An Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact was released today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the $6.5 million Jessup Mill Pond Dam repair project. The Service selected Alternative 1, which maintains the community pond as part of the project to stabilize the 62-year-old dam.
Under the selected alternative, a state-of-the-art water treatment system will also be installed as part of the project, to prevent whirling disease and other fish pathogens from entering of the Creston National Fish Hatchery water supply. The hatchery uses the water to produce rainbow, westslope cutthroat, and bull trout; and kokanee salmon for state and tribal waters throughout Montana.
In the Draft Environmental Assessment, released October, 2001, the Service proposed Alternative 2, which would have converted the pond to a stream and collected disease-free water directly from underground springs for hatchery use. The majority of public comments received about the Draft opposed draining the pond, which is used by many members of the community.
"The Jessup Mill Pond project is a good example of the NEPA process at work," said Regional Director Ralph Morgenweck. "We made an initial selection in the draft EA, we solicited additional information from the public and from engineers and hydrologists, and we were able to reach a more informed decision."
"After we further explored the design necessary to implement Alternative 2 at this site, it became clear that the system would need to be partially open to the outside environment and thus vulnerable to contamination," explained Mark Maskill, Creston National Fish Hatchery Manager. "Our hydrologists also provided more information about water production from the springs, which made us less confident that enough water was available to meet our needs."
"Given the historical and recreational value of Jessup Mill Pond to the community, the selection of Alternative 1 turns out to be a win-win for everybody," he added.
The water treatment system will help ensure that fish raised at the Creston National Fish Hatchery remain free of whirling disease
