I-5/Unnamed Tributary to Penny Creek and Silver Lake Fish Passage

At I-5, three culverts will be removed in Everett. Two culverts, both named Unnamed Tributaries to Silver Lake and one culvert named Unnamed Tributary to Penny Creek will be replaced.

• The southern Unnamed Tributary to Silver Lake flows through a three-foot diameter concrete culvert and is not passable for fish because the culvert is too high, preventing fish from traveling upstream and causing juvenile fish to fall from the culvert. Removing the barrier will open more than one mile of habitat for coho salmon and steelhead and resident trout.
• The northern Unnamed Tributary to Silver Lake flows through a three-foot diameter concrete culvert and is not passable for fish because the water flows at too high of a velocity. Removing the barrier will open more than one mile of habitat for coho salmon and steelhead and resident trout.
• Unnamed Tributary to Penny Creek flows through a three-foot diameter concrete culvert and is not passable for fish because the slope of the culvert is too steep for fish to swim up. Removing the barrier will open up more than one mile of habitat for coho salmon and steelhead and resident trout.

When finished, the new structures will open more than three miles of fish habitat. This project is part of our fish passage program. Replacing the existing culverts and rebuilding the stream channels expands healthy fish habitat; an important step in restoring fish runs and increasing populations. This benefits commercial seafood operations and recreational fishers and provides more food for a declining orca population. Additionally, replacing these fish barriers helps us meet our obligation to remove barriers under the 2013 U.S. District Court injunction.