Description:
Intermountain Aquatics conducted a detailed habitat survey using the USFS R1/R4 method; collected historic hydrologic, water quality and trout population data; and sampled in-stream flows to identify potential limiting factors to the wild trout population. Silver Creek was identified as having a healthy wild trout population in the early summer, although by late August the flows in the creek were so low due to an upstream irrigation diversion that they limited the available holding water in the existing stream channel. The majority of the stream was classified as a low-gradient riffle with poor habitat diversity. A lack of holding water and low flows were identified as the major limiting factors to the resident population in Silver Creek. In the summer of 2000, Intermountain Aquatics constructed a series of habitat improvement structures to increase the available holding water for the wild trout population during the late summer, fall and winter.