Mink, Doghouse, Swan & Breeze

~Restoration Completed~

Mink Creek, Doghouse Creek,
Swan Creek, and Breeze Creek
Near Swanson River • Fall 2007

What: Mink Creek, Doghouse Creek, Swan (Merganser) Creek, and Breeze Creek

Where: Off of Swanson River Road

When: Fall 2007

Cost: Estimated $75,000+

Who: Kenai Watershed Forum, AK Dept. of Fish & Game, Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Chevron, Peak Oilfield Services

Status: COMPLETE


Mink Creek - This culvert had a waterfall or perch of over 7 inches and served as a barrier to juvenile salmon trying to reach habitat upstream. Additionally, the culvert was too narrow so the stream was backing up into an unnatural sediment-filled wetland. To fix this barrier, we installed a culvert four times as large as the original and placed the new culvert at a lower elevation to eliminate the perch.


Doghouse Creek - The two culverts on Doghouse Creek had major structural problems. They were severely rusted, one was completely collapsed, and water was running underneath rather than through them. Since the stream was running underneath the culverts, juvenile salmon may have been able to get by; however, the probability of adults making it through an almost dry culvert was very low. In fact, nearly 400 adult salmon were observed spawning in Doghouse Creek in 1988, but none have been observed more recently. This crossing was different from our typical restoration projects because we normally fix culverts to allow for juvenile salmon passage, but this time we focused on improving access to adult spawning habitat.


Breeze Creek - At this crossing, we tried a new technique to fix a perch of 11 inches. Since juvenile salmon can only jump around 4 inches high, we created a series of smaller perches with rocks in the streambed. We imitated the natural steps and pools of the creek by placing small boulders, cobbles, and sand in the creek bed to create something like widely spaced stairs up to the culvert. Typically, a culvert restoration involves hiring a construction company to remove and replace the culvert with heavy equipment, closing the road, and a significant amount of funding. However, with elbow grease from Dean, Mike, and Mac, help from Peak Oilfield Services and Chevron, we were able to significantly decrease the perch in a single day without closing the road or spending $25K-$30K. The real test of this new technique will be whether or not our Òrock stairsÓ hold up during a flooding event. However, if the step pools are successful, this type of restoration will allow us to fix perches at crossings of major highways where costs and road closures have previously been prohibitive.


Swan or Merganser Creek - The culvert at this crossing had a slope of over 4% and a perch of nearly 1 foot, both of which impede juvenile salmon access to upstream areas. Now complete, Little Merganser Lake will provide excellent habitat for sockeye, and the additional length of stream bed will contribute to rearing areas for juvenile coho.