Gold Creek Valley Restoration Project | Kittitas Conservation Trust

Gold Creek

Located near Snoqualmie Pass in Kittitas County, WA, is in the headwaters of the Yakima River. It flows into Keechelus Reservoir and is home to a genetically distinct population of ESA-listed Bull trout.

Project Details

Date Completed
Ongoing

General Area
Snoqualmie Pass

Funding
$14,777,330.93

Outcomes

Reduce the extent and duration of dewatering
Increase habitat quantity
Add habitat complexity
Restore 27 acres of forest wetland

Gold Creek Valley has been degraded by decades of gravel mining, road building, and clear-cut logging.

1942: Before significant logging & mining in Gold Creek Valley.

1975: Shows extensive logging and road development. The loss of riparian plants has allowed erosion to unnaturally widen the channel, while the gravel mining pits start pulling groundwater away from Gold Creek.

These actions have dramatically impacted streamflow.

The lower 1.5 miles of Gold Creek dewaters from late July to October, a period that overlaps with Bull trout spawning migrations and limits their ability to reach spawning grounds farther upstream.

Juvenile Bull trout rear in Gold Creek, but they too struggle to survive in the dewatering stream.

They become stranded in isolated pools as the stream disconnects

and if they aren’t rescued….

the fish will succumb to predation or desiccation as the pools dry up.

The Gold Creek Bull trout population is in severe decline.

The Gold Creek Valley Restoration Project aims to restore this critical habitat for Gold Creek Bull trout before it’s too late.

KCT and partners will work to restore natural streamflow, increase and enhance instream habitat and habitat complexity, and reconnect floodplains. Strategically placed side channels and engineered log jams, or ELJs, will also reduce velocities and erosion risks for the stream-adjacent communities (circles represent privately-owned parcels).

This large project has been separated into multiple phases.

Phase 0: COMPLETE. KCT and partners worked from 2012 to 2025 to complete:

Surveys, Data Collection, & Analysis

Project Planning, Design, & Permitting

Phase 1: Instream Restoration – COMING SOON! Phase 1 is fully funded and construction will begin in Spring of 2026.

Phase 1 will complete ALL instream work: restoration of 2.5 miles of Gold Creek by reconnecting 245 acres of floodplain, filling a smaller gravel borrow pit, and partially filling the larger gravel borrow pit. Velocities and erosion risk for nearby communities will be reduced.

GoldCreekValley_Phase1RestorationOverview

141 large wood structures will be installed in Gold Creek and within the 1.4 miles of newly created side channels.

15,410 plants will be planted throughout the Phase 1 project area. These plants and the root systems they grow will play a pivotal role in preventing erosion and stabilizing the banks of Gold Creek and the new side channels.

Phase 2: Stop the Siphon – During the construction of I-90 in the 1970’s and 1980’s, approximately 1 million cubic yards of material was extracted from Gold Creek Valley. The large 27 acre pit currently know as Gold Creek Pond, was never filled, and models now indicate that it siphons water from Gold Creek and increases the severity of stream dewatering. Phase 2 will transport fill material from off site to fill the pit. The goal of Phase 2 is to stop the siphoning effect of Gold Creek Pond and allow groundwater to flow naturally back into Gold Creek.

KCT is actively seeking funding for Phase 2.

Phase 3: Forest Wetland Restoration – will include adding topsoil, and final surface grading and planting, restoring the area to its historic forest wetland condition. KCT will be looking to fund Phase 3 once Phase 2 pond fill is in process with a target date for completion.

Final Pond Grading - Green polygons will be swales (low spots) and pink polygons will be hummocks (high spots)

Pond Planting

The following picture shows a nearby forest wetland, similar to the desired final state of the larger gravel pit that is currently known as Gold Creek Pond. Wetlands are important sponges that store water for dry summer months, they improve water quality, and provide essential habitat for a variety of species.

Once Phase 3 is complete (projected completion 2030), the US Forest Service will begin design and then construction of new ADA accessible recreation infrastructure around the newly restored forest wetland.