The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Seattle District officials awarded a $12,580,830 contract on September 2 for a full design of a fish passage facility at the Albeni Falls Dam.
The goal of the fish passage facility is to help restore the diminishing bull trout and upstream bull trout populations. The upstream bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout are also trapped between Albeni Falls Dam and Box Canyon Dam. This facility would help to re-establish upstream fish movement that have been blocked for seventy-five years.
"Without a fish passage facility at Albeni Falls Dam, the downstream bull trout population will never recover," Andrew Huddleston, a fish biologist at Albeni Falls Dam, said. "The upstream bull trout populations that get trapped below the dam will continue to face increased mortality."
The new design begins in early October 2026 and will take approximately two years to reach full finalization. The USACE will prepare for construction authorization in a subsequent phase.
The future facility will also reopen a habitat with over 750 miles of mainstem, tributary and critical lakeshore for foraging, spawning and overwintering. These are all essential to bull trout s...