Project Details

This project is important as key populations of Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieiri; YCT) and Bluehead Sucker (Catostomis discobolis, BHS) are concentrated in fragmented sections of Basin Creek and South Fork Junction Creek. The ultimate goal going forward will be to reconnect all fragments of Basin Creek, South Fork Junction Creek, and the Raft River by removing and/or repairing at least 10 fully impassable barriers and as many as 9 other possibly impassable structures, including irrigation diversions and road crossing culverts. Basin Creek provides good fish habitat that is inaccessible to both YCT and BHS from downstream. Removal and improvement of the barrier addressed in this project has the potential to reconnect up to 3.3 miles of stream that YCT and BHS inhabit patchily.  Removing these barriers will reconnect fragmented populations of not only YCT and BHS but also other native species including Mottled Sculpin (Cottus bairdi), Redside Shiner (Richardsonius balteatus), Speckled Dace (Rhinichthys osculus), and Longnose Dace (Rhinichthys cataractae).

Provide evidence about the nature of the problem and the need to address it. Identify the significance of the problem using a variety of data sources. For example, if a habitat restoration project is being proposed to benefit greater sage-grouse, describe the existing plant community characteristics that limit habitat value for greater sage-grouse and identify the changes needed for habitat improvement.

Provide an overall goal for the project and then provide clear, specific and measurable objectives (outcomes) to be accomplished by the proposed actions. If possible, tie to one or more of the public benefits UWRI is providing.

LOCATION: Justify the proposed location of this project over other areas, include publicly scrutinized planning/recovery documents that list this area as a priority, remote sensing modeling that show this area is a good candidate for restoration, wildlife migration information and other data that help justify this project's location.

TIMING: Justify why this project should be implemented at this time. For example, Is the project area at risk of crossing an ecological or other threshold wherein future restoration would become more difficult, cost prohibitive, or even impossible.

Actions related to dams and diversions will focus on correcting barriers to fish movement
and other mechanisms of habitat and population fragmentation.  - Utah Wildlife Action Plan

Enhance and maintain habitat for roundtail chub, bluehead sucker, and flannelmouth
sucker. -  3 Species concervation agreement strategy -  Conservation actions

The overarching goal of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for Conservation and Management of Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout is to "ensure the persistence of the Yellowstone cutthroat trout subspecies within its historic range" (page 2). Specific objectives agreed to by the states and other involved parties that address these threats are also identified in the MOA, including securing and enhancing existing conservation populations and restoring populations through such actions habitat restoration (page 3) - both objectives of this proposed project.

The UDWR Raft River Drainage Management Plan (Hydrologic Unit 17040210) identifies "working cooperatively with [federal agencies] and private landowners to maintain or enhance habitat". This project will work with a private landowner/water user to improve fish passage to other private lands.

The project area lies within the boundaries of Watershed Restoration Initiative Focus Areas and within Utah Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy priority areas.

According to the UDWR Strategic Plan, this project will also help the UDWR meet its Resource Goal, which is to "Expand wildlife populations and conserve sensitive species by protecting and improving wildlife habitat. This project will specifically address objectives 2 and 3 of the UDWR Resource Goal, which are to "increase fish and game populations to meet management plan objectives, and expand quality fishing and hunting opportunities,"
and "conserve sensitive species to prevent them from becoming listed as threatened or endangered."

List management plans where this project will address an objective or strategy in the plan. Describe how the project area overlaps the objective or strategy in the plan and the relevance of the project to the successful implementation of those plans. It is best to provide this information in a list format with the description immediately following the plan objective or strategy.

If applicable, detail how the proposed project will significantly reduce the risk of fuel loading and/or continuity of hazardous fuels including the use of fire-wise species in re-seeding operations. Describe the value of any features being protected by reducing the risk of fire. Values may include; communities at risk, permanent infrastructure, municipal watersheds, campgrounds, critical wildlife habitat, etc. Include the size of the area where fuels are being reduced and the distance from the feature(s) at risk.

Describe how the project has the potential to improve water quality and/or increase water quantity, both over the short and long term. Address run-off, erosion, soil infiltration, and flooding, if applicable.

Description of efforts, both completed and planned, to bring the proposed action into compliance with any and all cultural resource, NEPA, ESA, etc. requirements. If compliance is not required enter "not applicable" and explain why not it is not required.

We plan to take on this project in two phases:

Phase 1 is ongoing with an engineering firm, Quadrant Consulting, Inc. that has developed a  diversion design that is fish passable and that meets the water user's irrigation diversion needs.

Phase 2 will take the designs from phase 1 and use them to perform the construction of the new fish passable structure. Large-rock cross-vane structures will be installed to create steps for upstream fish passage at the diversion. Cross vanes will be engineered using hydraulic modeling so that boulders remain in place at high river flows and provide the required water elevation for irrigation diversion and fish passage at low river flows.

A rotary drum fish screen will be installed in the canal downstream of the headgate. This screen will provide fish protection at all diverted flows. A secondary screen behind the drum will be used to keep fine debris out of the pipeline and irrigation pivot.

A post construction monitoring effort will be used to evaluate the success of the project  - described in "Monitoring" section

Describe the actions, activities, tasks to be implemented as part of the proposed project; how these activities will be carried out, equipment to be used, when, and by whom.

The rock cross vanes will be visually inspected following spring runoff flows to assess any movement or displacement or the structures, and if so, any required repairs. The fish screen will be monitored at start up at the beginning of the irrigation season, throughout the season, and after the season to assess performance and any damage. The diversion rebuild and fish screen have to work properly in order for the water user to continue to divert and deliver water. The water user will be responsible for regular operation and maintenance of the fish screen.

Plans to monitor the success of the project will be to tag Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout and Bluehead sucker above and below the barrier using a visual implant elastomer tag (VIE) using different colors above and below the barrier prior to barrier removal and evaluate fish movement through post removal surveys .  Assuming the barrier is remedied mixtures of fish tagged above and below the structure will be found throughout the entire 3.3 mile stretch of reopened stream.

Improved fish passage at the diversion will reconnect fish populations on Basin Creek. In addition, the fish screen will eliminate fish loss to the canal, and we should then see increased fish densities at the UDWR  fisheries monitoring sites on Basin Creek and South Fork Junction Creek.

Describe plans to monitor for project success and achievement of stated objectives. Include details on type of monitoring (vegetation, wildlife, etc.), schedule, assignments and how the results of these monitoring efforts will be reported and/or uploaded to this project page. If needed, upload detailed plans in the "attachments" section.

List any and all partners (agencies, organizations, NGO's, private landowners) that support the proposal and/or have been contacted and included in the planning and design of the proposed project. Describe efforts to gather input and include these agencies, landowners, permitees, sportsman groups, researchers, etc. that may be interested/affected by the proposed project. Partners do not have to provide funding or in-kind services to a project to be listed.

Detail future methods or techniques (including administrative actions) that will be implemented to help in accomplishing the stated objectives and to insure the long term success/stability of the proposed project. This may include: post-treatment grazing rest and/or management plans/changes, wildlife herd/species management plan changes, ranch plans, conservation easements or other permanent protection plans, resource management plans, forest plans, etc.

Potential for the proposed action to improve quality or quantity of sustainable uses such as grazing, timber harvest, biomass utilization, recreation, etc. Grazing improvements may include actions to improve forage availability and/or distribution of livestock.