YAKIMA, Wash. – Bull trout population recovery is a nationwide focus and is extremely important to the Bureau of Reclamation and its partners in the Yakima basin. To further efforts to improve survival, Reclamation is proposing to construct and operate a fish passage system at Clear Creek Dam in Yakima County.
Clear Creek Dam Fish Passage is identified in the first phase of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan, which is supported by Reclamation’s partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, the Washington State Departments of Ecology and Fish and Wildlife, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and other local, state and federal entities. The proposed fish passage system will replace a non-functioning ladder on the spillway, which was constructed in 1993.
The purpose of the CCDFP project is to improve the long-term viability of the North Fork Tieton bull trout population by allowing bull trout to move freely between spawning and rearing habitat areas. An additional benefit of providing upstream fish passage include the ability to reintroduce salmon and steelhead in the future.
The public is invited to provide comments on this project for a period of 15 days, beginning Jan. 2, 2024. The draft EA and associated materials can be found on Reclamation’s website at Clear Creek Dam Fish Passage, CPN Region (usbr.gov).
Comments may be mailed via U.S. Postal Service to Elizabeth Heether, Environmental Protection Specialist, 1917 Marsh Rd. Yakima, Wash. 98901 or via email at [email protected].