River Restoration Project: What about the fish?

Editor’s note: This is the final story in a series of stories on the Platte River Restoration Project.

Saratoga is “where the trout leap in Main Street,” and fishing enthusiasts from all over the country come to fish the North Platte. Those fishermen contribute a large amount to Saratoga’s economy, especially during the summer.

As the survey portion of the Upper North Platte River Restoration project finalizes in June, some who are concerned how the fishing will be impacted upstream, downstream and in the middle of the project. Not only will the project include placing structures to alter the flow of the river, but it will also include narrowing and deepening the river itself.

How will the river restoration project influence the fishing in Saratoga?

Jeff Streeter, Trout Unlimited Project Manager, said that the project may not have direct fisheries focus, but the reconstruction of the river as a whole will lend itself to concerns for fish habitat.

“The main goal of this project is to stabilize the river channel. And if we were really to distill the definition of stabilizing the channel, we would either want it grading or degrading as far as sediment goes. That means we don’t want it building up, we don’t want an island between the two bridges and we don’t want it downcutting or eroding our banks. So somewhere there is an equilibrium and that is what this project is wanting to address,” Streeter said. “And if we do that, let’s think about what happens with the fisheries.

Streeter said that in the short term, there are some disadvantages to the project.

“We’re looking at a town project. First of all, during construction which would be the first thing that we all realize, there is going to be some murky water. It’s going to increase some turbidity, which, in the short term, is not great for fishing,” Streeter said. “But that’s a very, very short impact for fishing.”

Furthermore, Street said insuring that the project itself will not disrupt the ecosystem, especially with the brown trout spawn, is a concern that needs to be addressed.

“Another thing we have to keep in mind is that we have to get this project done by October so that we do not impact the brown trout spawn in the main stream river.”

However, the disadvantages in the short run can lead to “some great benefits” long term, Streeter said.

Nathan Jean, Stantec representative and project manager of the Upper North Platte River Restoration Project, said that they will take fish habitat into consideration while reconstructing the river. Some of the proposed plans include constructing riparian vegetation along the river and in the river channel.

“Riparian vegetation provides overhanging cover and shading for fish, places they can hide,” Jean said. “As well as tree cover, which means two different things: trees that shade over the river versus structures that are actually in the river that fish can hide underneath.”

Streeter said that vegetation along the channel and the river will not only provide cover for fish along the river, but adds other benefits for fisheries as well.

“It will also provide habitat for insects. So the fish benefit from cover and an increased food supply and there should be additional shade, even if its only a few feet along the shore so the water won’t warm up as much,” Streeter said. “So there are three benefits to vegetation right away.”

The W-wiers structures proposed in the project will benefit not only the bridges in Saratoga, but will can create better fishing holes for anglers. Brandon Rosgen of Wildlife Hydrology said that he personally enjoys fishing along those structures.

“W-wiers provide great cover for the fish. I love fishing these,” Rosgen said.

Streeter also said that the River Restoration Project will make it easier for anglers to access the river near the town. This will bring in more fisherman into Saratoga.

“Think about the long term effects for floating. We know that the (Highway 130) bridge is an obstacle-especially at low flow for floaters,” Streeter said. “That’s going to change. People are going to be able to float, both commercial and the general public and they are going to be able to float through town from the access point near the hot pool much easier … so it’s going to be a direct benefit to floaters.”

Streeter also said that having a project plan that includes fisheries will also help with funding for the project.

“A component to the project for fisheries makes the project so much easier to fund,” Streeter said. “I am not worried about the funding, but I think we need to be vigilant about the funding and not just assume its all there. So the more partners we have, the more additional partners we will attract and we want to do that.”

Like many others in the Platte Valley, Streeter said that one of the most important aspects of this project is a general agreement among the populous.

“I think that we need, as a town, to work on consensus and that we really need to all be behind this project.”

The plans for the project will be presented on Jun. 21. A meeting going over the project plans and progress will take place some time this spring.