Flower Pot Creek highlights
The completed Flower Pot Creek Bridge during a relatively high tide.
Project oVerview
Started: 1/22 Completed: 10/25
Flower Pot Creek is a tributary that flows directly into Tillamook Bay. A 4’ wide concrete culvert under Bayocean Road, which is owned by Tillamook County, creates a partial barrier for both adult and juvenile fish. This culvert serves as the only connection between Tillamook Bay and a neighboring 14.6 acre estuary. In addition to impeding fish passage, it also restricts tidal exchange, limiting the estuary’s ability to function fully.
Completed Solution
The undersized culvert was removed and replaced with a 44’ span bridge, restoring 1.4 miles of upstream spawning and rearing habitat and improving tidal exchange in the adjacent 14.6 acre estuary. Our solution maximized tidal reconnection to the maximum extent practicable to restore tidal processes such as exchange of nutrients, sediment and materials, salinity regimes, vegetative communities, and the full assemblage of native anadromous and marine aquatic species that could use this unique habitat.
Highly successful Partnership
The Esther Creek Tide Gate Project was successfully implemented with the close collaboration of Salmon SuperHwy partners. Federal and state agencies along with local non-profits and private landowners combined technical skills and funding to reopen this important local road and reconnect high quality spawning and rearing habitat for Oregon’s anadromous fish.
Trout Unlimited worked closely with the US Forest Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to complete permits and even more partners to implement this project.
Species + infrastructure
Esther Creek is the furthest downstream of all the Tillamook River tributaries with its mouth just up from the Tillamook Bay on the west side. The Tillamook River and western tributaries such as Esther exhibit low gradient stream habitats with high levels of sediment accumulation and abundant beaver activity. These factors contribute to Esther Creek’s relatively higher hydraulic potential, cooler summer stream temperatures, and the higher abundance of spawning substrates.
The Tillamook Rapid Bioassessment indicated that Esther Creek represented one of the three most productive subbasins on the western side of the Tillamook Basin, with higher average rearing densities for Coho than in any other stream. This Creek also supports chum, winter steelhead, and coastal cutthroat trout populations. Resident brook lamprey and/or Pacific lamprey likely occur in the watershed but are not well documented.
“The Flower Pot Bridge replaced a severely undersized culvert that was seeing tidal erosion. Bayocean Road is the direct access to the community of Cape Meares and their access is now secured. The bridge not only provides resiliency to the transportation network but also provides winter refugia for salmonids which are a critical element to Tillamook County’s economy.”
Benefits
Bayocean Road
Improved public health and safety
Maintains emergency responder access
Maintains wildland fire access
Flower Pot Creek (high quality habitat)
Unimpeded passage for fish and access to spawning and rearing habitat
Natural stream processes restored
1.4 miles of habitat reconnected
Restored tidal exchange to 14.6 acres of estuary
Partners
Tillamook County, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Tillamook Estuary Partnership, Trout Unlimited, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, US Forest Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Stimson Lumber, and Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board.
cost + funding
TOTAL PROJECT COST: $1,778,435 (includes in-kind)
ODFW: $52,369
OWEB: $505,060
USFWS: $87,000
NOAA: $1,039,872
Tillamook County: $50,000
Private Funds: $6,084
USFWS (Technical Assistance): $4,000 in-kind
TCPW (Technical Assistance): $18,000 in-kind
USFS (Technical Assistance): $14,000 in-kind
Stimpson Lumber (Logs): $2,050 in-kind
