Partnership for the Umpqua Rivers Restoration Program

Our Goal

The Watershed Council has banded together to develop the Instream Habitat Restoration Project. Biologists believed that the presence of fallen debris in rivers and streams obstructed fish from moving through streams. After a significant decrease in salmon population, a realization occurred that debris of logs, rocks and root wads created just the right habitat for juvenile fish to develop in. This theory led to the Partnership (PUR) restoring rivers and streams by building hundreds of structures on private and public with the cooperation of landowners and various agencies to assist in increasing these populations.

Another opportunity is replacing the culverts under roadways to increase safe salmon navigation. Current culverts are hazards and often impassable for multiple reasons including narrow passage, too high for entry or too steep for fish to pass through. Updating these culverts will allow Umpqua fish to travel in accordance with their nature.

PUR has also taken on many other projects for this Program including fencing, planting, flood irrigation and more.