Sutter Mutual Fish Screen on Sacramento River. (Photo courtesy of Digital Sky Aerial Imaging)

The AFSP was established in 1994 to carry out Section 3406(b)(21) of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA). CVPIA (Title 34 of Public Law 102-575) required implementation of measures to protect, restore, and enhance fish and wildlife affected by operations of the federal Central Valley Project. The AFSP was specifically developed to help meet the fish restoration objectives of CVPIA. The AFSP is an incentive-based program that encourages the construction of fish screens at water diversions by providing technical assistance and cost share funding. Fish protected through this program include Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and green and white sturgeon.

The AFSP oversees a technical team, comprised of experts from federal and State agencies, that provides fish screen design review and technical guidance to water diverters. The AFSP can also provide up to 50 percent cost share funding for a fish screen project.

RD 999 Retractable Fish Screen on the Sacramento River. (Photo courtesy of Family Water Alliance)

Projects seeking AFSP funding are evaluated and prioritized based on biological benefits, the size and location of the diversion, project costs, and the availability of cost-share funding partners. The types of projects eligible for cost-share funds under the AFSP include, but are not limited to:

• Construction fish screens on unscreened diversions;
• Rehabilitating existing fish screens;
• Replacing existing non-functioning fish screens;
• Relocating water diversions to less fishery-sensitive areas

The AFSP also supports activities and actions to: 1) assess the potential benefits of fish screening and determine the highest priority diversions for screening; 2) improve the effectiveness and efficiency of fish screens; 3) encourage the dissemination of information related to fish screening, and 4) reduce the overall costs of fish screens.