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PALOMINO/CURRIER CREEK <br />RIPARIAN MANAGEMENT PLAN <br />Location(s): Township 18N, Range 18 E Sections 27 <br />WRIA: 39, Upper Yakima River <br />Drainage: Currier Creek, tributary to the Yakima River <br />PLAN DESCRIPTION: <br />Currier Creek and Ellensburg Water Company's Town Canal are appurtenant to a large acreage <br />parcel near Ellensburg (Palomino Fields) that will systematically be converted from <br />predominantly agricultural use to mixed-use rural residential and riparian reserve. <br />The landowner is now in the beginning stages of the Palomino Fields Development and with this <br />riparian plan envisions re -occupation of Currier Creek by Salmon and Steelhead at the project site. <br />This plan addresses the early phases and completions of a multi-component project that will <br />continue to improve Currier Creek. It is also possible that the landowner may obtain additional <br />funding for these continued improvements to Currier Creek. <br />Four (4) fish passage barriers will be removed from Currier Creek. Currently the Currier Creek <br />fish barriers have already been removed on Currier Creek within this development project. This <br />portion of the plan occurred in 2007/2008. <br />Irrigation water will be conveyed by piping from the Ellensburg Water Company (EWC) canal, <br />resulting in enhanced instream flows for restored riparian areas. The exact alignment of the piping <br />system will be addressed during the landowner's site planning for irrigation needs and <br />development. <br />Riparian habitat restoration along Currier Creek will be integrated as part of the transition from <br />irrigated agriculture to mixed use rural residential. A 100 -foot protected Currier Creek riparian <br />corridor will be re -vegetated with native plantings and irrigated during grow -in period. The <br />landowner's water rights from EWC Canal will be used for grow -in irrigation purposes. <br />The plan has been divided into four components, PARTS A, B, C, and D: <br />PART "A": Remove fish passage barriers in Currier Creek. <br />This project has been completed in 2007/2008. Four (4) outdated agricultural instream <br />features that currently create full, or partial, fish passage barriers in Currier Creek have been <br />removed. Removing the barriers identified on Currier Creels (see Exhibit B. "C" circles on <br />Project Area map/permits) opened up 1.40 miles of rearing habitat for Mid -Columbia <br />Steelhead, Spring Chinook, and Coho. <br />Page 1 of 4 <br />