We spent some days in October in the field with Inter-Fluve to collect information on the upper Kachess River. Our staff conducted survey work, gathered GPS points, took flow measurements, conducted gravel counts and collected stream bed samples. We also gathered LiDAR data that will be used in conjunction with the data collected on the ground. All of this information will help us better understand a heavily impacted river system and how to we can help enhance habitat for bull trout and other fish and wildlife.
A Broken System
Today you can still see the remnants of human activities such as logging, mining and road construction. Their impacts continue to negatively impact bull trout and other native species. Learn about each impact by clicking on the toggles below:

Crews move young bull trout trapped in pools by dewatering upriver where water remains year round.
Fish out of Water
Scientists think that Kachess River always dewatered to some extent. The timing of Kachess bull trout traveling up to spawn is much later than their relatives in Box Canyon and Gold Creek. However, the extent of dewatering is likely much worse today than it was in the past due to the combination of human impacts and climate change. This means less habitat for young rearing bull trout, who spend 3 to 4 years growing larger before moving to lakes. The process of dewatering takes place rapidly and young bull trout are not strong swimmers. As a result, they become trapped in pools and sections of stream that go dry and they die.
Solving the Kachess Rubik’s Cube
We can’t solve the problem of dewatering entirely since it is tied to the dam. However, we can find ways to retain and create better habitat for bull trout and other species. The first step is gathering information about the upper Kachess watershed. There is a world of possibilities to help bull trout including:
- Placing wood in strategic locations to create refuge during high flows so young fish aren’t pushed down river into the stretch that dewaters.
- Constructing log jams that provide pools with cover that can last throughout the summer for those that are pushed downstream
- Identifying the previous locations of tributaries before they were cut off by the road and reconnect them.
- Identifying relic channels that are lower than the current flood plain and directing flow there

The confluence of Mineral Creek (left) and Kachess River (right). Interesting fact: Mineral Creek contributes significantly more water than Kachess, but is much less utilized by bull trout when spawning.
Works Cited
Kugel, Scott, “ABANDONED MINE LAND IMPACTS ON TRIBUTARIES IN THE UPPER YAKIMA RIVER WATERSHED, EASTERN CASCADES, WASHINGTON” (2018). All Master’s Theses. 939.