A major fish barrier on the Pilchuck River is coming down

GRANITE FALLS — The blue-green waters of the upper Pilchuck River are ideal habitat for some of Puget Sound’s most endangered salmon.

Large conifer trees line the banks, keeping the water shady and cool, while fallen trunks provide “hidey spots” for juvenile salmon to grow. The land upstream is mostly working forest, protecting the river from residential contamination.

But much of this pristine habitat, a third of the entire Pilchuck River, is blocked by a 10 foot high by 60 foot wide hunk of concrete.

A few miles south of Granite Falls, the Pilchuck Dam once diverted drinking water for part of Snohomish. About two years ago, the city stopped using that water source, leaving the dam with no practical purpose.

“It’s pretty much useless now,” said Brett Shattuck, a restoration ecologist with the Tulalip Tribes.

Preparations to remove the major barrier to fish begin next week.

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