Arroyo Burro Bridge Installation

One of our projects had a new pedestrian bridge installed! Click here for a video showing the construction. Our recent involvement in this Arroyo Burro Open Space Restoration project has been the restoration planning and design of the new pedestrian bridge and trails along with ecological restoration of an ephemeral channel. Additional details regarding this project can be found here.

Removal of Mill Creek Dam Benefiting Endangered Salmon Complete!

Please click here for the latest news regarding our Mill Creek project. If you'd like to learn more about Waterways Consulting's involvement, please click here for our project description page.

Mill Creek Dam Removed!

The San Francisco Chronicle published an article about one of our current projects! Here is a link to their story. If you'd like to learn more about Waterways Consulting's involvement, please click here for our project description page.

No Name Road Barrier Removal Project

Waterways Consulting led design and construction phase engineering efforts for the removal of a fish passage barrier on San Clemente Creek, a major tributary to the Carmel River. Further project details of our involvement can be found on our project page here. For more on the full story writeup, click here.

Kelley Creek Fish Passage Improvement Project

Waterways Consulting worked with the Johnson Creek Watershed Council to design the removal of a dam that would restore natural fish passage habitat after 30 years! Here is a link to an article highlighting the project.

Seestrom Tidal Floodplain Restoration Project

Waterways is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, watershed associations, conservation districts, and private landowners on a series of projects to restore tidal floodplain habitat while preserving agricultural land use along the Oregon coast. Some of these projects use new tide gate technology to restore fish access to critical off-channel habitat in tidal rivers while allowing farming and ranching to continue unhindered. These “Working Landscape”  projects are critical to balancing historic rural land uses and ecosystem function, and represent a win-win situation for agriculture and salmon in the Northwest.

Here’s a link to an article highlighting one of the projects designed and recently constructed by Waterways on the Coquille River in southern Oregon. If you'd like to read more about Waterways Consulting's involvement, please visit our project page here.

Improving Fish Access to the Willamette River Floodplain

Waterways Consulting has been assisting Falling Springs, LLC with a multi-species habitat restoration project in the floodplain of the Willamette River within the Portland Metro area.  The project includes improving hydraulic connectivity and fish passage to an historic backwater/coldwater tributary by removing a small earthen dam.  The project is being constructed over a two-year period due to its size.  Removal of the small dam is expected to increase the frequency of backwatering into Rinearson Creek from once every two years to 10% to 15% of all Willamette River flow conditions.  A high flow event on the Columbia River in May 2018, caused by snowmelt floods in British Columbia provided the first test of the project elements built in summer 2017.  Drone video captured by one of the adjacent landowners shows the scope and extent of the backwatering which provides high flow refugia and rearing for salmon and steelhead juveniles. Click here for the video.

Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve Roads and Trails

Construction Begins!

Waterways Consulting created designs for upgrading roads and trails throughout the preserve. The grand opening to the public is scheduled for next spring! Click here to read the Santa Cruz Sentinel story about the project.

PG & E Water Quality Treatment Ponds Officially Opened!

Waterways Consulting created designs for wetland restoration in Castroville. The wetlands help to clean agricultural water draining to the Elkhorn Slough.Click here to read the Santa Cruz Sentinel story about the project..

Hope Valley Stream Restoration Work Continues!

Waterways Consulting, in conjunction with American Rivers and Placer County Resource Conservation District, designed a restoration plan for a meadow stream in Hope Valley. Details and pictures of the project can be found on our Project Page. The video was recorded during construction in September 2016 by Shane Fryer. Click here for the video of stream restoration in action.

Watch a Video of Waterways' Designs Being Built

Waterways Consulting, in conjunction with California Trout and the Streeter Group, designed a 160-foot pedestrian bridge that crosses Lower Hat Creek. Details and pictures of the project can be found on our Project Page. The bridge was installed during summer 2016 and California Trout filmed the installation. Click here for the video of the pedestrian bridge installation.

Meet Our Newest Experts in Water Resources Engineering!

We recently hired two new engineers in training for our Santa Cruz and Portland offices. The Santa Cruz office welcomes Madeline Baker and and the Portland office welcomes Deanna Hutchinson. 

