Fish passage at Derby Dam has been a priority conservation project for LCT recovery for more than two decades. In 2001, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Reclamation designed and completed a fish bypass around Derby Dam. Since then, the two agencies have been working to implement the protection portion of the Derby passage improvements. Reclamation selected the horizontal fish screen technology and entered into a cooperative agreement with Farmers Conservation Alliance for the design, construction, and commissioning of the screen. Construction of the Derby Dam Farmers Screen Project began in October 2019 and was completed in 2020.
Completed
Derby Dam Farmers Screen
Almost 50 years after the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout was listed under the Endangered Species Act, a fish-friendly infrastructure project in Nevada realized decades-long efforts to bring back the legendary fish and support local irrigators.
Derby Dam: The Water Returns
Restoring watershed connectivity
Project DETAILS
Location
Sparks, Nevada
Installation Date
Fall 2020
From Our Partners
Why the success of Derby Dam matters so much as told by those who made it a reality.
17 months
Time it took to transform the Derby Dam Farmers Screen from a signed contract into a project groundbreaking.
100 years
period of no connectivity for the Lahontan cutthroat Trout, restored after succesful completion of the Derby Dam Farmers Screen.
58k
irrigated acres served, supporting irrigators in the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District (TCID) who rely on water diverted from the Truckee River into Lahontan Valley.