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--> --> Lengthy, costly work ahead for state's culverts WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal land managers have decades of costly work ahead to help fish pass through Washington state and Oregon culverts, a report from congressional investigators concludes. And the eight-month study from the General Accounting Office said Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management officials don't know if already implemented improvements are working. Culverts are metal or cement pipes that allow water to pass under roads. If they are too high or steep, they can cut off migrating fish from their habitat. George Behan, a top aide to Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., said the congressman's advisers believe culverts are the most easily identified, and most easily fixed, impediments to the Northwest's threatened and endangered salmon. Dicks requested the report from the GAO, Congress' investigative arm, to get an independent audit of progress made by the Forest Service and BLM, which control 93 percent of the 44 million federal acres in Oregon and Washington state. A senior Democrat the House spending panel, Dicks hopes to use the report in efforts to secure more money and guide future spending decisions. The GAO said Monday the two land management agencies have inventoried more than 10,000 culverts in Washington and Oregon, but they don't know how many block fish habitat. Ongoing assessments have identified 2,600 culverts that impose barriers, but more than twice that may exist. The Forest Service is expected to have a final tally by year's end. BLM has not set a date. Fixing the problem culverts could cost an estimated $375 million. However, investigators recommended the agencies both develop systems to track whether their projects are improving fish passage, as intended. "Given the limited funding available for fish passage projects and various factors that affect the agencies' ability to complete projects quickly, eliminating barrier culverts will be a long, costly effort," the investigators said. Washington state faces separate legal problems with its culverts. In January, 20 Puget Sound-area Indian tribes went to court to force the state to fix culverts on state roads. The federal government joined the lawsuit with the tribes. The case could have sweeping implications for how much say Indian tribes have in the state's land- and water-use policies. Curt Smitch, Washington state Gov. Gary Locke's special assistant for natural resources, said the state has an estimated 800 to 1,000 culverts to fix - a number that could be reduced. But if the federal government continues to insist the problem is on state lands alone, Smitch said he plans to take the GAO report to the judge. "If you, the federal government, are going to push on the state ... to take care of barriers, then you might want to look in your backyard," he said. Specifically, the report said the federal agencies assign a relatively low priority to fish passage because road safety is considered more important. They also have to go through often-lengthy federal and state environmental clearances to do the work. And the number of qualified engineers available for the projects is limited. Consequently, projects can take a year or two. Both agencies generally agreed with the report's findings. In a response to the report, however, the Forest Service pointed out that replacing culverts is a national issue, not unique to Washington and Oregon. An official added that the tasks are often complex, and other organisms besides fish also need to be considered. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing