Fish passage - Funding & delivery

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.

2018

Funding issues for fish passage barrier removal continue

The total current funding is $739 million for the fish passage program through the 2029-2031 biennium. However, in order to comply with the terms of the injunction, an additional $3 billion is needed. A barrier correction project is applicable to the injunction if it corrects a highway culvert that is a documented barrier to salmon or steelhead and is within the case area.

In total statewide, WSDOT has corrected 345 fish passage barriers statewide, which includes restoring access to over 1,100 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.

FBRB funding helps coordinate fish barrier corrections

WSDOT supports partnerships with other public agencies, cities, counties, public and private enhancement groups, and others who seek to help advance this work. The Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board (FBRB) was established by the Legislature to fund and guide the coordination of fish passage barrier corrections across jurisdictions.

Cities, counties, tribes and private landowners can apply to the FBRB for funding for fish passage projects on barriers located upstream or downstream of a WSDOT project. This approach benefits salmon habitat connectivity by allowing salmon to access the WSDOT corrected barrier site or further increase upstream habitat gain.

Squalicum Creek is an example of an FBRB funded project that leveraged previous barrier corrections. The City of Bellingham will construct a new fish passable culvert as part of the continuing Squalicum Creek Reroute project. The new culvert will allow greater access to 8.9 miles of fish habitat for Chinook, Coho, pink, and chum salmon, as well as steelhead and cutthroat trout. This project will leverage Bellingham's completed Squalicum Creek Reroute Phases 1 and 2, WSDOT's fish barrier removal project at I-5, and the City of Bellingham's fish barrier removal project at James Street to increase access to upstream habitat. Collectively, the habitat gain upstream of the Squalicum Creek stream restoration projects is just over 22 miles.