Set in the rural and majestic valley of the los Padres National Forest, the north fork of the Little Big Sur River can be found. This majestic place is known as “Camp Pico Blanco”, a Boy Scout retreat and campground. The Boy Scouts of America, Monterey Bay Council Camp Pico Blanco has partnered with The Don Chapin Company to build a bi-directional fish ladder that will be constructed adjacent to the existing flashboard dam.

This dam dates back to the 1950’s and allows the pooling of water for the Boy Scouts “water front”, a place where many water activities and learning adventures take place. The new fish ladder will consist of a series of step pools designed to allow all size of juvenile steelhead to move up and down stream of the dam while the flash boards are in place. This will be the first Fish ladder design of its kind anywhere in the United States, and the Don Chapin Company is very proud to have been requested to construct this particular project.

In conjunction with the fish ladder we will be also improving the existing portal of the concrete dam by adding a series of concrete baffles that will be incorporated into the spillway to serve the dual purpose of increasing roughness during moderate and high flows, thereby reducing velocities and maintaining a minimum flow depth below the spillway during drought conditions.

These improvements are intended to increase passage opportunity for adult migration over the spill way and through the portal. This project is undertaken to enhance the environment and to make a difference in the migration of steelhead through this area.

Please check back from time to time to see updated photos of the progress of this project. Please feel free to call the Don Chapin Company on any questions you have pertaining this project or any other project of interest.

Team Member / Project Superintendent,
Scott B. Smith