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Sept. 6, 2024
SALEM, Ore.— ODFW is seeking public comment on a request to exempt from fish passage requirements a proposed culvert on Old Highway 47 that conveys O’Neil Creek near Forest Grove in Washington County.
Comments are due no later than Sept. 28, 2024.
Washington County proposes to replace the existing culvert. Given native migratory fish use, this action has triggered Oregon’s fish passage laws.
According to Mac Barr, ODFW Fish Passage Program Coordinator, ODFW may grant fish passage exemptions if there is no appreciable benefit to native migratory fish from providing passage. Because of an immediate upstream barrier, ODFW has made an initial determination that even if fish passage was provided, the action would result in no appreciable benefit to native migratory fish. In the future, if conditions change from which the decision was made, exemptions can be revoked, and fish passage shall be addressed.
Public comments on the proposed exemption are accepted through Sept. 28. The fish passage exemption application and ODFW’s analysis are available at https://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/passage/index.asp.
Send written comments to or request additional information from, Mac Barr, ODFW Fish Passage Program Coordinator, 4034 Fairview Industrial Dr SE, Salem, OR 97303, Charles.M.Barr@odfw.oregon.gov, or by calling (503) 947-6256.
The Fish Passage Task Force will be asked to consider this exemption and provide a recommendation to ODFW. There will also be an opportunity for public comment at the Fish Passage Task Force Meeting on Oct. 4, 2024. If you wish to provide a verbal comment, you must register 48 hours in advance of the meeting; a link to register will be available closer to the meeting.
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