By the Journal

The NOAA Restoration Center and the Nature Conservancy have committed $63,538 to restore juvenile fish passage, improve stream function and enhance fish habitat on Colter Creek in southcentral Alaska. NOAA funding will help replace two undersized culverts that impede stream flow and fish passage in the second largest tributary to the Little Susitna River, which drains into upper Cook Inlet and supports populations of coho, Chinook, chum, pink, and sockeye salmon as well as resident fish. Colter Creek drains an area of approximately five square miles and supports rearing and spawning coho as well as Chinook salmon.

During a flood in August 2006, flow constriction on Colter Creek eroded stream banks above and below the culverts and forced overflow onto roads and driveways, washing additional sediment into the creek. Project designers plan to restore the stream channel and clear span of the new pipes to withstand expected flows and to stabilize the stream banks. Some initial work has been completed, including design of one of the new culverts by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The on-the-ground work should be performed in 2008.

NOAA funded this project through a national partnership with the Nature Conservancy that includes non-federal matching funds and supports restoration of degraded fish habitats. NOAA's Restoration Center, which is part of NOAA Fisheries, provides funding and technical assistance to restore degraded habitats and advance the science of coastal habitat restoration.

The Colter Creek project is being carried out as part of NOAA's contribution to the Matanuska-Susitna Basin Salmon Conservation Partnership, a cooperative venture of the National Fish Habitat Initiative.