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Bipartisan Infrastructure Law To Protect Aquatic Species And Habitats In Montana, Wyoming And Utah

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By NPT Staff - May 4th, 2022

Birch Creek Dam on the Virgin River in Zion National Park. Originally a small dam that protected a pipe across the river, time and erosion have now made the drop a 15 feet high complete barrier to fish to be remedied by BIL funding/NPS

Two dams in the Virgin River inside Zion National Park in Utah will be removed to improve fisheries with funds from the Biden administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Under the law, five watershed-scale fish passage projects in Montana, Wyoming and Utah will receive a total of nearly $6.89 million this fiscal year to support aquatic ecosystem restoration projects and restore free-flowing waters, allowing for enhanced fish migration and protecting communities from flooding. 

Across the country, 23 states and Puerto Rico are benefitting from the National Fish Passage Program. The funds are expected to bolster efforts to address outdated, unsafe or obsolete dams, culverts, levees and other barriers fragmenting our nation’s rivers and streams, which will help restore fish passages and aquatic connectivity. 

“Across the country, millions of barriers block fish migration and put communities at higher risk of flooding,” said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. "President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in our nation’s rivers, streams and communities and help restore habitat connectivity for aquatic species around the country.”   

A number of the projects receiving funding nationally will directly address issues related to climate change and serve disadvantaged communities, while also spanning the nation geographically and addressing a wide array of diverse aquatic resource issues.  

At Zion National Park, $3.52 million will be used to remove two dams to improve fish passage and eroding infrastructure along the Virgin River.

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