Colorado Parks and Wildlife saves Durango fish hatchery threatened by catastrophic flooding

Colorado Parks and Wildlife worked around the clock to save thousands of fish ahead of catastrophic flooding that struck Durango.

The Durango State Fish Hatchery sits along the Animas River and is home to about 330,000 fish. CPW says they worked quickly to mitigate risks, save as many fish as possible and help the local community.

"The Durango Fish Hatchery had a front-row seat to both of these events," said hatchery manager Ryan Votta, who lives on the property. "A sandbag wall stacked five high in places was used to keep the Animas River from overwhelming the western section of the fish hatchery property. Hatchery staff utilized portable pumps, wooden boards, and manipulated flows around the facility to prevent flooding surface waters from reaching critical infrastructure."

Crews focused on the more sensitive fish species first. They say the second storm on Nov. 1-2 impacted raceways on the north side of the hatchery, which included Gunnison River rainbow trout and Colorado River cutthroat trout.

CPW Southwest Region Senior Aquatic Biologist Jim White said that many of the fish were likely swept downstream, but most of them will return.

"Floodwaters are hard on young fish and fertilized eggs in the gravel," White said, noting the fall as spawning season for the river's brown trout population. "We can likely expect a year-class failure of brown trout and possibly some young age classes missing in both brown and rainbow trout. Most adult fish are able to ride out a flood by seeking low-velocity habitats in the floodplain. However, some get stranded and die as the waters recede. This is where stocking can play a pivotal role in filling in these missing age classes."

When the waters receded, crews dismantled the sandbag barriers and went to help residents threatened by flooding in Hermosa Creek.

"Just when I thought we were in the clear, I received a call from Area 15 Wildlife Manager Adrian Archuleta," Votta said. "He described an emergency situation that was unfolding to the north of Durango along Hermosa Creek. Hatchery staff went into action, delivering several truckloads of sandbags to our neighbors to the north."

Now, CPW says it will work on restocking, cleaning up, and improving the infrastructure to protect against future flooding.