Ukiah volunteer hatchery gets donated sand filter to address muddy water from Lake Mendocino

Commissioner Christina reported that volunteers at the Townsend educational hatchery installed a donated sand pool filter and about 900 pounds of sand to address persistent turbidity in water taken from Lake Mendocino.

The filter, donated by Moyers Pool Supply and valued at more than $1,000, was installed with help from a club member who is a plumber. “We got a donation, of a pool filter. Very large sand filter,” Commissioner Christina said. She and other volunteers installed the unit but said the hatchery currently has no running water, so staff cannot yet test whether the unit clears the turbidity.

The commission heard that turbidity has been a chronic problem because the Army Corps of Engineers’ outlet draws water from the bottom of Lake Mendocino, sending muddy water downstream. Commissioner Christina described plans and constraints for operating and backwashing the filter; she noted backwash water will itself be muddy and that a trucked freshwater supply might be an option for backwash but raised concern that municipal water treated with chlorine could harm eggs.

Commissioner Christina also described the hatchery partnership and life cycle steps: the hatchery is run by the Ukiah Valley Fish and Wildlife Club, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) places a staff member at the site from Jan. 1 to April 30, and CDFW takes small fry after the imprinting period. “We’ll have roughly a quarter of a million small fry or yearlings to be imprinted,” Commissioner Christina said. She said released fish spend about four weeks (roughly 30 days) at the facility before gates are opened and the fish exit as they will.

Commissioners discussed whether the hatchery is part of City of Ukiah litigation against the Army Corps regarding turbidity; speakers said they were not sure of the details of that lawsuit and that the hatchery’s operations are governed by an agreement with the Army Corps that the club must renew.

Commissioners asked for and received clarification that the physical hatchery facility is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers, the club runs day‑to‑day operations and raises eggs, and CDFW staff are on site during the season. The group did not take a formal vote on any change to hatchery operations during the meeting.

Patty, a commissioner and volunteer present at the discussion, said she would try to obtain a copy of the agreement between the club and the Army Corps for the commission’s review.

The commission did not set a date for further action on the hatchery but discussed testing the filter once water is available and pursuing copies of the club’s agreement with the Army Corps for the commission’s records.