KEMMERER — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is monitoring water flows and the potential to salvage trout stranded in isolated pools in the Hams Fork River below the Kemmerer City Reservoir spillway.

The Kemmerer-Diamondville Water & Wastewater Joint Powers Board, in cooperation with Game and Fish, Wyoming State Dam Safety Engineers Office and PacifiCorp began lowering the water level in the reservoir Friday. The action was mandated by the Wyoming State Dam Safety Engineers Office to remove water from the reservoir’s main spillway on the northeast side of the dam. The reservoir will be operated using the low-level outlet works on the southwest side of the dam until necessary repairs to the main spillway can be funded and completed. This change will remain in effect indefinitely until the spillway repairs are completed and approved for normal operation. The goal is to have water fully removed from the spillway by Wednesday, if conditions allow.

Approximately 670 yards of the Hams Fork River below the spillway will be temporarily dewatered. Water released from the low-level outlet will rejoin the main channel of the river farther downstream. Game and Fish plans to do a fish salvage on Wednesday below the spillway to remove stranded fish and move them further downstream.

In September, dewatering of this segment of the Hams Fork by the Kemmerer-Diamondville Water and Wastewater Joint Power Board occurred so that an inspection of the spillway could be completed, which caused fish to be stranded below the spillway. Game and Fish fisheries personnel from the Green River Region, Kemmerer Game Warden Alex Poncelet and volunteers responded to public feedback that fish were stranded. Approximately 100 trout were salvaged and released downstream.

The Kemmerer-Diamondville Water & Wastewater Joint Powers Board will provide more updates as additional information becomes available.

— WGFD —