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May 22, 2020
SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife seeks public comment on a request to provide a waiver from the state’s fish passage requirements for replacement of a road culvert owned by Olympic Resource Management (ORM). Comments are due by Friday June 12, 2020.
The ORM plans to replace a road culvert located on an unnamed tributary to Crooked Creek along the Crooked Creek Mainline road within the Upper Nehalem River Basin in Columbia County. This action has triggered Oregon’s fish passage laws. In lieu of providing passage at this location, ORM proposes to replace another culvert located along the Kappa Mainline Road where it intersects Deer Creek, a nearby tributary.
According to Greg Apke, ODFW Fish Passage Program coordinator, the Department may grant a fish passage waiver if there are appreciable benefits to native migratory fish greater at the mitigation site compared to the waiver site if passage were provided.
ODFW has made an initial determination that providing passage at the Deer Creek Culvert mitigation site will provide greater benefits than if passage were provided at the unnamed Crooked Creek tributary culvert waiver site. Therefore, unless public comment is provided that would affect the Department's determination, this waiver request may be approved.
In the meantime, members of the public will have until June 12, 2020 to submit written comments on the proposed request. The project specific details (the Applicant’s fish passage waiver application, the Department’s benefit analyses and a draft waiver agreement) are available at http://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/passage/ .
Members of the public can send written comments to or request additional information from Greg Apke, ODFW Fish Passage Program leader, 4034 Fairview Industrial Dr SE, Salem, OR 97302, e-mail, Greg.D.Apke@odfw.oregon.gov, or by calling (503) 947-6228. This fish passage waiver request will be presented to the Oregon Fish Passage Task Force for their recommendation at an upcoming virtual public meeting on Friday June 26, 2020. Public comments will be provided to the Task Force for their consideration.
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Contact: |
Greg Apke (503) 947-6228 |
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