Floodplain Reconnection and Adaptive Design and Construction on Camp and Scotch Creeks, a High Priority Salmonid Bearing Tributary System of The Klamath River
Gene Haffey
Stantec
Charlottesville, VA
Floodplain connectivity enhances stream corridor processes by attenuating peak flows, recharging groundwater, and trapping sediments and nutrients, improving downstream water quality and habitat. For Camp and Scotch Creeks—high‑priority, fish‑bearing tributaries of the Klamath River long submerged by Iron Gate Dam—lateral constraints limiting potential floodplain restoration were largely absent, allowing for a full floodplain valley reset to pre‑reservoir conditions.
Over the course of nearly a century following the construction of Iron Gate Dam, the floodplains of Camp and Scotch Creeks were buried beneath warm, stagnant reservoir waters and delta sediment deposits. Following dam removal, Stantec and RES undertook restoration design of a constantly changing landscape complicated by uncertainty and accelerated timelines. Available data were limited to grainy historic aerial imagery, legacy surveys and literature, and limited geomorphic assessments conducted during a narrow post‑drawdown window. Muddled boundary conditions, the inability to safely conduct geotechnical investigations within soft reservoir footprints, rapidly evolving channel responses, and unpredictable hydrology during drawdown further complicated design and construction.
While some geomorphic complexity of the historic floodplain surface was expected, construction in 2025 revealed divergent elevations that differed from initial design projections, particularly along the upper reaches and confluence of Camp and Scotch Creeks. In collaboration with the experienced RES team and Yurok Tribe Construction, Stantec made real‑time, field‑informed design decisions focused on supporting ongoing river processes and maximizing fish habitat. Floodplain elevations, lateral extents, and channel alignments were adjusted as new information emerged from test pits and on‑site observations.
This presentation explores how restoration design and construction for Camp and Scotch Creeks continually adapted to expanding knowledge of boundary conditions and ongoing channel response. Emphasis is placed on supporting floodplain processes as a primary restoration objective and on the use of large wood placement and multi‑thread channel configurations to substantially increase floodplain connectivity, hydrologic function, and refuge habitat for chinook and coho salmon, steelhead, and lamprey. Above all, the project highlights the need for exceptional interdisciplinary teamwork to achieve restoration goals.
About Gene Haffey
Gene is a river restoration designer with 20+ years of experience in nature-based solutions, including stream and floodplain restoration throughout Virginia and the United States. Gene specializes in developing and implementing comprehensive environmental plans and evaluations that emphasize process-based natural channel and floodplain design across a variety of rural and urban riverscapes. He thrives working with multidisciplinary teams to develop tailored restoration strategies that result in resilient ecosystems, positive impacts on the community, and balance ecological integrity. Gene is involved in all aspects of stream restoration including assessment, scoping, field data collection, plan development, public meetings, permitting, construction oversight, and monitoring. Most recently, Gene worked on the Klamath River Restoration that will facilitate the return of fish to more than 400 miles of historical habitat. Gene provided initial assessment studies, restoration design, and critical construction oversight during the active restoration phase of three tributaries that were previously inundated by reservoirs and rendered inaccessible to salmon for over a century. The successful execution of the construction phase was a vital step in restoring aquatic passage for Chinook and Coho salmon, steelhead, and Pacific lamprey.