Mecham Brothers Inc. joined with the National Forest Foundation and the US Forest Service in May of 2015 for the Mill Creek Culvert Replacement Project on the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. The new culvert will help restore Mill Creek closer to its natural condition, supporting healthy conditions for Bonneville cutthroat trout, which has been in the creek for many years. Cross-breeding between other types of fish such as the brown and rainbow has made it so that the pure Bonneville cutthroat trout are struggling to survive.

The project consisted of removing two old metal culverts and replacing them with massive concrete culverts for easier passage down the stream. Each culvert consisted of 10 separate, 45,000-pound concrete pieces, each six feet long. We installed these concrete pieces with a 350-ton crane to place them in the exact position. Since Mill Creek Canyon is very narrow and popular, this project was especially difficult.

With the help from the Forest Service, the National Forest Foundation, and Mecham Brothers Inc, this project was finished up just minutes before the gate was opened for the summer.

Learn more about the NFF’s efforts on the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, a Treasured Landscape.