Project to protect two local fish populations

WASHOE COUNTY, Nev. (KOLO) - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, conservationists, and members of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe broke ground for a fish passage at the Numana Dam on the Truckee River in reservation land about 30 miles northeast of Reno.

The fish passage is scheduled to open in 2025 and will give the threatened Lahontan Cutthroat Trout and endangered Cui-ui sucker access to 65 miles of historic habitat for the first time in over 100 years. This development could help bring two local fish populations back to healthy numbers.

President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed November 5, 2021, provides $30.6 billion tax dollars to quote, “Tackle the climate crisis while advancing environmental justice and boosting local economies.”

In 2022, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded the Tribe nearly $8.3 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe’s vision of addressing a more than 100-year-old barrier to fish migration along the Truckee River at Numana Dam. Both fish are central to the Tribe’s culture and have been negatively impacted by water infrastructure and land use changes over the last century.

Money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will go to three other regional projects:

The Klamath Basin Restoration Program will impact the western edge of Washoe County by improving waters to help fish and fowl.

The Sagebrush Ecosystem Project will conserve habitats and fight invasive species across northern Nevada.

The Lake Tahoe Restoration Project will fight invasive species to help the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout and other native fish species.

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