Lewis County Awarded State Grants for Salmon Recovery

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Of a total $18 million in money from the state’s Salmon Recovery Funding Board, Lewis county received $189,140 for two projects. 

The first project, awarded $119,622 to Lewis County Public Works, would improve fish passage in Berwick Creek. Public Works plans to use the grant to design a project to replace a fish passage barrier in Berwick Creek as it passes under Labree Road. 

The barrier will be replaced as a bridge, according to a news release from the State Recreation and Conservation Office. 

The second grant, for $59,518, will go to the Port of Chehalis to replace two 6-foot pipes also blocking fish migration in Berwick Creek.



“The pipes will be replaced with a larger structure, restoring access to more than a quarter mile of habitat once the other downstream barriers are removed,” according to the RCO. “Once four additional upstream and downstream barriers are removed, coho salmon will have full access to an additional 9.6 miles of habitat and steelhead trout to 7.9 miles.” 

The port will contribute $783,326, according to the RCO.