Groundbreaking for Hatchery Creek Project
U.S. Corps of Engineers Lt. Col. John L. Hudson and Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Commissioner Gregory Johnson will join the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, state legislators and Russell County officials Friday, Aug. 8, in breaking ground for Kentucky’s newest in-lieu fee program wetlands and stream restoration project just below the Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery at Jamestown.
Hudson and Johnson signed documents today in Somerset triggering construction of the nearly mile-and-a-quarter-long restoration of Hatchery Creek that has been in the planning stages nearly five years.
“We are excited to get this restoration underway,” said Johnson. “It will more than triple the current length of Hatchery Creek, replace degraded, bare banks with gradual sloping contours and create naturalized pools, riffles and also re-establish and enhance 5.5 acres of forested and emergent wetlands on Lake Cumberland project lands.”
The ground-breaking ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. (CDT) at the national hatchery, located off U.S. 127 below Wolf Creek Dam. “We hope all conservation organizations and people who love the outdoors will join us for this groundbreaking ceremony and help celebrate this exciting new restoration project and trout fishing opportunity,” said Johnson.
Water flowing from the hatchery has over time eroded a gully that funnels undesirable fine sediments into the Cumberland River. This project is an ambitious venture to change this undesirable situation and create in its place a stream that provides high quality habitat for fish.
“The development of this project has been a true partnership between all the agencies involved and the Corps will reap the benefits in many ways,” said Hudson. “Not only will this project improve water quality in Hatchery Creek and the Cumberland River, it will minimize a very serious and costly erosion problem affecting the Corps’ Kendall Campground. It will also provide additional recreational opportunities for those campers using the campground.”
With Lake Cumberland back to normal lake levels, visitation is again increasing in the region. “This is an opportunity to improve the Lake Cumberland project area for the benefit of the Cumberland River and multiple project purposes, such as environmental protection, fish and wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities such as trout fishing,” said Johnson.
The plan calls for the grouted channel now carrying the flow from the hatchery for approximately 380 feet to be reworked into a more natural stream setting. After construction, this new channel will remain open to the public.
Water leaving this section currently flows into the deeply incised and eroding gully. This gully will be partially filled in, diverting water into the newly created stream.
The new stream will flow down the valley more than a mile through created riffles, runs, glides and pools that have been carefully designed to offer attractive habitat for aquatic wildlife. It will at times split into multiple channels and flow through sections surrounded by wetlands. This is all intended to provide a variety of stream flow velocities, depths, habitat types and temperature gradients for aquatic wildlife, including trout.
The final piece of the new stream slopes through a series of step pools for about 400 feet before emptying into the Cumberland River, allowing trout to move between the river and the newly created stream.
Project Manager Andy Mowrey said the $1.8 million Wetland and Stream Mitigation Program project should take about six months to complete. "The end result is a stable functional stream channel, removal of large amounts of sediment pollution from the Cumberland River, high quality aquatic habitat and a unique fishing opportunity for anglers," said Mowrey.
F
or more information on the in-lieu fee program see [url]http://fw.ky.gov/Fish/Pages/Stream-Team-Program.aspx[/url].
