WYOMING — A quarter of a million federal dollars will focus on a retrofit of the Killdeer Diversion Dam on the Green River in Wyoming. The project is part of the Department of the Interior’s $35 million investment that addresses outdated or obsolete dams, culverts, levees and other barriers fragmenting rivers and streams across the U.S.
Funding was derived from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The Killdeer Diversion Dam project will widen and lower the elevation of a channel-wide sill on the Green River in Wyoming. The sill was constructed to support water diversion to the Killdeer Wetlands. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, this now creates safety concerns for those recreating on the river and impedes fish passage.
The project will also improve fish passage and safety at the site while continuing to support the wetland area. Species that benefit from this work include native mountain whitefish, flannelmouth sucker, Kokanee and brown trout. Improving the current structure will help provide habitat for migratory, wetland, raptor and passerine birds, such as the trumpeter swan.
Impacts from climate change are expected to result in reduced annual rain and vital snowpack that feeds the Green River, while increasing extreme storm events. This project will allow necessary waterflow for fish passage in dryer future conditions while mediating against flood hazards. Completion of the project aims to increase outdoor recreation opportunities to support the community’s economic development.
Friday’s announcement is part of the Department’s five-year $200 million commitment to restore free-flowing waters, allowing fish migration and protecting communities from flooding rivers and streams. It is also part of an over $3 billion investment in fish passage and aquatic connectivity projects under the Investing in America agenda, which includes funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.
“President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in our nation’s rivers, streams and communities and help restore habitat connectivity for aquatic species around the country,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “As the effects of climate change continue to intensify, Tribal Nations in particular are facing unique climate-related challenges that threaten resources vital to Indigenous communities. These fish passage investments will support community-led transitions and facilitate long-term conservation and economic growth in these areas.”
This historic law is giving these aquatic species a chance.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams.
Each funded project was developed collaboratively by local partners and selected through a competitive process led by an interdisciplinary panel of experts from multiple federal agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service and National Marine Fisheries Service. Nine of the projects receiving investments will be led by Tribal partners, and many will help with conservation efforts for threatened or endangered species.
“Across the country there are millions of barriers that block viable corridors for fish and other aquatic wildlife to access spawning grounds, food sources and safe water,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams. “This historic law is giving these aquatic species a chance. Funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law bolsters our efforts to improve fish passage that ultimately conserves freshwater and migratory fish and wildlife, promotes safer community infrastructure and encourages climate resiliency.”
More details are available on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s website.
