9.6. Fish Screens

The Fisheries Act (see Laws and Regulations) says that every water intake, ditch, channel, or canal must have a fish screen if habitat officials find it to be necessary.
Water is commonly diverted from streams, rivers and lakes for industry, household uses, irrigation, and hydroelectric generation. This diversion is a potential source of injury and death to fish. Several types of screening have been designed to prevent fish from entering these water intakes.
Humans have a tendency to want everything in the natural world to look neat and orderly. This has led to some well meaning groups trying to improve streams by removing everything, including rocks, logs, and all vegetation on the side of the stream. Be careful what you remove!
One of the principal design considerations is to ensure a means of escape for the fish, that accumulate in front of the screen. Another is to provide clear access to the escape area, to keep it free from debris, and to clean the screen itself. Government agencies responsible for the fishery resource are available for consultation and assistance in designing and constructing screens