The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is collaborating with the Columbia River Estuary Task Force (CREST) on implementation of the Grays River Restoration Project (BPA Project 200301300).  The Grays River is vitally important to the recovery of Lower Columbia River (LCR) chum salmon because it currently has the most viable population remaining in the LCR region.  The Grays River watershed is also important to the recovery of salmon and steelhead in the LCR ecosystem.  Today, numbers of naturally spawning salmon and steelhead have declined to levels far below historical numbers because of habitat limiting factors that include but are not limited to the lack of habitat connectivity, diversity, channel stability, riparian function and altered stream flow conditions.  The objective of this project is to restore habitat-forming processes to enhance salmon and steelhead populations in the Grays River, following recommendations developed during the FY04-06 BPA-sponsored Grays River Watershed Assessment (BPA Project # 2003-013-00).  Specifically, this project will be the first step in restoring channel structure and function that will increase instream habitat diversity, channel stability, and riparian integrity in the critical response reach upstream and adjacent to critical salmon spawning areas of the Grays River.  The major component of this strategy is the planning, design, installation, and monitoring of engineering modifications to the channel (including the potential use of engineered logjams (ELJ)) that will rejuvenate historic channel and floodplain processes.  Additional restoration measures include reforesting the riparian corridor to enhance future large woody debris recruitment and investigation of conservation activities within ecologically critical areas.  These activities include land acquisition and levee removal to protect critical areas and reconnect floodplain areas.  Finally, monitoring integrated with restoration activities is proposed to evaluate restoration effectiveness and allow for adaptive management of future restoration treatments in the project area as well as other degraded watersheds in the Lower Columbia River.  FY09 activities by PNNL will be focused on Objective 2 below -- restoration monitoring to assess changes in physical and hydrologic characteristics associated with channel modifications implemented for Objective 1 below.

Objectives

Objective 1:  Restore habitat-forming processes and reconnect floodplain and side-channel habitat in chum salmon spawning habitat in the Grays River. To meet that goal the following objectives have been established:

1. Restore floodplain connectivity at Gorley Springs reach
a. Re-establish natural floodplain connectivity
b. Restore stable stream channel profile
2. Increase instream salmon habitat quality and complexity
a. Restore hydraulic complexity
b. Restore balance of sediment transport and storage
c. Improve width-to-depth ratio and pool/riffle sequences
d. Increase localized hydraulic connectivity between main and side channels
e. Increase opportunities for large woody debris recruitment to improve channel roughness and cover for migrating adult and juvenile salmonids.

Objective 2:  Restoration monitoring to assess changes in physical and hydrologic characteristics associated with channel modifications implemented for Objective 1.  Monitoring results will inform maintenance of installed structures and allow for adaptive management of future restoration treatments in the Grays River system as well as other degraded watersheds in the Lower Columbia River.