Written by For over a decade the State Department of Fisheries, the Army Core of Engineers, and other jurisdictions have been placing man-made log-jams in local rivers and creeks to improve fish spawning habitat. While the goal is worthwhile, the practice has remained controversial, as swimmers and boaters have had many close calls with these obstacles on our waterways.
While I have always wanted our rivers to remain more natural, I have only reluctantly accepted the man-made log-jams; my nephew nearly drowned from the first one of these we encountered while floating on the Cedar River back in 1994.
Now, a question has been raised about whether the practice made the latest flood more dangerous. It will be interesting to see whether the man-made log-jams stayed in place during the flood, or broke away creating hazards to bridges.
I’ll be interested to learn more as the flood waters recede.
Example of a man-made log-jam on the Green River.
Here is the website for WRIA 9, which oversees Salmon Restoration efforts in our area (and I have served as a member)
and, Here is a website where boaters have documented their concerns about the man-made log-jams.
Williams Avenue Bridge
The main chunk stuck under the Williams Avenue bridge is one of those fish habitats that broke free.
The Cedar Basin is WRIA 8 not 9
While we are impacted by the Green, Renton it actually in WRIA 8.
http://www.govlink.org/watersheds/8/default.aspx.
The one in the picture looks like the start of a beaver dam.
Dave
Ack! The sheer size of the picture is violating my friends list!
Sorry Becca! I didn’t mean to make the log-jam ACTUAL SIZE 🙂
I re-formated the photo to more reasonable dimensions.
Assumption
My assumption is that the State Dept of Fisheries is going to be covering the cost of repairing the Williams AVE Bridge and any other damage caused by their “Habitat” log jam that broke loose and cruised down-river?
Renton shouldn’t have to.
Re: Assumption
Or more importantly, will the Fisheries pay for the flooding when one of the trees pokes a hole in the levee?