Project Overview

Trout Unlimited, Inc. will replace a diversion structure that is currently acting as a complete fish barrier on Twin Creek, a mid-elevation tributary that flows into the Bear River near Sage Junction in Wyoming. The project will benefit multiple native fish populations including Bonneville cutthroat trout (BCT), blue head sucker and northern leatherside chub which are all species of concern for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. During the spring of 2008, fish trapping efforts on lower Twin Creek revealed that several thousand native fish, including BCT, may be entrained at the BQ diversion and killed in the ditch each year. This project will replace the failing diversion structure with a new diversion and headgate to allow water users to completely shut off during non-use, increasing base flow during critical time periods to maintain the connectivity between Twin Creek and Bear River. Designs will include a fish screen to eliminate fish entrainment and improve survival rates for native fish populations in Twin Creek. The project will also benefit agricultural users by allowing them to meet their water use requirements while reducing or eliminating maintenance required on the structure. Project partners include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust, and BQ Ranch landowners.