In Manastash Creek, several man-made structures (dams and unscreened diversions) reduce or eliminate fish passage, create the potential for fish entrainment into ditches, and contribute to diminished flow creating a low-flow or no-flow fish passage barrier. These diversions date to the 1870’s and have been actively diverting water for irrigation and stockwater since then. Water rights in this watershed have been adjudicated and the Court’s conditional final order is in place.
The overall Manastash Creek Restoration Project includes providing fish screen to protect fish from entrainment in irrigation systems, removing barriers to fish passage and improving instream flow.  Funding is in place through BPA and the Washington Department of Ecology to complete the screening and passage portion of the project.  

As part of this joint effort the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW), Technical Applications Program in conjunction with the Yakima Construction Shop, (YCS) has agreed to fabricate and install the screens and miscellaneous metal work for all three diversion sites identified as the Manastash, the Keach Jensen, and the Barnes Road sites.  The first 2 sites will be completed under this contract with BPA; the Barnes Road work will be handled via a separate contract between WDFW and Kittitas County Conservation District.  The YCS will fabricate and install the screens and metal work from prints provided by the project engineer that meet current state and federal fish protection criteria.