Diversion Reconstruction to Reconnect Fish Passage in Rapid River

Salmonid Habitat Restoration and Acquisition

Fish Passage Improvement
Project ID016 05 LS
Recovery DomainsSnake River
Start Date09/01/2005
End Date01/01/2007
Year2005
StatusCompleted
Last Edited01/14/2025
 
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Description    


The following is taken from, Completion Report Rapid River Diversion Fish Passage Improvement Project, prepared by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Pacific Northwest Region
Snake River Area Office, Grangeville Field Station, May 2006

The project design modified the existing diversion dam and headworks to improve fish passage and irrigation water withdrawals. The project did not change water rights or
irrigation water withdrawals at the site and was designed to reliably deliver 5.4 cfs, which is the maximum design rate for the existing fish screen (4.6 cfs) plus the screen bypass flow (0.8 cfs) to return fish to the river. Design options are described in the Rapid River Diversion Improvements Pre-Design Memorandum (Reclamation 2005).
The project addressed three problems identified in the Salmon Subbasin Management Plan: stream flow diversion, anthropogenic migration barriers, and fish entering irrigation systems.
The completed project has restored the river channel at the diversion site, and now meets NOAA Fisheries’s fish passage guidelines. In addition, the need for instream maintenance has been reduced.

This project was part of a demonstration project that the Idaho County SWCD will use to show irrigation improvements to other private landowners in the local area to encourage continued participation in the program. Rapid River provides spawning and rearing habitat for threatened Snake River Steelhead, endangered spring/summer Chinook and threatened bull trout.

This project was part of a demonstration project that the Idaho County SWCD will use to show irrigation improvements to other private landowners in the local area to encourage continued participation in the program. Rapid River provides spawning and rearing habitat for threatened Snake River Steelhead, endangered spring/summer Chinook and threatened bull trout.

The project worksite was dewatered using cofferdams to divert water into an existing canal. The push up dam was removed; two V-weirs were installed.

On the south side of the river, a head gate and sluice way were installed and the canal was reshaped to the existing fish screen. Downstream from the screen a culvert was removed and a new section of 36 diameter corrugated metal pipe was installed.

The completed project has restored the river channel at the diversion site, and now meets NOAA Fisheries’s fish passage guidelines. In addition, the need for instream maintenance has been reduced.
The project was built as designed to deliver 5.4 cfs into the headwork structure.


Project Benefit    


Access to historically accessible, high quality spawning and rearing habitat in the upper reaches of the Rapid River will be restored to Snake River Spring/Summer-run ESU Chinook, Snake River Basin ESU Steelhead, and bull trout. Project actions will ease the migration of these fish in Rapid River and reduce impacts related to the annual instream maintenance requirements associated with the existing push up dam.

Accomplishments

Metric Completed Originally
Proposed
Fish Passage
  Barriers Removed 1 1
  Miles Opened 11.00 11.00

Funding Details

SourceFunds
PCSRF$119,145
State$48,138
Report Total:$167,283


Project Map



Worksites

20025646    


  • Worksite Identifier: 20025646
  • Start Date: 09/01/2005
  • End Date: 09/18/2006
Area Description

No Area Description data was found for this worksite.

Location Information

  • Basin: Salmon (170602)
  • Subbasin: Little Salmon (17060210)
  • Watershed:
  • Subwatershed:
  • State: Idaho
  • Recovery Domain: Snake River
  • Latitude: 45.358104
  • Longitude: -116.388207

ESU

  • Snake River Basin Steelhead DPS
  • Snake River Spring/Summer-run Chinook Salmon ESU

Map

Photos

Metrics

Metrics
  • C.0 Salmonid Habitat Restoration and AcquisitionY (Y/N)
    •      . . C.0.a Habitat restoration and acquisition funding 167,283.00
    •      . . C.0.b Length of stream treated/protected .24
    •      . . C.0.c
      Project identified in a Plan or Watershed Assessment
      NWPCC. "Salmon Subbasin Management Plan". In, Columbia River Basin Fish & Wildlife Program, Portland, OR 2005.
    •      . . C.0.d.1 Project Monitoring (LOV)
    •      . . C.0.d.2 Monitoring Location (LOV)
    •      . . C.0.d.3
      Monitoring text (from Phase I)
      Pre and post monitoring was conducted by Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG). This project will be part of the IDFG regular monitoring survey.
    •      . . C.2 Fish Passage ImprovementY (Y/N)
      •      . . . . C.2.a Fish Passage Funding 167,283.00
      •      . . . . C.2.b.1 Length of stream made accessible 11.00
      •      . . . . C.2.b.3 Type of blockage/barrier (LOV)
      •      . . . . C.2.b.4 Number of blockages/impediments/barriers impeding passage 1
      •      . . . . C.2.c.1 Fish passage blockages removed or altered (other than road crossings reported in C.2.f to C.2.i)Y (Y/N)
        •      . . . . . . C.2.c.2 Number of blockages/impediments/barriers removed/altered 1