Project Title: Replace Walkways on Lower Raceways (FFS #R1PN)

State: Washington

Project Description: Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery will receive funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to replace walkways on the lower fish raceways.

The existing concrete walkway poses an employee workplace safety issue. Employees use the walkways up to eight times a day to feed spring Chinook salmon and clean the raceways. The walkways become slick when wet or covered with residual fish food. The walkways will be covered with steel bar grating and stair treads to improve traction and provide a safer employee work environment. The contractor will furnish and install a galvanized steel plank grating walkway system on top of the existing concrete raceway.

Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery was established in 1896 and is the oldest federal hatchery on the Columbia River. Congressional authorization was based on the intent to supplement the commercial fishing industry. The hatchery’s role expanded when the Mitchell Act was enacted in 1938 to mitigate the impact of fisheries lost due to the construction and operation of Columbia River hydroelectric projects.

Today, more than 9.4 million young salmon are released into the river or transferred to other sites for release each year. The Little White Salmon River provides a cold, clean source of river water in which salmon are incubated and raised for 6 to 18 months. Spring and up-river bright fall Chinook salmon and coho salmon produced at the hatchery contribute significantly to the salmon harvested by sport fishers in the Columbia River, particularly in Drano Lake. The hatchery is located 12.5 miles east of Stevenson, Washington, and offers wildlife viewing opportunities, including at its underwater viewing area. Chinook and coho can be seen spawning in the river below the hatchery, particularly as they migrate in the fall.

Photos:

Recovery Act funding will improve walkways along fish raceways at Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery, providing safer footing for workers

 Originally posted 08/20/2009