1. The creation of a flow-through upper channel along the south side of the river. Water from the river enters at the top of the channel and empties back into the river at the bottom. It will provide a seasonal, winter refuge habitat for juvenile salmon and steelhead.
2. The creation of a groundwater-fed lower channel along the south side of the river. It will provide a cool year round refuge and rearing habitat juvenile salmon.
3. The restoration of an existing side channel on the north (Barton Park) side of the river will provide increased winter refuge and rearing habitat for juvenile salmon.

About 40,000 cubic yards of earth was removed to create 4,400 feet of side channels to provide all the necessities of home for young salmon and steelhead including:

• Deep, quiet pools and cover created by 40-foot logs with root wads and boulders to allow fish to escape from predators.
• Slower channel flows to provide a resting place for ocean-bound young fish.
• Cooler water than the main stem of the Clackamas River in summer to establish a more suitable environment for fish.
• Natural gravels and cobble with flowing, cool water to provide habitat for aquatic insects (important fish food source).
• Shoreline vegetation and adjacent forest trees to provide shade to keep the water cool and supply additional woody debris into the channels for fish habitat and bank stabilization.
• Large woody debris and to provide fish cover and bank stabilization.

Side channels are natural features that are created as the river shifts course over long periods of time or from flood events. The ever-changing creation and destruction of these areas are part of a natural process to refresh and redistribute river rock, gravel and debris for fish and other aquatic life. In the northwest, these places provide vital habitat for young salmon as a refuge or rest stop on their way to the ocean or as a place to feed and grow up before their journey to the ocean.
 

Flow-through upper channel: The upper channel is 1,650 ft. long, averaging 13 to 17 ft. in width. A series of pools and riffles will be constructed to provide habitat complexity. Vegetation planted along the terraces and large woody debris placed along the channel will provide habitat for a wide range of wildlife and aquatic species.

The upper channel consists of three logjams with pools, riffles, riparian vegetation along the constructed terrace and disturbed areas with large woody debris placements along the channel. One logjam will provide flow control into the upper channel. The other two logjams will collect wood and provide habitat at the lower end of the channel.

Groundwater-fed lower channel: The lower channel construction will be similar to wall-based channels found in other parts along the Clackamas River. It will be 2,600 ft. long, averaging 5 to 9 ft. in width. A series of pools and riffles will be constructed to provide habitat complexity. Water from the Clackamas River aquifer, in addition to inter-gravel flow will provide cool water in the summer months.

This kind of naturally occurring channel is relatively short-lived, lasting a few years to decades. The site chosen for the proposed channel is located behind a human constructed road fill that should protect this channel from flood flow and extend its lifespan. Two buried logjams will perform in a manner similar to naturally occurring logjams buried within floodplain sediments. With the addition of cabling, ballast of boulders and gravel/cobble backfill, the logjams are expected to provide an equal or higher level of stability and longevity to the channel.

Barton side channel: The side channel is partially filled with a plug of sediment along the lower 200 ft. The project will involve removal of this sediment and placement of large woody debris and vegetation along the margins. This will allow fish to enter the channel during throughout the year. The large woody debris will be placed in and along the lengths of the channel to provide channel stability and habitat complexity.