Salmon in the city

Can wild salmon adapt to life in the city? According to the Johnson Creek Watershed Council, the answer is yes, given careful restoration of stream habitats and a little cooperation from landowners.

The group is proving its point at Kelly Creek, a major tributary of Johnson Creek, which joins the Willamette River after a long meander through Gresham, southeast Portland and Milwaukie. Although hemmed in by homes, factories and parking lots, Johnson Creek still harbors native runs of salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout. Kelly Creek is a top priority for habitat restoration because of its potential as a productive salmon and trout stream. But one problem affecting urban streams is that many landowners have dammed creeks to create ponds for recreation or irrigation. Called “in-line ponds” because they are located in the stream channel, they block fish passage and eliminate segments of stream habitat.

A landowner with an in-line pond along Kelly Creek agreed to allow the watershed group to re-engineer it to restore fish habitat. The project was supported by a $19,578 grant from PGE’s Habitat Support customers. PGE renewable power customers can add Habitat Support to their renewable options at any time for an additional $2.50 per month. Habitat Support customers have helped restore more than 130 miles of stream habitat to date. Habitat Support funds are administered by The Nature Conservancy.

“The object was to improve fish passage, water quality and native vegetation,” explains Watershed Council coordinator Greg Cianella. The only catch was the property owner wanted to keep his pond. To meet the needs of both the landowner and fish, stream restoration engineers created a smaller pond alongside the stream, then re-configured the old channel complete with pools, riffles, spawning gravel and boulders. When they were done, the stream channel and the pond both filled with water, and Kelly Creek was one big step closer to providing a home for trout and salmon.

Cianella says the Watershed Council hopes to fix other in-line ponds in Kelly Creek. Meanwhile, they point to this one as an example of how the needs of fish and people can be met with ingenuity and a little cooperation.