DRIGGS, Idaho — Friends of the Teton River (FTR) and the Canyon Creek Canal Company broke ground on the Canyon Creek Project, an initiative to improve water supply and protect the movement of Yellowstone cutthroat trout along a tributary north of the Big Hole Mountain Range, in the Teton River watershed.
After 12 years in the making the ceremonial ground breaking on Sept. 18 celebrated the investment of $4 million for new water delivery infrastructure providing water to Idaho farmland, as well as address fish entrainment issues in both Canyon Creek and the Teton River.
According to Amy Verbeten, executive director of FTR, water from Canyon Creek has been diverted into the Canyon Creek canal for over 100 years and this has resulted in the “de-watering” of the creek, an important spawning ground for Yellowstone cutthroat trout.
“Historically, large numbers of trout swam up the clean and cold Canyon Creek to lay their eggs in the ideal-sized gravel,” said Verboten. “Juvenile fish would then swim back down Teton River to live in the larger watershed. This irrigation infrastructure and diversion of the creek, interrupted the trout’s ability to swim upstream to spawn.”
In early 2020, FTR and Canyon Creek Canal Company temporarily closed the canal to allow for increased water flow from the creek into the Teton River. This water flow restoration restored up to 70 cubic feet per second of water to Canyon Creek, according to FTR.
Irrigators were compensated for the loss of agricultural water, while FTR and the Canyon Creek Canal Company collected stream flow data, diversion data and fisheries data. This information was used to structure a cost effective, long-term flow strategy.
On Sept. 18, the large-scale infrastructure project permanently closed the canal. Construction has moved ahead to install and improve three irrigation diversion structures downstream from where Canyon Creek flows into the Teton River. The new on-farm water delivery system will pull water from the larger Teton River instead of Canyon Creek.
According to FTR, the Canyon Creek Project is a model for successful streamflow restoration and improving agricultural water availability through close collaboration with long-standing farming families.
“The Canyon Creek project is truly a win-win for farmers and fish, and a model for community-driven streamflow restoration,” Verboten said. “This project provides upgraded irrigation infrastructure and improved water reliability for generational farming families, while achieving high impact conservation benefits for Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout and the Canyon Creek ecosystem as a whole.”
In spring 2024, construction will continue with irrigation infrastructure improvements on the Teton River below the mouth of Canyon Creek.
Completion of the infrastructure project is anticipated in 2025.
