News Release Archive

Reclamation Awards Contract for Yakima Fish Passage Improvements

Media Contact: John Redding, (208) 378-5212, jredding@pn.usbr.gov
Scott Kline, skline@pn.usbr.gov

For Release: July 27, 2007

The Bureau of Reclamation awarded a $689,332 contract for the construction of fish passage improvements on the Tieton River about 32 miles northwest of Yakima, Wash.

MRM Construction, Inc., of Ellensburg, Wash., was awarded the contract on July 19. The work is part of the Yakima-Tieton Fish Passage Improvements designed to enhance passage for bull trout and steelhead, both of which are threatened fish under the Endangered Species Act.

The new fish passage will be constructed at the Tieton Diversion Dam adjacent to Highway 12 about 32 miles northwest of Yakima, Wash. Work is set to begin around October 15, 2007, and be completed by May 31, 2008.

Crews will build a temporary coffer dam on the south side of the stream to create a safe working environment for construction personnel. The river will flow freely on the north side of the river, but the public is advised to avoid the area during the construction period for safety reasons.

The Yakima-Tieton Diversion Dam is a concrete structure constructed in 1908 with a height of about 5 feet. It is one of 8 diversion dams serving Reclamation's Yakima Project.

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