Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish Restoration Program

Construction of the new $27 million East Texas Fish Hatchery in Jasper County, with an anticipated completion in early 2010, is now underway.

The new East Texas Fish hatchery is proposed to replace the Jasper Fish Hatchery.

Todd Engeling is chief of inland hatcheries. The state-of-the-art facility is being built just below Sam Rayburn Reservoir, a juxtaposition that’s no accident.

We chose the Jasper County site to sit just below the Sam Rayburn reservoir. It sits below a quality water source, where we have an agreement with the Lower Neches Valley Authority to withdraw water from the reservoir that will guarantee us a good water source well into the future.

Beyond access to quality water, this site also allows for environmental efficiencies.

Under some circumstances within the reservoir throughout the year—we can gravity flow water from the reservoir to the hatchery. A significant part of the power consumption of any facility is the cost to pump water. Moving water can be very expensive. Where we can get some assistance from gravity to do that, to move water without having to use powerful pumps, it’s to our benefit. And this location offers that opportunity.

Learn more about inland fisheries at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish restoration program… providing funding for the operations and management of the Texas’ state fish hatcheries.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

East Texas Fish Hatchery Environmental Efficiencies Play Now | Play in Popup | Download