Upper Salmon Anadramous Fishery Habitat Improvement, Garden Creek

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The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) currently provides technical assistance in eleven tributary subbasins in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Actions identified in these subbasins are designed to improve survival of fish during spawning and rearing life stages. Reclamation’s responsibility for its subbasins is to work with willing partners on non-Federal lands to implement actions to meet specific metric goals that include: (1) fish screens that meet current criteria; (2) spawning and rearing access restored by removal of fish passage barriers; (3) meeting instream flow targets; and (4) increased miles of channel complexity in the subbasins. Except under special circumstances, Reclamation is unable to fund or participate directly in habitat improvement construction activities in the subbasins. Thus, Reclamation enters into agreements with willing partners, also known as “Project Sponsors” who identify, fund, permit, manage, and monitor projects that meet Reclamation’s habitat improvement program objectives. CSWCD, a local government entity, works with many partners to sponsor fish habitat protection and passage activities in the Upper Salmon Subbasin (Subbasin). In 2010, Reclamation and CSWCD entered into an agreement whereby CSWCD, as Project Sponsor, would explore, develop, and coordinate potential fish habitat improvement projects within the Subbasin, and coordinate its investigations with Reclamation, landowners, and other interested parties. As of a result of the effort being performed under the 2010 agreement the CSWCD and Reclamation determined the need to drill a test well to determine if adequate water can be pumped to replace the Garden Creek diversion located in the Subbasin. It is expected that funding this effort will lead to stream habitat improvements within the Upper Salmon Subbasin, which will benefit anadromous fisheries. Therefore, it is Reclamation’s intent to provide funds to CSWCD for the oversight and monitoring activities for the well drilling effort.

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