Client: South Coast Habitat Restoration

South Coast Habitat Restoration contracted with Waterways to provide design services for the improvement of fish passage conditions at Widdoes Crossing, a private road crossing on Gobernador Creek. Fish passage conditions at the site were severely impacted by incision of the streambed below a concrete and boulder ford which created an 8 foot hydraulic drop.

The design for fish passage improvements consisted of replacement of the existing ford with a clear-span bridge and construction of a roughened channel to transition. The channel was reconstructed for approximately 240 feet using native rock salvaged from the site to provide a smooth transition in the stream profile and hydraulic conditions conducive to fish passage. The design incorporated three pools and installation of woody debris structures in the channel to provide resting area, refuge, and aquatic habitat. Boulder weirs were placed to maintain pool scour and grade control through the project area. Additionally, the project included bank protection and the the site was revegetated with willow, sycamore and other native vegetation.