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P/SUNNY Temp: 68 °F Wind: E at 5 mph Friday, May 2, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend April 22, 2003 Spectators watch and photograph the ceremonial opening of the gates allowing Little Butte Creek to flow through the fish screen, left. The new automated screens will keep fish swimming in Little Butte and away from deadly canals. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Screens will keep fish in creek Cooperative efforts by different factions will keep fish out of farmers’ fields By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune LAKE CREEK — When water flows down the irrigation canals at the diversion dam on the south fork of Little Butte Creek this year, no wayward fish is going to end up floundering in a farmer’s field. State-of-the-art fish screens have been installed at the dam built in 1907. "I’ve been kidding folks that it’s a rare situation where you have environmentalists and agriculturists on the same side," said former Congressman Bob Smith, who represented Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District for a dozen years. But Smith said during a short ceremony Monday that completion of the project demonstrates the two factions can work together. He had fought for funding for the new fish screen when he was in office before passing the baton to current office- holder Greg Walden. "This is a cooperative, collaborative effort that brings people together," said Smith, a Medford resident. Installation of the $350,000 screens was through a joint effort by Uncle Sam, the state, local watershed councils and the Medford Irrigation District and the Rogue River Valley Irrigation District. The problem is that the old drum-type fish screens, although not as old as the dam, have not kept the fish from swimming down the canals to their deaths, explained Doug DeHart, fish passage team leader for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in the Northwest. "The old ones in place keep some of the fish out, but the water going through them is high velocity and they have very coarse screens," he said. "Smaller fish go through the old screens or are often badly injured. "Of course, if there were no fish screens, all the fish in the diverted water would go down the irrigation canal and out into somebody’s field and die," he added. Coho salmon, steelhead, sea-run cutthroat trout and resident freshwater trout inhabit the stream. "There is great habitat in Little Butte Creek with good spawning and rearing," DeHart said. The new screens include an array of flat panels with adjustable baffles behind them, he observed. The water flowing through the screens is fairly gentle, preventing fish from being injured by being pushed up against a screen, he said. "It also has an automatic wiper system to wipe the debris off it," he said. "It won’t plug up. It’s all state-of-the-art. "This is all galvanized stainless steel," he added. "It’s low maintenance with high durability. It should last a long time." The diverted water is a valuable asset to the agriculture users who receive it via more than 50 miles of canals, said MID manager Carol Bradford. "We’ve worked together with a lot of different entities to get to this point," she said. The MID controls two thirds of the diverted water; the RRVID the remainder. Although irrigation season can start as early as April 1, it has yet to begin this year because of the cool, wet spring, she said. The old fish ladder at the dam, which has proved to be an obstacle for many migrating fish for decades, will be replaced this summer, she said. The total cost for both projects is about $580,000, she said. "Fly fishermen and others have helped us improve our fish ladder over the years," Bradford said. "But we need a new fish ladder. We should have that done in July or August." Work already has started on new fish screens for the Eagle Point Irrigation District diversion dam on Big Butte Creek, but is waiting further budget approval from Congress. Once that project is completed, the next fish passage improvement project will be the diversion dam on the North Fork of Little Butte Creek in Butte Falls. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S