This design will support LCFEG's Watershed Restoration Plan for the Upper Washougal River. This project is a continuation of Timber Creek restoration activities initiated by WA State RCO project #19-1214.

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This project has two primary goals: (1) design a fish-passable culvert to replace a barrier on Timber Creek and (2) develop permit-level designs for instream and riparian habitat restoration upstream. Located 250 feet above LCFEG’s 2023 instream work, the existing culvert under W-2000 Road is blocking summer steelhead access to upstream spawning and rearing habitat. A January 2024 barrier assessment by WDFW and LCFEG found the culvert only 67% passable, with a water surface drop and potential velocity barrier at high flows. LCFEG will partner with a local consulting firm to design a replacement structure that passes fish, sediment, and wood, with construction funding to be pursued through the Fish Barrier Removal Board in 2026. Upstream of the barrier, historic logging has left habitat degraded—woody debris and spawning gravel are limited, especially on DNR-managed land, and the alder-dominated canopy lacks mature conifers needed for long-term wood and gravel recruitment. This project will also produce detailed designs to improve instream complexity and riparian function along this upper reach.