40 cu. yds Oyster Shell - 1st of 23 loads - Photo Credit: Mark Ahrens

40 cu. yds Oyster Shell - Photo Credit: Mark Ahrens

Load by Load, for many more weeks. - Photo Credit: Mark Ahrens

And one wheelbarrow at a time. - Photo Credit: Mark Ahrens

Running several wheelbarrows. - Photo Credit: Mark Ahrens

Not the easiest of jobs. But the weather is cooperating with decent temperatures so far. - Photo Credit: Mark Ahrens

For all who might be interested, here are a few pictures of the process required to get oyster-shell into our water reuse system biological filterbeds. This water filtration system is a critical component of a hatchery system in which 12.2 Million tule fall Chinook are reared for spring releases at both Spring Creek (10.5M) and Little White Salmon NFHs (1.7M).

The oyster shell serves a multipurpose role in the bio-filtration process, as a media itself which traps and catches solids, and where good bacteria that we add can then populate and work on digesting those solids. Also, the shell serves to buffer pH changes of the nitrification process taking place when removing ammonia from the water that is continuously flowing through these bays as it comes out of fish-rearing Burrows ponds and through this water reuse filtration system. Ammonia control and reduction is imperative for fish survival in a reuse system where it can be toxic and lethal to fish in high concentrations. There is also a layer of rock below the oyster shell as well.

This reloading work needs to be done every 6-8 years or so as the shell degrades and wears away from doing its job. The last load was put in in 2006. This first 40 cu.yd. load arrived Tuesday the 29th, leaving 22 more deliveries to go, a very labor intensive project. The total loading will be 900 cu.yds. and will be loaded over the next several weeks gaining 1.5-2ft. depth in each of the 18 filterbed-bays. Through the 4th of July we'll slowly fall behind pace with deliveries, but with YCC and Forest Youth helpers we'll be picking up the pace and wrapping up near the end of July.

This is one of those curiosities of Spring Creek NFH that we explain many times over the years and few people ever see. So in the event you've always wondered, “hmmmm, how in the heck do they load that in there?" here's a look at day-one.

Spring Creek NFH is located in Underwood, WA in the middle of the Columbia River Gorge about an hour east of Vancouver, WA/Portland, OR.