PPL Montana, which generates electricity at coal-fired and hydroelectric power plants around the state, has received a 2011 Outstanding Group Achievement Award from the Montana Chapter of the American Fisheries Society for its fish ladder project at the Thompson Falls hydroelectric plant.
Dedicated in September 2010, the Thompson Falls fish ladder is the first full-length fish ladder in the continental United States specifically designed to accommodate bull trout, according to PPL. It is also the tallest fish passage facility of its kind in Montana.
“The Montana Chapter of the American Fisheries Society wanted to formally recognize PPL Montana’s proactive, cooperative and can-do approach to constructing the Thompson Falls fish ladder,” Craig Barfoot, president of the Montana chapter, said in a press release.
“We commend the company on the way they moved forward on the project. The detailed project involved doing extensive research on fish behavior, consulting with a technical team representing state, federal, and tribal biologists and private consultants, and then aggressively pursuing the design and construction of a state-of-the art fish ladder.”
In a press release, Barfoot said the fish ladder not only marks a substantial step in reconnecting the Clark Fork River network, “but will also contribute appreciably to our understanding of the complexities of providing fish passage to bull trout, a federally listed threatened species, and provide passage for other fishes where no passage has been available since the dam went in nearly a century ago.”
The new steel and concrete ladder system has 48 step pools that permit fish to gradually ascend about 75 feet to the top of, and over, the dam. The first bull trout passed upstream through the new structure on April 26, 2011. Since then, thousands of native Montana trout and other fish species have used the ladder to reach the upper Clark Fork River system.
Funded entirely by PPL Montana, the $7.5 million fish ladder was built in collaboration with federal and state wildlife agencies and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and supports the company’s federal operating license in compliance with the Endangered Species Act.
Advanced biological monitoring, trapping and tagging technology, and adaptive ladder operations will allow scientists to better support and enhance fish movement patterns and timing of runs in the Clark Fork River, according to PPL.
As part of the project, PPL Montana said it is improving public access and recreational facilities at Thompson Falls, including an observation deck for visitors to view fish ladder operations as well as pedestrian access to trails and other recreation sites on Island Park.