Fish passage - Funding & delivery

2023

For the 2023-2025 biennium, the Washington State Legislature provided just over $1 billion for WSDOT's fish passage program. Refined program estimates from 2023 determined that about $4 billion in additional funding was needed to comply with the 2030 requirement in the injunction area to restore access to 90% of the blocked potential habitat. WSDOT will continue working with the Legislature in the 2025 session to address this need.

Fish Passage Delivery

WSDOT utilizes innovative delivery, partnership coordination, and constant improvement based on data-driven feedback to plan and deliver its fish passage program. Barrier correction projects apply to the injunction if they correct highway culverts that are documented barriers to salmon or steelhead and are within the injunction case area.

WSDOT recognizes climate resilience as a component of the integrity of its structures and approaches the design of bridges and buried structures through a risk-based assessment that goes beyond the design criteria. The largest risk for bridges and buried structures will come from increased flow and rising sea level. Fish passage projects are designed to be durable, maintain natural channel processes, and provide passage for all expected life stages of fish throughout a structure's approximately 75-year lifespan.

As of June 2024, WSDOT had corrected 146 injunction barrier culverts and restored over 571 miles of potential salmon and steelhead habitat within the injunction area; statewide, WSDOT had completed 420 fish passage barrier corrections. WSDOT continues work to comply with the requirements of a U.S. District Court injunction to correct fish passage barriers and open 90 percent of blocked habitat, as specified in the injunction area, by 2030. WSDOT has significantly increased the number of projects under construction contract and beginning design in the 2023-2025 biennium. The agency updates fish passage project delivery plans quarterly or sooner, based on new information.

Fish Passage Annual Reporting

WSDOT publishes an annual Fish Passage Performance Report each year, available in this link: 2024 WSDOT Fish Passage Annual Report.

For more information about WSDOT's fish passage program, visit Fish passage | WSDOT (wa.gov).

2022

Move Ahead Washington provides the funding to continue delivering a plan to comply with the minimum requirements of the injunction through 2030. For the 2023-2025 biennium, the legislature provided just over $1 billion for WSDOT's fish passage program.

Fish Passage Delivery

WSDOT plans to meet the federal injunction requirements by utilizing innovative delivery, partnership coordination, and constant improvement based on data driven feedback. Barrier correction projects apply to the injunction if they correct highway culverts that are documented barriers to salmon or steelhead and are within the case area.

WSDOT recognizes climate resilience as a component of the integrity of its structures and approaches the design of bridges and buried structures through a risk-based assessment beyond the design criteria. For bridges and buried structures, the largest risk to the structures will come from increased flow and rising sea level. Fish passage projects are designed to be durable, maintain natural channel processes, and provide passage for all expected life stages of fish throughout the structure's approximately 70 years.

To date, WSDOT has completed 390 fish passage projects statewide, improving access to approximately 1,295 miles of potential upstream habitat for fish.

Fish Passage Annual Reporting

WSDOT publishes an annual Fish Passage Performance Report each summer, available here: 2023 WSDOT Fish Passage Annual Report (wa.gov).

WSDOT collaborates with Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board

The Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board (FBRB) was established in 2014 through Washington state legislation. The Board develops collaborative statewide strategies focused on maximizing habitat recovery through a coordinated approach and developed a streamlined permitting process for fish passage projects. The FBRB evaluates fish passage projects and submits a priority project list to the Governor's Office and the Legislature for funding consideration.

Board members include representatives from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, WSDOT, Washington Department of Natural Resources, Governor's Salmon Recovery Office, Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, tribes, and local governments statewide.

In collaboration with WSDOT, the Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board approved $25 million in projects eligible for Federal Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) funding in 2023-2025. The PROTECT program was established to help make roadways more resilient to natural hazards, including climate change, sea level rise, flooding, extreme weather events, and other natural disasters.

2021

Move Ahead Washington funding will help WSDOT comply with federal fish passage injunction

A total of $1.4 billion has been allocated to fund the fish passage program through the 2029-2031 biennium. However, in order to comply with the terms of the injunction, it was estimated that an additional $2.4 billion was needed.

In 2022, the Washington State Legislature passed the Move Ahead Washington transportation package that invests $16.8 billion in the state's transportation system over 16 years. Move Ahead Washington includes $2.4 billion to help the state comply with the federal injunction to replace fish passage barrier culverts by 2030.

2020

Projected funding falls short of estimated funding needed to comply with federal fish passage injunction

A total of $1.4 billion has been allocated to fund the fish passage program through the 2029-2031 biennium. However, in order to comply with the terms of the injunction, it is estimated that an additional $2.4 billion is needed.

WSDOT plans to meet the federal injunction requirements by using innovative delivery, partnership coordination, and constant improvement based on data driven feedback. Barrier correction projects are applicable to the injunction if they correct highway culverts that are documented barriers to salmon or steelhead and are within the injunction area.

2019

Additional funding needed to meet federal injunction by 2030

WSDOT and safety partners statewide are considering what steps to achieve, or make significant progress toward, meeting A total of $1.4 billion has been allocated to fund the fish passage program through the 2029-2031 biennium. However, in order to comply with the terms of the injunction, an additional $2.4 billion is needed.

As of 2019, WSDOT had corrected 352 fish passage barriers statewide—including one that had been corrected previously but was rebuilt in 2019—restoring access to over 1,170 miles of potential habitat for native fish. The number of WSDOT fish passage barriers and estimated potential upstream habitat are dynamic values that fluctuate as ongoing inventory and assessments take place. The values are tallied each June for annual reporting purposes.