Congratulations to our Project Partners

Waterways wants to congratulate our project partners for going into construction this past summer.  In California, American Rivers is restoring the Hope Valley meadow, the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz is restoring fish habitat along a portion of Soquel Creek, Santa Cruz County and the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz is restoring a reach of Quail Hollow Brook, and the Truckee River Watershed Council is restoring a reach of Prosser Creek.

In the Oregon, The Columbia Soil and Water Conservation District and Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership breached a levee to restore 32 acres of tidal wetlands along the Columbia River at Batwater Station and are completing the Clatskanie Floodplain Restoration Project, Clackamas County Water Environment Services is restoring fish habitat along upper Mt. Scott Creek at Happy Valley Park, METRO is restoring wetlands and fish habitat at Clear Creek, the Monument Soil and Water Conservation District is restoring fish passage and improving irrigation diversions on Cottonwood Creek, the Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District is restoring a side channel of Mill Creek in The Dalles, and the Scappoose Bay Watershed Council will be restoring a portion of Milton Creek through large wood placement.

To learn more about some of our current and past projects, check out our project page.

Waterways Project in the News

Waterways helped design a levee breach and wetland restoration project along the Columbia River, returning many acres of pasture to wetland. The project created a new tidal channel with side pools for fish and a turtle mound. The restored wetlands provide habitat for salmon, frogs, and lots of other wildlife that live along the Columbia River. To see the article and video, please click here.

Waterways Consulting completed a restoration plan for Jackson and Netarts Creeks for Oregon Parks and Recreation District at Cape Lookout State Park.  The focus of the effort was to evaluate the hydrology, geomorphology, and habitat conditions of Jackson Creek, the principle stream that flows through Cape Lookout. Please see the article below that was written up on the Oregon State Park Stewartdship Division website.

Coming soon at Cape Lookout State Park… better habitat for fish!

Sep 24
Posted by: northcoaststeward

Cape Lookout State Park on the north Oregon coast is home to dramatic scenery and diverse wildlife habitats, containing everything from basaltic ocean cliffs, sand dunes, and majestic Sitka spruce forests. The park has an enviable location with facilities situated between the remarkable cape which juts 2 miles out into the Pacific Ocean and Netarts Bay, the latter of which is arguably one of the more pristine bays on the Oregon coast.
This summer, Cape Lookout has also been the host of a large stream restoration project designed to improve the park’s aquatic resources. Jackson Creek is an ocean tributary contained mostly within the park’s boundaries that flows through the picnic area before running out to the ocean on the cobble and sandy beaches just north of the headland. The Jackson Creek watershed encompasses just 1.6 square miles but provides excellent habitat for coho, sea run cut throat trout, winter steelhead, and many different species of amphibians. The upper part of the watershed is steep and Jackson Creek forms a deep, narrow canyon east of the Park. As the stream enters the Park, it enters the flat coastal plain, where the channel becomes less steep. It is here, within the boundaries of Cape Lookout State Park, the creek provides important spawning and rearing habitat for fish.

Waterways Consulting is pleased to announce that our Santa Cruz crew have outgrown their home and are moving to a larger office located just up the street. Our new address is:

509 Swift St., Unit A
Santa Cruz, Ca. 95060

John Dvorsky, Principal Geomorphologist at Waterways Consulting, Inc. was highlighted in the Molalla Tribune on February 12th, 2013 working on a project being completed at North Fork Molalla River.

Waterways has recently purchased new state-of-the-art “Leica Geosystems” surveying equipment.  The new robotic total station and GNSS RTK Rover will enhance our current surveying capabilities, allowing Waterways’ survey crews to work more productively and efficiently in the field.  On many projects, the robotic total station can be operated by a one-person crew, reducing staff time and budget requirements.  The GNSS RTK Rover is a completely wireless GPS network rover that allows our survey crews to conduct GPS surveys without the need for a base station.  These survey instruments will be used to integrate conventional and GPS surveying on our projects to create top-quality mapping products.

Waterways Consulting assisted with the Watsonville Slough Restoration project that was nominated as a 2013 public works project of the year.