Contract History:

Beginning in 2000, this project evolved from the 1996 Newsome Creek Haysfork Gloryhole Project (one of the original Clearwater Early Action projects).  This comprehensive restoration effort focuses on mitigating and restoring limiting factors to fisheries production.  The primary limiting factors are excessive sedimentation into the spawning and rearing areas of streams, and the lack of available habitat and habitat connectivity.  These limiting factors have resulted from forest management practices, specifically road building (watershed has very high road densities), and mining.  

Completed contract work includes the completion of the Newsome Creek Ecosystem Analysis at the Watershed Scale (EAWS), road condition surveys completed for the entire watershed (approximately 220 miles), 26 miles of road decommissioning, 18 miles of road improvement, culvert/stream crossing inventories completed for all high priority sites, replacement of the Mare Creek & Mule Creek culverts, Newsome Creek Channel Restoration Feasibility Study, the completed NEPA process for the Newsome Creek Watershed Restoration Project, and completion of the final design for the Newsome Creek channel reconstruction and restoration.  Implementation of the floodplain and channel restoration began in 2011 with Reaches 5 & 4 being completed, and Reach 3 being completed in 2012.  2013 implementation included approximately half of the floodplain restoration in Reach 2 as well as constructing a new spillway and channel in Haysfork Sediment Settling Pond.  FY 2014 contract implementation focused on continuing the Newsome Stream Restoration Project, with additional floodplain restoration in stream reach 2 (another 22,000 cubic yards of dredge removal) and the re-vegetation of reaches 5, 4, and 3. Reach 2 floodplain restoration was completed in FY 2015 with the removal of approximately 37,000 cubic yards of dredge material from the valley bottom.

This project has been, and is still currently a part of the Nez Perce Clearwater National Forest, Nez Perce Tribe, and BPA Watershed Restoration Partnership.  Since the project’s inception, we have shared project planning, costs, and implementation responsibilities.  


Summary of FY 2016 Contract Implementation:

With the completion of floodplain restoration in Stream Reach 2, we can now focus FY 2016 on re-designing the stream channel configuration in that section of Newsome Creek.  The previous design was based on small-scale selective removal of dredge material, which limited the opportunities to re-configure Newsome Creek and achieve the channel features and geomorphology that Newsome Creek would have historically had in that reach.  The design will utilize data and topography surveys that have already been completed.

A portion of the 2016 funds from this contract have been re-allocated to two separate projects (Red River 2002-072-00 and Lower South Fork Clearwater 2010-003-00).  Both of these projects needed additional funds for implementation of high priority restoration projects.  Due to the fact that the Newsome Stream and Floodplain Restoration Project (Phase I) is in need of an additional design for Reach 2, therefore, delaying implementation of stream restoration by one year, a portion of the contract funds could be re-allocated.  Both Red River and the Lower South Fork projects will implement high priority projects within the South Fork Clearwater River Subbasin and have a deficit of funds to cover the planned actions.