The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District has issued a five-year construction license to the Benton Conservation District for a $1.2 million project to improve fish habitat. 

The Amon Creek Habitat Restoration Project will reroute about 1,400 feet of the lower Amon Creek channel to connect with a deeper pool in the Yakima River, and a low-flow deflector will be installed to maintain cooler water during the summer months and natural scour at higher flows.  

The changes will increase average water depth from 0.5 to 1.6 meters, which creates cooler, deeper habitat for salmon and trout at the Yakima Delta Habitat Management Unit. 

“Cool water refuges are vital for salmon during their upstream migration,” said Rebecca Wassell of Mid-Columbia Fisheries in a statement. “They provide a place for fish to rest and recover, increasing their chances of reaching their spawning grounds.” 

Work will also include planting native vegetation to improve channel stability, water quality and riparian habitat. 

In addition to the cooler waters, the project could also reduce physiological stress and improve reproductive outcomes for salmon populations.  

Construction will take place in three phases: creating the new channel, installing the deflector, and dewatering and replanting the old channel. Work is expected to begin in the winter and spring of 2026 and will be completed by the spring of 2027.  

The project is led by BCD along with Mid-Columbia Fisheries and Yakama Nation Fisheries, with support from the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan, the Washington Department of Ecology and Salmon Recovery Funding Board.