FTR News

Driggs, ID - (04/22/2009) - Driggs, Id – This summer, two new fish-friendly diversion structures on South Leigh Creek will provide an efficient way for farmers to receive their water rights while protecting fish from being washed into irrigation canals. Collaboration between local landowners, irrigators, fish biologists and Friends of the Teton River (FTR) produced a first of its kind partnership, which resulted in a win for all stakeholders, including the fish. FTR and landowner Boyd Smith partnered to install irrigation structures with fish screens on the Hog Canal and the Kilpack Diversions, located on South Leigh Creek just east of the state line. FTR secured a quarter of a million dollars in federal, private and State of Wyoming funds from the National Fish and Wildlife’s One Fly Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Fish Passage Program and Teton Conservation District, Wyoming to rebuild the Hog Canal diversion structure; Mr. Smith rebuilt the Kilpack diversion as part of his important conservation effort in the South Leigh corridor. Historically, loss of trout into irrigation canals has been very high. As diversion head gates open to provide water for agriculture, fish are frequently swept (entrained) into the canal and lateral ditches and end up in fields rather than in streams. FTR has estimated that 5-10% of the total tributary Yellowstone cutthroat trout population is lost into irrigation canals. Numerous studies have shown that very young small fish are the most likely to be entrained; although the fish are very small, the loss of this age class has significant effect on the total population in subsequent years. By placing fish screens on Hog and Kilpack diversions, FTR estimates that 150 trout per year will be saved from suffocation in fields or dried-out ditches. The rebuild of Hog Canal involved replacing leaky head gates, adding trash racks, and installing solar-powered rotating fish screens. On Kilpack, Boyd Smith rebuilt the diversion structure, installed a Parschall Flume (for measuring the amount of water that is diverted) and put in fish screens that will protect even the smallest of trout fry. Because South Leigh Creek contains Teton Valley’s largest population of native Yellowstone cutthroat trout, these projects are tremendously important to the recovery of Teton Valley’s native trout, which declined by 95% between 1999 and 2003. The Hog Canal and Kilpack Diversion projects are part of FTR’s “Open Channels” program. Open Channels is designed to address the catastrophic decline in native trout by implementing collaborative, on-the-ground projects that restore eroding stream banks, provide late-season stream flow, and ensure safe migration routes for fish between the Teton River and tributary streams. Many thanks go to all the partners who made these projects possible, including Boyd Smith, other landowners and water right holders on the Hog Canal and Kilpack diversions; Intralox Inc., Trail Creek Nursery, Owen P.C., Majestic Mountain Iron, Creative Energies, and the volunteers who donated their time.