Contact: Matt Stout FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
9/30/96
The Washington state's Department of Fish and Wildlife has received a $3,480,000 grant to repair damage to its salmon hatcheries caused by severe flooding last February, the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced today.
Most of the money -- $2.2 million -- will be used to repair extensive damage to the Kalama Falls Hatchery on the Kalama River. That money will be used to fix one residence at the hatchery and to demolish four others destroyed in the floods. Three new residences will be relocated on higher ground. The money will also pay for building a new adult holding and spawning facility and to design and construct a new hatchery electrical system.
In addition, $500,000 will be used to repair significant flood damage at 10 fish ladders in Washington, including extensive damage to the Sheppard Falls ladder on the Wind River and to several ladders on the Klickitat River. The ladders provide access to the upper reaches of the rivers and to nearby hatcheries.
A total of $745,000 will be used for construction of facilities at the Ringold Salmon Facility located near Pasco, Wash. These facilities will be used to acclimate up-river bright fall chinook salmon transferred from Bonneville Hatchery in Oregon before they are released into the mid-Columbia.
Finally, $50,000 is being provided to conduct the first phase of a study to identify potential sites where fishery management practices can be improved.