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News Release
Aug. 26, 2003
Dedication Celebrates Fish Passage Facility
for Endangered San Juan River Species
Waterflow: Two endangered fish species in the San
Juan River were the center of attention at a special dedication
ceremony this morning as key partners in the San Juan River
Basin Recovery Implementation Program celebrated the completion
of a fish passage built for the benefit of endangered species.
The fish passage, completed this year, is designed to enable
the endangered Colorado pikeminnow and the razorback sucker
to move upstream around the weir that, until now, obstructed
the fish from making their way farther upstream. The 3-foot
weir is part of a PNM San Juan Generating Station intake facility
where water from the San Juan River is diverted for use at
the 1,800-megawatt coal-fired generating station. The new
fish passage does not impact stream flow, allocation or water
uses on the San Juan River.
Key representatives from various organizations that participate
in the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program
were on hand at the dedication ceremony. Partners in this
program include the Navajo Nation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, PNM San Juan Generating Station and the U.S. Bureau
of Reclamation. Program members approached PNM in the late
1990s and asked the company to help fund the design and construction
of this $1.2 million facility.
Designed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the 400-foot
long fish selective passage has been in operation since June.
The fish passage works by regulating the current through the
weir at 40 cubic feet per second (CFS), enticing fish to enter
the boulder pools incorporated into the passage where they
make their way up and around the weir. At the top of the passage
Navajo Fish and Wildlife workers manually remove all fish
on a daily basis where the fish are sorted and identified;
only native fish are allowed to go back into the river.
Catfish, a non-native species, are collected and restocked
in regional lakes. Trout, also a non-native species, are usually
not impacted by the passage.
"This fish passage is an important conservation tool
that will ultimately assist in the recovery of the Colorado
pikeminnow and razorback sucker," said Joy Nicholopoulos,
New Mexico state supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
"This project is a shining example of the collaborative
efforts undertaken by our many partners to benefit the listed
species in the San Juan Basin."
"We are thrilled to have played a role in making this
important environmental tool a reality," said Pat Goodman,
vice president of power production at PNM. "The San Juan
River is crucial to the ongoing operation of the San Juan
Generating Station — which supplies 58 percent of our
customers' electricity needs. We are proud to join in the
effort to restore the San Juan River habitat for the benefit
of these endangered fish."
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