Project Description

The Lower Clear Creek Floodplain Restoration Project was developed to address two degraded reaches of Clear Creek: the 1.9 mile reach with extensive instream aggregate extraction activities (Mined Reach) and the 1.0 mile reach containing dredger tailings to be used as borrow materials (Reading Bar Reach). At the Mined Reach, extensive in-channel and floodplain aggregate extraction removed natural channel confinement, creating multiple low-flow channels and large pits. The pits and lack of a defined channel strands emigrating juvenile salmonids and discourages adult salmonid migration. The Reading Bar Reach was dredged for gold, and the tailings deposited onto the floodplain confine the channel. Additionally, construction of Saeltzer Dam in 1903 and Whiskeytown Dam in 1963 has disrupted natural streamflow patterns and greatly reduced coarse sediment supply to the channel. Cumulatively, these land-use impacts have degraded the Clear Creek channel and floodplains,. reduced the quantity and quality of salmonid habitat, increased stranding and migrational mortality, reduced native riparian vegetation, sustained exotic vegetation, and has generally degraded the Clear Creek ecosystem.

The degraded ecological conditions combined with reduced streamflow and sediment regimes prevent natural rehabilitation at these two sites. Therefore, this project will propose to initiate rehabilitation by actively restoring a natural channel and floodplain morphology, and native riparian vegetation. Restoring the natural form to the channel and floodplains will initiate and sustain natural sediment transport processes and channel migration, restore aquatic, wetland and riparian habitats, floodplain connectivity and riparian regenerative processes, and thus ecological function to the riverine ecosystem.

At the Mined Reach, aggregate extraction pits within the contemporary floodway will be filled with dredger tailings extracted from the Reading Bar Reach to restore the bankfull channel and floodplain morphology, with elevations designed to inundate at contemporary bankfull discharge. By filling and isolating off-channel ponds, a single-thread bankfull channel will be restored that transports coarse bedload at bankfull discharge, allows channel migration, and allows the channel to build and adjust its own point bars and floodplains in the future. Filled ponds will no longer harbor predator fish species, nor pose fish stranding problems for migrating juvenile and adult salmon and steelhead. In addition, newly created floodplains will be revegetated with native riparian species, providing additional habitat for amphibian and terrestrial wildlife species. The channel restoration design will also provide immediate spawning habitat for chinook salmon by introducing appropriately-sized spawning gravels into the channel.

At the Reading Bar Reach, removal of dredger tailings will restore the floodplain, and eliminate the artificial channel confinement. A segment of riparian berm will be removed as a pilot evaluation of the potential for channel migration under contemporary flow regulation. Exotic vegetation will be removed and replaced with native riparian vegetation that will improve floodplain habitat. However, the primary role of the borrow site is to provide source material for immediate restoration needs and long-term gravel management.

Accomplishments for FY2000 include:
1 . Six acres of gravel-mined area on public land was reclaimed and developed into wetlands via a contract with the Western Shasta Resource Conservation District. This project was funded by BLM abandoned mined lands program.
2. McCormick-Saeltzer Dam was removed. This project included the purchase of water rights by BOR, the sealing of an underground fish ladder (essentially a tunnel), removal of reservoir sediment, recontouring of a nearby mined area using the dredged sediments, and involved the temporary use of public lands for de-watering activity. This project was funded by CVPIA. The state-owned lands can now be donated or exchanged to BLM since the liabilities have been removed.
3. 125,000 cubic yards of dredger tailings was removed from public lands and used to fill two large sand/gravel pits downstream on public land. The borrow and fill areas were transformed into more than ten acres of functional floodplain including overflow scour channels. Approximately 10,000 trees were planted in these areas and the response has been phenomenal with greater than 80% survivability and the best growth rate (many plants above 7') witnessed yet on restoration projects along the Sacramento River system.
4. Received a $225,000 grant from the Cantara Spill Trust. WCB is negotiating to purchase important property along Clear Creek with the intention to transfer the acquisitions to BLM.
5. Approximately 15,000 cubic yards of clean spawning sized gravel was injected into the stream to improve salmonid spawning.
6. Two miles of fuel break was created Muletown Road to protect the residents and the public land.
7. A hay barn, corral and much cross fencing were removed from public land as a volunteer project on Trails Day.

Risks:  Fisheries habitat in an old placer dredge field

AMLIS #:  Multi-agency cooperative site

Field Office:  Redding

Congressional District:  01

West and East ends of Restoration Area

Large dredge pond to be filled in

Equipment used in the revegetation and restoration effort