WSDOT Fish Passage Program Puget Sound, Washington

Along state and interstate highways across the state of Washington, work is being done to remove fish barriers and restore streams to their natural ecological processes. Site analysis is informing designs to reestablish aquatic habitats and honor the right to take fish guaranteed to the Northwest Washington Tribes.

Puget Sound Site Analysis to Restore Streams and Deliver Fish Passage Design

With sites throughout the Puget Sound region, a uniquely assembled team continues work in developing Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Preliminary Hydraulic Design (PHD) on the way to the Final Hydraulic Design (FHD) in restoring fish passage at roadway crossings. Topographic data and survey are being used to build hydraulic modeling – using SRH-2D (H&H analysis) to characterize existing and future conditions in the field. From scour analysis to stream channel slope and alignment, an assessment of prevailing geomorphic processes is central  to the structure design and established construction methods. In restoring aquatic habitat for ESA-listed Salmonids, fish presence and habitat evaluation guides plan for improved wildlife connectivity. As part of a general engineering contract (GEC) team, Otak collaborates closely with all project stakeholders and co-managers, including the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and Northwest tribes to develop designs in accordance with Water Crossing Design Guidelines and WSDOT’s Hydraulics Manual.