A look at how the recent flooding has impacted Western Washington hatcheries:
Soos Creek Hatchery: Facility was still flooded Thursday but water was dropping rapidly by Friday. One drum screen is inoperable. It still is unknown if there was a loss of fish. Staff will be unable to trap steelhead broodstock — the facility gets the bulk of the Green River stock.
Voights Creek Hatchery Complex: The half-million coho eggs were OK as of Thursday, but everything else has been lost. Houses are in good shape and no damage to personal property was reported. Damage was still being assessed on Friday. Water is 3 feet deep outside the hatchery building and slowly beginning to recede. Yearlings are alive with backup pumps.
Puyallup Hatchery: Spring pond above the upper intake has received significant filling with sand and sediment.
Arlington Hatchery: No change but stable conditions as of Friday. Staff was working on moving 80,000 catchable and jumbo trout to safe ponds at Arlington and Whitehorse.
Reiter Pond Hatchery: Intake is holding. Given the conditions, facility is operating normally.
Tokul Creek Hatchery: Facility is holding 150,000 juvenile steelhead. Staff is working on re-establishing flow with portable pumps and re-plumbing well pump to supply emergency water.
Wallace River Complex: Water in incubation building wasn't causing damage.
Issaquah Hatchery: Residence Number 1 (closest to hatchery) has 3 feet of water in the basement. Lost furnace and water heater.
Samish Hatchery: Flooding and large deposit of debris. A large log jam formed just above and at the gravity intake on Friday Creek. Flooding threatened pump intake. Water flows increased in the Samish River and threatened pump intake on the river. Maintenance staff removed debris from Friday Creek and gravel from the Samish intake.
Cowlitz Hatchery Facilities: No damage to report.
Elochoman Hatchery: Four feet of water in the last occupied residence basement. Coho in J pond are likely lost. Access was limited or impossible.
Grays River Hatchery: High water, but facility and fish are OK.
Speelyai Hatchery: Spring chinook were moved on Wednesday; kokanee were released early; temporary pumps were put in place to pump water to rainbow trout remaining on site. Intake breeched. All fish except for catchable rainbow and derby fish have been moved off station. Currently maintaining one screen and operation intake. Working on cleanup by Friday, and repairing intake dam. Removing water treatment building. Domestic water will be established next week.
Lewis River Hatchery: Debris problems inside creek near rearing pond.
Kalama Falls Hatchery: Extremely high water. May have liberated all of the 350,000 late coho. So far, everything else is OK.
Fallert Hatchery: Foot of water, but everything is OK.
Lewis/Merwin Facilities: No problems.
Gobar Pond: Can't gain access to facility.
Goldendale Hatchery: Wind damage to the roof of one on-station hatchery residence.
Toutle Hatchery: Sandbagged for protection. Pump damage likely.
Minter Creek, Hupp Springs, Coulter Creek, Dungeness, Hurd Creek, Elwha, Bogachiel and Sol Duc hatcheries: All facilities were reporting intake issues.
Forks Hatchery: Water level dropped and all is well.
Satsop Springs Hatchery: River was backing up into adult holding pond. Water had broken through the dike in a couple of places. No contact with staff as of Thursday.
Bingham Hatchery: Water ran around hatchery building, sand bagging kept water from getting into the building. All is well.
Mayr Bros Hatchery: Damage to roadway to adult trap and to fence around trap. Staff will evaluate once water is lower.
Lake Aberdeen Hatchery: Septic line was fine; water was up to bridge stingers.
Humptulips Hatchery: All is well.
Nemah River Hatchery: All is well.
Naselle Hatchery: Staff spent a lot of time keeping ahead of muddy water in the incubation room. Everything else is fine.
Eells Springs Hatchery: Stable. Cut off due to slide over Eells Springs Road and Skokomish River flooding.
Skookumchuck Hatchery: All is well.
McKernan Hatchery: Stable.
Capt. Jerry Brown
Columbia River Fishing
http://www.columbia-river-fishing-guide.com
206-920-2428
