The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has worked since 2016 with the Willwood Irrigation District, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Powell Clarks Fork Conservations District, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, among other partners, to improve operations at the Wildwood Dam and improve sedimentation in the Shoshone River fishery. Over the years, sedimentation has built up behind the dam, leading to releases harmful to the fishery.
The DEQ has organized three workgroups to clean up sedimentation, change dam operations to reduce sedimentation, and identify the sources of sedimentation within the watershed. The goal is to have the amount of sediment coming into the dam mirror the amount it can release. Aside from improving the water quality and health of wildlife in the fishery, the reduction of sediment will also help extend the life of the 100-year-old dam. With sediment now under control, dam operators can ensure that future deposits will not negatively impact trout in the fishery.
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