The skyline irrigation efficiency project will improve habitat for priority fish species in the chewuch river in okanogan county washington state by securing instream flow protections resulting in…

The skyline irrigation efficiency project will improve habitat for priority fish species in the chewuch river in okanogan county washington state by securing instream flow protections resulting in more water flowing in the river during the warmest driest times of year. The chewuch river provides important spawning and rearing habitat for endangered species act esalisted spring chinook salmon steelhead and bull trout as well as several species of greatest conservation need including pacific lamprey and westslope cutthroat trout. The chewuch river is listed as flowimpaired due to irrigation withdrawals. Increasing instream flow is considered one of the highest priority actions to improve habitat in the lower chewuch river. This project will replace an outdated diversion fish screen facility and move IT to a more appropriate site which will reduce direct fish mortality and reduce the amount of water diverted into the irrigation ditch. Aging irrigation infrastructure downstream of the fish screen facility will be replaced to increase the efficiency of water transfer allowing more water to remain instream. Improvements include replacement of a failing trestle and replacement of leaking pipe segments. By reducing the amount of water withdrawn for irrigation and reducing water lost during conveyance an additional 10 cubic feet per second CFS will remain in the stream providing substantial habitat benefit throughout approximately nine miles of habitat in the chewuch river.subrecipient activities include legal counsel and representation to ensure proper transfer of water rights into the trust water rights program. Matching nonfederal funds will be used to complete physical improvements of the active diversion intake to improve efficiencies and reduce impacts to ESA listed and other priority fish species. The intended beneficiaries of this grant are fish and wildlife. The methow salmon recovery foundation msrf and the skyline ditch company by working together to develop a water conservation agreement to transfer 10 cubic feet per second CFS of saved water from the skyline ditch company to the washington states department of ecology trust water rights program for permanent protection of instream flow for the benefit of fish and wildlife.