River Reading Definitions

Flow rate: Measured in cubic feet per second of static discharge.

Water temperature: Measured in Fahrenheit degrees.

Dissolved Oxygen (DO) level: Amount of dissolved oxygen in milligrams per liter of water.

Turbidity: Total suspended solids and water clarity measured in NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Units)

Investing in Our Rivers

Utilizing our local rivers for hydropower production is important to your Cooperative in our effort to purchase less power from our wholesale providers and to be self-reliant in providing our own power. This long term investment will help keep rates low in the long run. Equally important is preserving our famous fisheries for the use of our owner-members and businesses that depend upon these natural wonders for their livelihood.

Fall River Electric Cooperative has invested substantially to help ensure the vitality of our local fisheries. At our Island Park hydro facility, the aeration system cost Fall River owner-members nearly $750k and our Buffalo fish ladder project added another almost $400k.

At our newest hydro project at Chester, Fall River Electric installed fish screens on both the Last Chance and Crosscut canals to keep fish in the river at a cost of $575k. We also invested $60k in supervisory costs when the Chester fish ladder was constructed, with primary funding supplied by the Henry’s Fork Foundation and others. Fall River also constructed new boat launches above and below the Chester hydro facility; expanded the parking lot, added restrooms, and built a fishing platform for handicap fishing.

Facts

The Henry’s Fork of the Snake River was first famous with Native American tribes that hunted, fished and seasonally traveled through our area of the Greater Yellowstone region. Henry’s Fork derives its name from famed fur trader Andrew Henry who first visited the area in 1810 from Montana and constructed an encampment on the river near present day St. Anthony.

The Henry’s Fork became well known in the late 19th century as prominent families built summer homes in the Island Park area.

As a tributary of the Snake River, the Henry’s Fork is 127 miles long including its main tributary, the Teton River. It is one of the most famous trout streams in all of the U.S. with anglers coming from all over the world to fish its famous waters. Cooperative owner-members have invested $1,765,500 in fishery improvements on the Henry’s Fork and its tributaries!