George Creek is a 1,675-acre sub-basin of the Nestucca River accessed from Evergreen Road 1 mile north of Hebo, in Tillamook County. The failing culvert was replaced with a 36 ft long, 21 ft wide bridge, ensuring unimpeded fish passage at all flows as well as allowing much more natural stream channel processes to occur. George creek is now barrier free and offers important habitat for Coho, Steelhead and Cutthroat Trout.
The council replaced and undersized culvert on Farmer Creek, an important tributary to the Nestucca River. The small pipe is now a 70 ft long X 25 ft wide concrete bridge. Farmer Creek is a significant contributor of salmonids and cold water to the Nestucca River. The bridge eliminates a major fish passage barrier and allows the natural watershed processes of substrate and material transport to occur with little interference.