Grand Lake Stream Hatchery Pipeline Project

The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife's Grand Lake Stream Fish Hatchery is undergoing a major upgrade. Construction crews are adding an additional water intake pipe that will stretch over two miles from the dam along the lake bottom to a deeper, colder section of the lake.

Increasing lake water temperatures have necessitated the need for a new pipeline in order for the hatchery to continue raising landlocked salmon and brook trout. Utilizing the existing shallow line along with the new line will allow hatchery staff to keep fish at an ideal water temperature for health and growth rates.

Work is set to begin soon, and construction crews will be setting up on the west side of the West Grand Lake Dam in the parking lot at the boat ramp. Half of the double lane boat ramp will remain open during construction as crews utilize the other to load 50 foot sections of pipe and concrete anchors that will be placed into the lake.

If the construction proceeds as planned, construction is expected to be completed by October 2. The on-water phase is expected to take approximately nine weeks. Work will begin at the dam in mid-August and progress out toward Monson Island as pipeline sections are lowered into place.

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About the facility

The Grand Lake Stream Hatchery was established in 1936. Major renovations occurred in 1962, replacing earthen pools with concrete raceways followed by covered buildings in the 1970's. An influent microstrainer system and ultraviolet water treatment equipment was installed in 1973. Hatchery effluent improvements were made in 2010, with a fish waste settling tank routed to a single discharge location.

Water for the facility currently is supplied by West Grand Lake through a single intake system. Water is treated and gravity-fed to 14 covered raceways. An additional water intake line is being added this summer and will improve fish health and growth rates at the hatchery.

Species reared at the Grand Lake Stream facility include landlocked salmon and brook trout. The facility's annual production is 80,000 catchable fish (Over 15,000 pounds!).

Fun Facts

• The United States government first opened a fish hatchery at Grand Lake Stream in 1875, making it one of the oldest sites of fish hatchery activities in the country.
• Landlocked salmon are trapnetted annually near the outlet of West Grand Lake to collect "wild" spawning fish during the fall egg take.
• Serving as the supplier of West Grand strain of landlocked salmon, it provides three quarters of the salmon used in the statewide stocking program.