The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe broke ground on a fish passage project at Numana Dam, that will benefit the recovery of two federally listed species, the Lahontan cutthroat trout and Cui-ui sucker, in northern Nevada.
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.
Deputy Director for the Service Siva Sundaresan today joined representatives from the Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Reclamation and other partners today to celebrate this project and what it signifies for the recovery of the Cui-ui sucker and the Lahontan cutthroat trout.
Installing a permanent roughened rock ramp at Numana Dam will open 65 miles of habitat along the Truckee River for the endangered Cui-ui sucker, and for the recently established migration of the threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout from Pyramid Lake. Access to this habitat is essential for the recovery of the species in the wild.
Numana Dam is an irrigation diversion structure within the boundary of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Reservation and provides irrigation water to the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal farmers and ranchers. This structure has been in place since 1917 and, in its present form, has been a significant passage barrier for the Cui-ui sucker and Lahontan cutthroat trout.
This project also supports Pyramid Lake’s fishery, a recreational, world-class fishery that is recognized locally, nationally and internationally, through recovery of this iconic population of Lahontan cutthroat trout.
Around the world, millions of barriers are fragmenting rivers, blocking fish migration, and putting communities at higher risk to flooding. Improving fish passage is one of the most effective ways to help conserve vulnerable species while building safer infrastructure for communities and improving climate resilience. Since 2021, the Service has announced 79 projects that will address outdated or obsolete dams, culverts, levees and other barriers fragmenting our nation’s rivers and streams that are part of a five-year, $200 million commitment through the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides a once-in-a generation opportunity to invest in climate resilient infrastructure, healthy rivers and streams, and abundant fisheries.
The National Fish Passage Program is a national leader connecting watersheds and people. The program has decades of experience implementing infrastructure projects with partners. Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are bringing that experience to bear to foster collaboration between federal agencies, Tribes, states, and non-profit partners.
Since 1999, the program has worked with over 2,000 local communities, Tribes, and private landowners to remove or bypass over 3,400 barriers to fish passage and reopen access to over 61,000 miles of upstream habitat for fish and other animals. The Service and the National Fish Passage Program are committed to reconnecting rivers for the benefit of all.