salmon habitat and floodplain restoration

kelley creek, oregon

In an effort to recreate the meandering paths and vital habitat present in an urban Portland stream, the City’s Bureau of Environmental Services restored a 7.5 acre site at the confluence of Kelly and Johnson Creeks. Constructed in summer of 2004, the project meets three major goals for restoration and enhancement of the site:

• Downstream flooding mitigation, especially in the nearby residential area
• Water quality treatment to protect and restore lower Columbia steelhead and other fish
• Lowering the floodplain to reconnect the stream and to achieve more flood storage and suitable habitat for juvenile fish
  

The project was approved under a streamlining agreement between the City of Portland, NOAA Fisheries, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The agreement speeds up the permitting process for the Johnson Creek Restoration Plan and helps ensure the project complies with the Endangered Species Act. The budget for the Kelley Creek Confluence Project is $1.3 million, with $655,000 from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board and $400,000 from the State Revolving Loan Fund. Inter-Fluve provided design and construction oversight of the project.

Project Owner

Bureau of Environmental Services
Portland, Oregon

Project Elements

• Geomorphic assessment
• Natural channel design
• Flood mitigation design
• Hydraulic/sediment mobility analysis
• Hydraulic modeling
• Large woody debris and
  engineered log jam design
• Bioengineered bank stabilization
• Recommendations for
  best management practices

Related links

Kelley Creek Confluence Project restores habitat in urban Southeast Portland. Daily Journal of Commerce (2,636kb PDF)

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