Crystal Springs Creek is the focus of this Oregon Field Guide feature.  This story showcases successful urban salmon restoration in the heart of the city spanning over a decade with multiple partners. 

Reed College, Environmental Services, and others, are working to bring salmon back to Crystal Springs Creek– one of Portland’s few free-flowing cold water streams without migratory barriers between the headwaters and the Pacific Ocean.  And the work is paying off…

The cold, spring water of Crystal Springs is ideal for salmon recovery (see maps of where coho, Chinook, and steelhead are swimming in Portland). 

The City, with multiple partners, such as Reed College, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland Parks & Recreation, and others have replaced culverts, improved water quality, and enhanced habitat along the creek.  (See an earlier blog posting about projects completed last summer). More than a third of the stream length has been improved with new culverts, plantings, and habitat for native fish and wildlife.  Improvements in stream temperatures are already being seen at Westmoreland Park with reductions of more than 2.5˚C (4.5˚F)!

Environmental Services is using green infrastructure throughout the city to reduce flooding and erosion, filter pollutants, provide habitat and increase neighborhood green space for healthier watersheds. Green infrastructure works with Portland’s sewer and stormwater pipe infrastructure to protect water quality, public health, and the environment.

Get involved!  Spring Canyon Day 2014 in Reed Canyon is Saturday April 5 from 9–3p.m. Take a walking tour along the creek, organized by the Crystal Springs Partnership.