Klickitat Fish Hatchery

The Klickitat Fish Hatchery (KFH) is located on 33 acres of Yakama Nation Reservation land in southwest Washington. In 2021, Schnabel was retained to complete an expansion of the facility to allow for the production of 800,000 spring Chinook salmon; 5 million fall Chinook salmon; and 1 million coho salmon annually. Schnabel has created a design that includes the rehabilitation of the hatchery’s primary spring water supply and river pumps, a new solids separation system, a new degassing and aeration tower, a 20-inch diameter above-grade pipeline, hatchery yard piping, eight new 30-foot circular rearing vessels, new reinforced concrete adult holding raceways, and a wood frame spawning building. The project was funded by Bonneville Power Administration on behalf of the Yakama Nation. Construction is projected to be complete by the end of 2026.

Schnabel’s design makes modifications to an existing weir-and-pool fish ladder to capture adult broodstock for the facility. The design of the fishway involved extensive research, with the evaluation of the target species’ swimming capabilities and hydraulic analyses to ensure that the fishway would continue to function at increased flows from the new facility. Three new weirs and a new section of concrete channel were added to the fishway. A vee-trap and gated entrance allow hatchery staff to monitor incoming adults.

Schnabel’s work on the project also included the preparation of the project’s USACE 404, Washington State JARPA, and Yakama Nation shoreline permit packages. Our team prepared 3D renderings of the completed site to convey the design and functionality of the facility to the various project stakeholders, as well as the public