Donate

Island Park Reservoir Oxygenation RFP

Home » Blog » Island Park Reservoir Oxygenation RFP
Henry's Fork Watershed

One of the objectives of the DIRTT project is to evaluate a project to oxygenate Island Park Reservoir. This could provide a series of benefits to the Henry’s Fork River downstream including:

  • Reduced algae blooms that contribute to turbidity downstream
  • Reduced nutrient concentrations
  • Create opportunities for expanded fisheries within Island Park Reservoir and upstream; fish habitat increases up to 350% for migratory trout and kokanee salmon.

To evaluate the costs and benefits of such a large project, the HFF is soliciting help from engineering and limnology firms with experience in lake and reservoir management, oxygenation, and aeration. We’re requesting proposals for an initial technical report on the feasibility of such a project, including conceptual design, budget estimates, and an evaluation of benefits. Full details of our Request for Proposals are available for download here. Please distribute widely.

Download Request for Proposal (RFP)

Facebook
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Categories
Recent Posts

Recent Posts

An aerial view of Island Park Dam. The reservoir sits behind it and the river flows below it.
Water Quality
Christina Morrisett

Summer 2026 Water Quality Forecast for Island Park

This article was originally published in Island Park News on May 29, 2026 Ice melted on Island Park Reservoir on March 31, 2026—four weeks earlier than normal and the earliest the Henry’s Fork Foundation (HFF) has observed in 12 years of monitoring. Such an early ice melt was not unexpected given the region’s near-record warm and dry winter. But ice melting a month early has implications for water quality in Island Park Reservoir and the

Read More »
Christina Morrisett May 28, 2026
Aerial photo of Island Park Reservoir. The dam is in the bottom left corner. The Centennial Mountain Range is in the top.
Research and Monitoring
Christina Morrisett

History of Water Quality in Island Park Reservoir

Warmer and drier conditions have slowly degraded water quality in Island Park Reservoir over the last 50 years.  In the 1970s and 1980s, federal reports and university research indicate that the reservoir had relatively good water quality. Island Park Reservoir was mesotrophic—with mostly clear water and occasionally low dissolved oxygen at the reservoir’s deepest depths during the summertime. But, as time went on, water quality began to decline. Historical satellite imagery analyzed by the U.S.

Read More »
Christina Morrisett May 22, 2026
A photo taken of Island Park Reservoir while standing on the dam and looking north. The sky is cloudy, Mt Sawtelle sits with little snow in the background, and the reservoir is open water (save for a few small sheets of ice in the distance).
Frequently Asked Questions
Christina Morrisett

Reservoir Ices Off, Growing Season Turns On

Photo of an ice-free Island Park Reservoir taken on March 31, 2026 On March 31, 2026, with no accompanying commentary, HFF scientist Christina Morrisett stood on top of Island Park Dam and texted colleagues Rob Van Kirk and Jack McLaren photos of open water on Island Park Reservoir. Rob, eager to see that the reservoir reality matched what he was seeing in the real-time river data downstream, texted back, “Yep! That’s close enough to ice

Read More »
Christina Morrisett May 7, 2026
Photo of confluence of Warm River and Henry's Fork
Water Quality
Rob Van Kirk

Water Supply and Water Quality Predictions for Summer 2026

The photo above captures the unprecedented situation we face at the beginning of April. The photo, of the confluence of Warm River and the Henry’s Fork, was taken on February 7 and shows the shocking lack of snow we experienced in the watershed all winter as a result of record-breaking warm temperatures. How will the warm winter and lack of snow affect water supply, water quantity, and fisheries? The highlights are below. If you want

Read More »
Rob Van Kirk April 10, 2026