SUMNER — Traffic along the Catching Slough near Strang Lane is at a standstill. But not for long.

A man-made obstruction should be out of the way by August. After that, wildlife will have no trouble getting from the slough to Matson Creek.

There also will be a new bridge for people traveling by car.

The East Catching Slough Road has been closed for the past two weeks as work crews build the span and plan the demolition of a string of dikes. The piles of earth made transportation possible for generations of motorists, and created pastures for nearby farmers. But they also restricted the movement of animals that make their home in the water.

It was the construction of another dam that has led to the area’s imminent restoration. Earlier this decade, the Coos Bay-North Bend Water Board completed construction of its Upper Pony Creek Dam. It increased the reservoir’s capacity threefold, from approximately 2,000 acre feet to 6,000 acre feet. It also destroyed about 85 acres of wetlands.

State agencies required the Water Board to mitigate this loss by restoring wetlands elsewhere. The state had two minds about how the Water Board should go about doing this.

The Department of State Lands wanted to see more estuary wetlands. The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife wanted a freshwater restoration. By removing the dikes between Matson Creek and Catching Slough, the Water Board accomplished both.

“This piece of property just fit the bill,” said Rob Schab, the Water Board’s general manager.

Once the dikes come down, Schab estimates there will be 38 acres of saltmarsh and 19 acres of freshwater wetlands.

The restoration project began last year, when crews re-routed the creek to about where its original path flowed. Before, it went along the perimeter of the valley in a drainage ditch.

The Wetlands Conservancy, a nonprofit land trust that owns the land, has assisted in the process. Representatives examined aerial photos and scars on the landscape to determine the creek’s original course, then they were on site during the re-routing process.

Esther Lev, executive director of the Tualatin-based conservancy, is happy with the progress. When the group purchased the property six or seven years ago, it was littered with abandoned cars and the water system was in shambles.

“Its ecological values were compromised,” she said.

The existing dike and tide gate system makes it difficult for fish to go up the creek and it also inhibits native plant growth, she said. Once the waters are able to mix, more native plant and animal species will be able to thrive there, including more song birds.

“Any time you can put anything back to its natural state, it tends to become more diverse,” Schab said.

For Schab, the $1.3 million Matson Creek restoration is the last piece of a 14-year project to expand the area’s water supply. It will be done fairly quickly. Originally, work crews planned to close Catching Slough Road for 90 days. Now, the road should be reopened by Aug. 5. It will then be handed over to the Coos County Roads Department. By the middle of August, the creek should be running as it once did.

Lev, who visited the site on a recent trip to the area, said the restoration won’t really be completed until this winter, when storms will give the creek a chance to naturally rediscover its course. So far, the site is looking really good, she said, thanking the Water Board for its contributions.

“It’s been a great partnership,” she said.

(Staff Writer Alexander Rich covers Coos Bay-North Bend Water Board issues for The World. He can be reached by calling 269-1222, ext. 234; or by e-mailing to arich@theworldlink.com.)