Judge places temporary halt to Stehekin road rebuild

A federal judge has signed a temporary restraining order stopping a National Park Service plan to build part of Company Creek Road in the Stehekin River.

The North Cascades Conservation Council asked for the injunction alleging the project would harm spawning kokanee salmon and was approved without required environmental review.

The conservationists are concerned that about 300 to 350 feet of road would be built within the Stehekin River channel.

The project, as initially approved by the National Park Service, move the channel north, install about 700 feet of rock bank protection and connect the new section with a temporary road already built in the area.

The Sept. 28 court order directs the plaintiffs to submit a motion for preliminary injunction by Friday, Oct. 2.

The Park Service's decision said dewatering could last up to three months and the project could affect about 236 acres of floodplain, according to the complaint.

The court complaint notes that Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife staff visited the site and found significant kokanee spawning activity within and around the planned construction area.

“WDFW staff saw an estimated 400-500 Kokanee salmon, counting at least 40-50 active redds within the project footprint. These numbers are expected to increase during construction when the Kokanee will be in their peak spawning time,” the field notes said, according to the complaint.

The reconstructed road would restore vehicle access after flooding last December destroyed part of Company Creek Road when the Stehekin River shifted course.

The Park Service issued Chelan County a special use permit for the road rebuilding project, which the conservation group says places part of the road in the river channel.

The lawsuit alleges the Park Service didn’t adequately analyze potential environmental effects under the National Environmental Policy Act.

It also alleges the agency hadn’t consulted with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before approving the project and didn’t adequately consider a land-based alternative.

Watch spawning kokanee in a video from the Lake Chelan Boat Company here.