SPORTS

VOIGHTS CREEK HATCHERY RESTORATION PROGRESS

By: Tom Davis July 9, 2009

The process for restoring Voights Creek Hatchery to a partially functioning facility began in early June. This process will include the removal of thousands of yards of gravel, silt, and debris deposited on the hatchery during the January 2009 flood event. This work is part of our short-term fixes to the hatchery.

Once this initial clean up has occurred, we will be able to further assess the actual level of damage, caused by the flood, to our water intake, water delivery and emergency power systems.

These actions are intended to bring the hatchery back into operation by the end of August, when the adult Chinook start making their return back to the hatchery. These steps are considered interim measures until the co-managers can fully assess the Puyallup as an entire system and inform policy makers (legislature) on joint long term solutions for all facilities and production within the basin.

There has been a series of meetings between the Puyallup Indian Tribe and WDFW to investigate several possible actions for the future operations of the hatchery.

These actions include, but are not limited to, the potential for acquiring new property, that may be on higher ground but appropriate for hatchery operations.

A current vision is shared: the facility is important culturally and economically to the co-managers in the Puyallup ecosystem and to have long-term success we must conduct business differently if we are to sustain harvest opportunity for all in the Puyallup River.