The purgatoire watershed partnership (PWP), a non-profit conservation organization and watershed group based in trinidad, colorado, is working closely with a host of local and regional partners on the…

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation awarded a $3,413,946 Project Grant under the WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America's Resources for Tomorrow) grant program (CFDA 15.507) to the Purgatoire Watershed Partnership, Inc., a non-profit organization in Trinidad, Colorado. The funding will support the Purgatoire River Fish Passage Project, which aims to install a natural riffle ramp fishway into the Baca-Picketwire Diversion Dam on the Purgatoire River. This will allow upstream/downstream passage for native and sport fish species, as well as safer boater passage, restoring connectivity to 3.3 miles of the Purgatoire River mainstem and associated ephemeral drainages. The project involves collaboration with a diverse set of local partners, including water conservation districts, state and federal agencies, and community organizations. It is expected to improve habitat access, species resiliency, and recreational opportunities in the region, supporting the program's goals of water conservation, sustainability, and ecosystem restoration in the western United States.

The purgatoire watershed partnership (PWP), a non-profit conservation organization and watershed group based in trinidad, colorado, is working closely with a host of local and regional partners on the purgatoire river fish passage project to install critical fish passage into the baca-picketwire diversion DAM, which has prohibited upstream movement of all fishes on the purgatoire river for more than 100 years. Project partners include a host of engaged community members as well as local ditch companies, purgatoire river water conservancy district, colorado parks wildlife (CPW), US fish wildlife service (USFWS), trout unlimited, city of trinidad, purgatoire river run company, fishers peak outfitters, local KIP hampden developers and the youth club of trinidad. The purgatoire river is a 196-mile-long tributary of the arkansas river that sustains a robust assemblage of native plains fishes in its lower reaches and important native and sport fishes in the middle purgatoire river. This project focuses on the installation of a natural riffle ramp fishway into the baca-picketwire diversion DAM located on the middle purgatoire river in downtown trinidad. This fishway will allow all native and sport fishes to pass, as well as allow boaters safer passage over this low head diversion DAM. This collaboratively developed fishway is an acceptable design to the local agricultural community as well as the representative fish and boating partners (CPW, USFWS, trout unlimited, purgatoire river run company).the project will allow fish upstream access to 3.3 miles of the purgatoire river mainstem and wetlands, as well as access to many more stream miles of ephemeral drainages. These upstream waters provide significantly healthier and more diverse aquatic habitat than that found below the diversion DAM in this stretch of river. Installation of fish passage and expansion of riparian connectivity in this area is critical to ensuring the long-term sustainability and resiliency of fish species of priority to local, state, and federal land managers and local anglers, especially in the face of drought and climate change uncertainties. The resulting improved habitat access and a more robust gene pool with the intermixing of upstream and downstream fish populations will directly benefit native priority fish including the flathead chub (platygobio gracilus) - a colorado species of special concern - and the central stoneroller (campostoma anomalum). The local trout unlimited chapter has also conducted extensive fish habitat restoration work above the diversion DAM on the middle purgatoire, and installation of fish passage will directly benefit the expanding trout fishery by allowing the priority sport fish of brown trout (salmo trutta) and rainbow trout (oncorhynchus mykiss) access to these waters. The current inability of fish in the middle purgatoire to migrate to spawning reaches and areas of thermal refuge during low flow periods is a significant limiting factor for all species. Project partners are excited to implement this collaborative project that serves a diverse set of water users and accomplishes important ecological, recreational, agricultural, and municipal goals. With the added benefits of improving recreational opportunities for boaters, implementation of this project in the downtown river area is expected to provide multiple benefits for our community members of all ages, and is expected to draw more community members and visitors to our downtown area and small businesses, in a small rural town that is working hard to develop a more sustainable economic base that includes recreational tourism after a long history of economic booms and busts.