Two local tribes will receive more than $12 million in federal grants to remove fish passage barriers, including the Fifth Avenue Dam in Olympia.

The two local projects are among nine projects in Washington state that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is funding for a total of $39.4 million. The goal is to remove barriers to fish migration such as small dams and culverts, open migration routes for salmon and steelhead trout, and allow more salmon to return to their natural spawning grounds.

The Squaxin Island Tribe will receive $6.4 million to demolish the Fifth Avenue Dam at the mouth of the Deschutes River, drain the artificial Capitol Lake, and restore the Deschutes Estuary.

According to NOAA, restoring the estuary will help restore habitat for the threatened Puget Sound Chinook salmon and will help tribes expand their barrier removal efforts and participate in salmon restoration planning in southern Puget Sound.

The Nisqually Indian Tribe will receive $5.8 million to remove and replace a culvert that completely blocks the fishway on Brighton Creek, a tributary of the Nisqually River, and to replace the culvert on Harts Lake Road South. The old culvert will be replaced with a new channel-spanning culvert southeast of McKenna on the Pierce County side of the river that will allow threatened Puget Sound steelhead and Chinook salmon to access high-quality habitat.

The project will include a wildlife crossing and help reduce flood risk and provide opportunities for further restoration of native plant life, NOAA says.

The funds come from the NOAA Fish Passage through Barrier Removal grant program, which is funded by the bipartisan Infrastructure Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.

“Habitat restoration and these projects will help boost the salmon and steelhead populations that our tribes and our regional economy depend on,” U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell said in a press release. “These grants will lead to lasting and meaningful habitat improvements, including the Chinook populations in Puget Sound that orcas need to thrive. …”

Cantwell and U.S. Senator Patty Murray say these bills are the largest investments in the climate crisis in American history and include record funding for salmon recovery and fish habitat creation.

“In Washington state, our fish drive local economies and form the foundation of Pacific Northwest culture – and the record investments in fish passage projects we secured under President Biden will make a huge difference across our state,” Murray said in a statement. “This influx of federal funding will be critical to saving valuable species, including our salmon, and restoring wetlands and other vital habitats. …”

All nine projects in Washington state are led by or in partnership with tribes. Nationally, NOAA awarded $240 million to 46 passage projects, and 40% of the recommended projects were led or supported by tribes.

The new grants build on the $166 million awarded in the first round of funding in 2022. There will be another round of NOAA projects under BIL to remove fish passage barriers.

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