Helping the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources to protect a threatened fish species
Hatchery Creek is the outlet for the Wolf Creek Dam Trout Hatchery located immediately downstream of the Wolf Creek dam, which forms Lake Cumberland. When water level fluctuations below the dam impaired trout spawning within the Cumberland River, the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) needed a design-build team to step in and find a solution.
Using in-lieu fee funding, KDFWR hired Stantec and EcoGro/Ridgewater to design and build a downstream extension of Hatchery Creek to create a self-sustaining trout stream capable of supporting trout spawning.
We completed a geomorphic assessment, preliminary and final design, and assisted with permitting, hydraulic modeling, jurisdictional waters determinations, construction observation services, as-built survey, and post-construction monitoring. The project design included a variety of stream types including A, C, and D channels, and we constructed a variety of wetlands and vernal pools in the braided D-channel sections.
Plus, we designed a step pool system in the lower portion to promote fish passage from the Cumberland River up into Hatchery Creek, allowing for spawning. We also imported spawning gravel to provide suitable habitat for spawning.
Michael F. Adams, Jr., Principal
At its core, a river is the manifestation of water, sediment and wood, moving across the landscape, driven by gravity.
George Athanasakes, Vice President, Ecosystem Restoration, Environmental Services
We analyze natural processes driving ecological functions and incorporate these processes into designs to create self-sustaining ecosystems.
Jennifer Caroland-Shaw, Design Visualization Specialist
You won’t lack inspiration if you keep stretching your skills. There’s always another solution to make the next project better than the last.
Cody Fleece, Principal, Aquatic Ecologist
I love finding novel solutions to difficult problems.
Wanda Lawson, Principal
Ecosystem restoration is an amazing, yet challenging endeavor and a great ecosystem restoration project is incredibly rewarding.
We’re better together
-
Become a client
Partner with us today to change how tomorrow looks. You’re exactly what’s needed to help us make it happen in your community.
-
Design your career
Work with passionate people who are experts in their field. Our teams love what they do and are driven by how their work makes an impact on the communities they serve.