Friends of the teton river, located in teton county, idaho, in collaboration with the canyon creek canal company, will improve agricultural water reliability and restore instream flows to canyon creek…

The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation awarded a $2,906,894.92 WaterSMART Program (CFDA 15.507) Project Grant to Friends of the Teton River, Inc., a non-profit organization located in Driggs, Idaho. The grant funding will be used to improve agricultural water reliability and restore instream flows to Canyon Creek by relocating diversions from the creek to the larger Teton River. Specifically, the project will make infrastructure improvements and management changes at three irrigation systems to increase their capacity and ability to deliver water from the main-stem of the Teton River, resulting in 2.16 CFS of water savings and up to 10,680 acre-feet of water annually restored to Canyon Creek. This will discontinue diversions at the Canyon Creek Canal, eliminating fish entrainment, habitat connectivity concerns, and water quality impairment. The project is supported by the Canyon Creek Water Management Plan and endorsed by stakeholders including other irrigation entities, conservation groups, government agencies, and water users.

Friends of the teton river, located in teton county, idaho, in collaboration with the canyon creek canal company, will improve agricultural water reliability and restore instream flows to canyon creek by relocating diversions from the creek to the larger teton river. Canyon creek supports a core conservation population of yellowstone cutthroat trout and is a high-priority for restoration due to its significance as a productive spawning tributary with 35 miles of high-elevation habitat. The lower 10 miles of stream to the confluence with the teton river has been seasonally dewatered at the canyon creek canal, causing ecological and water quality issues. To discontinue diversion at the canyon creek canal, the project partners will make infrastructure improvements and management changes at three irrigation systems, increasing their capacity and ability to deliver water from the main-stem of the teton river, which is not flow-limited, resulting in a water savings of 2.16 cubic feet per second and improved water supply reliability for irrigation and downstream users. Up to 10,680 acre-feet of water will be restored annually to canyon creek. Once the project is complete, the company will close the canal, eliminating fish entrainment, habitat connectivity concerns, and water quality impairment. This project is supported by the canyon creek water management plan, developed through a watersmart cooperative watershed management program phase i grant, and is endorsed by a broad range of stakeholders including other irrigation delivery entities, conservation groups, government agencies, and water users. Water savings for this project have been revised. Original text of attachment a to the selection memo proposed 4.73 cubic feet per second of water savings.