Physical and hydraulic monitoring on the Yellowstone River fish bypass channel, Montana (ver. 2.0, April 2026)

This data release was produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) to present the results of monitoring efforts on the Yellowstone River fish bypass channel according to the specifications of the Lower Yellowstone Adaptive Management and Monitoring Plan. The fish bypass channel was constructed to provide upstream migrating fish with a route around the Intake Diversion Dam (referred to as 'Lower Yellowstone Diversion Dam' in the Montana Geographic Names Browser) on the Yellowstone River near Intake, Montana. The objective of this study is to monitor the physical and hydraulic characteristics of the bypass channel, including flow split, minimum depth for the deepest continuous 30 cross sectional feet, and mean channel velocity, which are summarized in the data files in this data release. The methods used to monitor these characteristics are described in an accompanying USGS report (Stephens and others, 2024). Physical and hydraulic data collected during this study will be used to ensure that the hydraulic design criteria of the bypass channel are being met.

First release: 2025
Revised: April 2026 (ver. 2.0)