Trout Unlimited will be working with BPA and our partners on an extensive upgrade to the Barkley Irrigation Company Infrastructure.  BIC has been purveying water to users on the Barkley shareholders in the same way for the past 110 years. The ditch currently delivers water through a gravity system to users irrigating nearly 600 acres.  The proposed project would eliminate the present diversion and move it 1.5-2 miles downstream and convert the open ditch to an in river pump and pressurized pipe system. The existing ditch is estimated to be about 26,000 feet in length. Design and construction will include pipe type and sizes, route selection, road crossing details, turnouts, metering requirements, etc.

In the past construction of a wing-dam and cleaning of the intake channel to divert water into the Barkley Ditch has impacted important habitat for adult spring Chinook pre-spawning holding and rearing habitat for juvenile salmon and steelhead. These impacts have occurred at the diversion wing-dam, in over 1,000 feet of Methow River side channel and within 2,500 feet of the Barkley canal, upstream of the fish screen, where the Barkley cleans and clears the ditch for water delivery, prior to the fish screen approximately .5 miles downstream.  In addition to preventing the historic diversion activities the project will improve instream flow in this critical reach of the methow river and create a state of the art system, which will efficiently deliver water to the BIC share holders.

Specfic Metrics
2.3: Injury and Mortality: Mechanical Injury – 1 mile habitat access
1.1 Habitat Quality: Anthropogenic Barriers – 0.2 mile habitat accessed Bear Creek
9.2:  Decreased Water Quantity: Water Quantity – 8 miles alternate source and efficiency

In addition there is a direct link between the Barkley Porject and MVID, the share a long portion of ditch.  Trout Unlimited has already worked with MVID to pipe over 5 miles of their infrastructure. However the upper four miles remain unimproved and earthen.  The lower 2  miles of MVID are commingled with the end of the Barkley Ditch.  For numerous reasons it makes sense to pipe both under the same contract and will save money and will create efficiency.