To help meet the goals of the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act, a new fish hatchery and rearing facility was constructed to help maintain existing stocks of coho, pink and chum salmon and steelhead in the Elwha River. The new Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Fish Hatchery allows for the handling and segregation of multiple stocks of adult fish and aids in the restoration of the natural river ecosystem.
Construction of this hatchery was part of the larger process of removing the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams on the Elwha River to restore the river to its natural state and allow the fish to return to more than 70 miles of river. The Lower Elwha tribe is beginning to see the results of this project as increasing numbers of fish are returning to spawn in the Elwha River and its tributaries.
Constructing a project for the National Park Service on tribal lands required close coordination and thorough communication with a variety of stakeholders including a variety of Lower Elwha Klallam tribal officials and employees, National Park Service staff, the Clallam County Public Utility District and other contractors and subcontractors working on nearby projects. The project was completed successfully with no “taking” of endangered species and no conflicts with other on-going construction projects.
This project consisted of the construction of site improvements, 6,500 feet of 36-inch PVC water supply and drainage pipelines connecting to a newly constructed water treatment plant, flow-through levee, water supply wells, new hatchery and storage buildings, fish culture facilities including 600,000 gallon raceways with base preparation and foundation drainage system, pollution abatement pond, adult holding pond, a new fish ladder leading from the Elwha River to the brood pond, process piping, equipment and related mechanical and electrical systems procurement and installation.
After award of the contract, the owner issued a change order to JWF to construct a chilled water system which would supply chilled water to the incubation room. The system included a 1,000 gallon welded steel storage tank, duplex submersible circulation pumps, mechanical piping, and related mechanical and electrical system procurement and installation. JWF managed the start-up, testing and commissioning of all the process equipment.
This project was one of nearly 800 projects totaling $750 million throughout the National Park Service that were completed with funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and was one of the single largest contracts awarded by the National Park Service.
