Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Hatchery renovation pictures

Hi folks. I know at least some of you are interested in fish culture and production. The hatchery manager at one of the state trout hatcheries in South Dakota (Black Hills) posted a series of photos of the renovation of their hatchery. I thought some of you might enjoy looking through the images.

http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/fishing/Hatcheries/Cleghorn/CleghornIndex.htm

That was really cool! Hmmm...Sweeny feeders. Great vote of confidence.

Dave,

Interesting! Do you know if the water supply has to be pumped, partially pumped, or is completely artesian free flowing?

Dave that looks like it is a CCC built hatchery.

Ewest -- I don't know the answer to that. You may very well be right!

Cecil -- I don't know that answer, either. I'll talk to Will (the manager) and try to get some answers.

Not much help, am I?

OK, Cecil and Eric, I got some more information for you. Here is the response from Will.

Ground water is collected in a perforated pipe about 12' deep. Historically (1928 - 1972) the water was just caputured as it bubbled up into the ponds. An infiltration gallery was installed after the 1972 flood.

There are 4 pumps for the large rearing pavilion and 2 for the hatchery building supply. There are photos on the website that show the circular pump sumps with the pipes running up to the square headtanks that support the aeration/degassing columns. These are located to the west of the rearing pavilion.

The interesting thing about the site is that the about the same amount of water flows into the creek whether we pump or not. The ground water moves from the upper end of the grounds toward the south east and eventually into Rapid Creek. If we do not pump or open up bypass lines we have water surfacing all over.

None of the old building were built during the CCC days. The original hatchery was completed in 1929 - before the CCC days and the hatchery renovation/expansion was in the 1940's after CCC as far as I know.

The same people who were building public buildings in 1929 were heading up the CCC activities in the 30s. Looks like a few pics I have seen of other Fed hatcheries from the 30s. I think the CCC was active up to WWII.

Ewest -- speaking of historic, do you know of the D.C. Booth historic fish hatchery in Spearfish? It was a federal facility, and then went to a publicly supported "historic" status after the USFWS wanted to close it. They really have fish "history" there, including museum buildings of the old equipment, milk cans, railroad cars they used for fish stocking, etc. Here is a web link.

http://www.fws.gov/dcbooth/index.htm

Dave, Ewest,

That's interesting. I'd kill for a water supply like that!

My state pumps water 24/7 in a trout rearing facility near me. I found out they once owned a facility near Lafayette that produced a few thousand gpms of artesian flow but sold it. Seems they should have kept it.

At least here in WV, there are few of us who are more than a little concerned about the future use of water supplies. This summer's newsletter, put out by the guy who has been helping me with my tilapia quest, has a little bit about the problem:

WV Fish Tales Newsletter, Summer 2007

I don't think we will be the only state with more and more water use rules.

Ken

[EDIT: The base for regulation is only 17 gpm, when averaged over 30 days. It has a number of trout pond owners concerned.]

The days of finding a massive artesian flow water source are gone unless you are in some very remote area of Canada or Alaska or something. Sadly a lot of this regulation is not based on science but is a knee jerk reaction by legislators caused by citizens that are being told by the sensationalist media we are running out of water. Sure some areas of the country are in drought conditions but that's not true all over. I posted a while back I was turned in for pumping well water to my trout pond. Some do gooder probably thought I would pump the aquifer dry which couldn't be farther from the truth. I wish some of these people would do a little research before flying off the handle. Fortunately (at least so far) as long as I stay under 70 gpms I don't even need a permit. In fact the way the law is written now if I stay under 70 gpms I am not even responsible if I cause my neighbors wells to dry! However that will not happen.

(from Trout Habitat and water conditions )

If Mike Smith, who is a little south of me, were a few miles further west on my side of the border, he'd have to register his water.

As far as I know, the law described in the link I posted above, is due to coal mining issues and some other heavy water use commercial issues. Whatever the cause, it certainly is due to the reactions so eloquently expressed above by Cecil. It took many by surprise.

Ken

P.S. We are currently in a "drought condition" as reported by the Forest Service in today's local newspaper. My pond, which only receives runoff, is a whopping two inches below the standpipe.