08/31/2026
ACTION ALERT: Speak up for Yellowstone cutthroat trout at the Idaho DEQ’s public meeting on Thursday, September 3, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Teton County Courthouse, Commissioner’s Room, 150 Courthouse Drive, Driggs, Idaho.
The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is working on a Clean Water Act §401 water quality certification for the relicensing of Felt Dam, located in the Teton Canyon. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the federal agency that licenses non-federal hydropower projects, is considering whether to issue a new long-term hydropower license for the dam. Before FERC can issue that license, DEQ must determine whether continued operation of the dam will comply with Idaho’s water quality requirements. Those requirements include protecting the Teton River’s designated uses for cold-water aquatic life and salmonid spawning. As part of its §401 review, DEQ must ensure that continued operation of the dam will not impair those protected uses.
One important issue is whether the existing fish passage (i.e. fish ladder) at Felt Dam allows Yellowstone cutthroat trout to move past the dam in sufficient numbers for populations both upstream and downstream to remain healthy and connected. Recent genetic research indicates that Felt Dam has substantially reduced connectivity between YCT populations upstream and downstream of the dam and that the existing fish passage is not allowing enough movement to maintain effective population connectivity.
Showing up matters. A strong turnout helps DEQ see that people are paying attention, care deeply about the Teton River, and expect the agency to protect its fishery and designated uses. Even brief testimony can make a difference by demonstrating that this is not just a technical permitting decision—it is a decision that matters to the people who live near, recreate on, and value the river.
What you can tell DEQ at the public hearing:
● Start with your own connection to the Teton River. Explain where you live, fish, float, work, own property, raise a family, or otherwise spend time on the river. Personalized testimony is much more powerful than simply repeating technical arguments.
● Ask DEQ to protect the Teton River’s designated uses for cold-water aquatic life and salmonid spawning. Those protections should mean more than simply having trout present on both sides of a dam. They should protect a functioning fish population that can move among the habitats it needs to spawn, grow, overwinter, and survive.
● Emphasize fish connectivity. Yellowstone cutthroat trout use different parts of the Teton River and its tributaries during their lives. Fish downstream of Felt Dam should be able to reach important upstream habitat, and fish produced upstream should be able to move into larger mainstem habitats downstream.
● Point out that the existing fish ladder is not good enough if it does not provide effective passage. Recent research shows a significant genetic division between YCT populations above and below Felt Dam and concludes that the amount of passage occurring today is insufficient to maintain connectivity.
● Ask DEQ to require a new or substantially improved fish-passage facility with measurable performance standards and a firm schedule for completion. Any new facility should also include a way to temporarily hold or trap fish so fisheries managers can monitor passage and manage invasive or other undesirable non-native species.
● Remind DEQ that this is a long-term decision. A new FERC license could govern Felt Dam for decades. This is the time to correct a longstanding problem rather than carry it forward for another generation.
● Speak in your own words. A short statement about fishing the Teton, floating through the canyon, seeing native cutthroat trout, taking your family to the river, or why a healthy and connected Teton River matters to you can be especially effective.
The basic request can be simple: DEQ should not approve a §401 certification that simply maintains the status quo at Felt Dam. It should require effective fish passage that protects Yellowstone cutthroat trout connectivity and the Teton River’s protected aquatic-life and spawning uses, while also allowing fisheries managers to monitor fish movement and manage invasive species.
DEQ’s public meeting will be held Thursday, September 3, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Teton County Courthouse, Commissioner’s Room, 150 Courthouse Drive, Driggs, Idaho.
