Painted Sky RC& D has hired Kissner General Contractors, a locally based construction company specializing in river project, to build the Hartland Dam Fish Passage Project. The existing dam will be partially removed and replaced with a sloped rock structure to provide passage for several threatened fish species and boaters, connecting previously segmented reaches of the Gunnison River. MWDG finished the final design in the Spring of this year, reducing the construction costs by $250k to bring the project within budget. Wide spread support for the project is illustrated by the more than a dozen funding sources including Federal, State, Local, and Private entities that have called this a “project of national significance”. Partnership between Painted Sky, adjacent property owners and the Hartland Irrigation Company, owner of the dam, have been crucial to moving the project forward. Construction is set to begin in September and be completed by the end of the year.
