The U.S. Navy completed construction on a culvert at Naval Base Kitsap’s Manchester Fuel Depot Oct. 30.

Engineers with Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Puget Sound and Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Northwest partnered with experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Environmental Protection Agency to finish the project, located beneath MFD’s perimeter road, Blackberry Loop.

The construction was part of a nearly two-year project designed to alleviate flooding, which damaged two key roadways. Additionally, recent policies have focused more on repairing or replacing fish blocking culverts in Washington State. As a result, the new culvert, installed by the Navy, will unlock quality upstream spawning and rearing habitat for salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout.

The Blackberry Loop culvert runs adjacent to the culvert under the entrance road to NOAA’s Manchester Station. Both culverts, previously 18-inches in diameter, were undersized for the flow demands of the stream, and flooding on both roadways wasn’t uncommon during heavy winter storms.

“Significantly undersized culverts act as a blockage not only to the passage of fish, but also the flow of water, sediment, and debris that provide a healthy functioning stream,” said Mike Hardiman, NAVSUP FLC Puget Sound Fuel Department chief engineer.

In 2015, MFD began scoping a project to replace the Blackberry Loop culvert. From 2016 to 2017, the engineering staff began the process of securing funding and approvals to construct a single continuous culvert spanning both the Navy and NOAA roads. Defense Logistics Agency Energy, the funding sponsor for MFD’s maintenance and repair work, approved the project in Fiscal Year 2018.

Several coordination efforts took place for project work to commence, which included Endangered Species Act consultations with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, National Historic Preservation Act consultation with Washington State, and a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Construction mobilization started in early July, with in-stream work finally being completed Oct. 30. Topside restoration work included road and roadside grading, installation of storm water control features, paving, re-installation of security fencing, and landscaping.

“We expect to see the new culvert allow transport of fine grained material that accumulated on the NOAA side for the past several decades, which will help restore healthy stream functions to sections of the downstream that have become scoured over the years,” Hardiman said.

He also said the decision by the Navy and DLA Energy to replace NOAA’s culvert, along with the Navy’s, was beneficial to the environment and the best use of taxpayer dollars, which benefited multiple federal and state agencies.

The Navy plans to monitor this stream as part of its Natural Resource Management program and document features to include sediment transport, streambed elevation and slope changes, flows, and fish presence. The monitoring data will be documented in NBK-Manchester’s Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan. The data will be shared with the larger Northwest Navy community and its regulatory partners to help serve as lessons learned while the Navy and others continue to correct other fish blocking culverts in the region.

The Blackberry Loop Culvert Project is one of many endeavors highlighting the Navy’s commitment to helping protect the environment and preserve wildlife in Washington State.

Naval Base Kitsap is the largest naval organization in Navy Region Northwest. Its mission is to serve as the host command for the U.S. Navy’s fleet throughout West Puget Sound, and provide base operating services, including support for surface ships, submarines and shore commands homeported at Bangor, Bremerton, Jackson Park, Keyport, and Manchester. NBK will continue to be the best place to serve in the Navy.