Event Title
Improving Salmon Access to Inland Habitat can also Reduce Risk to Human Safety and Property
Presentation Abstract
Salmon are not only keystone species, but are also culturally and economically critical, supporting large tribal, commercial, and recreational fishing industries. Transportation infrastructure can significantly impact salmon, especially where road crossings impede their free movement. Modifying stream crossing infrastructure to restore salmon access to inland habitat is a major (albeit expensive) priority throughout the region. Progress in this area will require broadening stakeholder support and financing options. We must expand our understanding of the value of improving stream crossings to include not only ecological costs, but also conventional risks (e.g., localized flooding, transportation disruptions) arising from disrupted stream flows. Earth Economics has developed scalable geospatial techniques for identifying conventional risks associated with blocked stream crossings, estimating the potential economic impacts associated with 930 salmon-blocking stream crossings within the Upper and Lower Chehalis basins of Washington state. Of these, we identified 816 crossings (88 percent) where washouts or overtopping would disrupt road access, 147 of which (18 percent) would completely isolate one or more residential parcels. We have also modeled the potential extent of localized flooding associated with 470 crossings for which high-resolution LIDAR data were available. Of these, we identified 50 culverts (11 percent) where stream blockages could flood nearby buildings. The combined economic impact of both road network disruptions and localized flooding for each crossing averaged $61K per day, with a maximum impact of $528K per day. Including these values will strengthen the benefit-cost rationale for pursuing habitat access restoration, broadening stakeholder support and available financing options. The latter include applications for Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant from the US Federal Emergency Management Agency. With this proof-of-concept established, the next step is to apply these methods to culverts within the Salish Sea basin that are subject to the NW Treaty Tribes injunction.
Session Title
Hatchery, Habitat, & Survival
Conference Track
SSE4: Fish Science and Policy
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE-traditionals-353
Start Date
27-4-2022 1:30 PM
End Date
27-4-2022 3:00 PM
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
Improving Salmon Access to Inland Habitat can also Reduce Risk to Human Safety and Property
Salmon are not only keystone species, but are also culturally and economically critical, supporting large tribal, commercial, and recreational fishing industries. Transportation infrastructure can significantly impact salmon, especially where road crossings impede their free movement. Modifying stream crossing infrastructure to restore salmon access to inland habitat is a major (albeit expensive) priority throughout the region. Progress in this area will require broadening stakeholder support and financing options. We must expand our understanding of the value of improving stream crossings to include not only ecological costs, but also conventional risks (e.g., localized flooding, transportation disruptions) arising from disrupted stream flows. Earth Economics has developed scalable geospatial techniques for identifying conventional risks associated with blocked stream crossings, estimating the potential economic impacts associated with 930 salmon-blocking stream crossings within the Upper and Lower Chehalis basins of Washington state. Of these, we identified 816 crossings (88 percent) where washouts or overtopping would disrupt road access, 147 of which (18 percent) would completely isolate one or more residential parcels. We have also modeled the potential extent of localized flooding associated with 470 crossings for which high-resolution LIDAR data were available. Of these, we identified 50 culverts (11 percent) where stream blockages could flood nearby buildings. The combined economic impact of both road network disruptions and localized flooding for each crossing averaged $61K per day, with a maximum impact of $528K per day. Including these values will strengthen the benefit-cost rationale for pursuing habitat access restoration, broadening stakeholder support and available financing options. The latter include applications for Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant from the US Federal Emergency Management Agency. With this proof-of-concept established, the next step is to apply these methods to culverts within the Salish Sea basin that are subject to the NW Treaty Tribes injunction.
