Many fish on the White River in Buckley, Washington are dying off. And the Buckley Diversion Dam is to blame. According to Kirotv.com, the dam, an old, dilapidated construct, is threatening both the steelhead and Chinook salmon by trapping them during their migrations upstream. Each species is endangered, and their numbers continue to dwindle due to the dam’s presence. However, that could all be about to change.

In an attempt to save the waning fish populations, two Indian tribes, environmental groups and the federal government have all come together to construct a plan that will help save the fish. This plan, which is spearheaded by NOAA and the Army Corps of Engineers, would take place over five years, and work to rebuild the falling apart dam. The agreement also includes plans to modernize the cache system, which would make travel much safer for the migrating fish. As of right now, when the fish get stuck they impaling themselves on loose rebar and other hazards. A new dam would attempt to solve those problems.

Currently, the fish have to be manually moved by truck from the Buckley Dam to the Mud Mountain Dam. This then allows the salmon to continue their trek upstream towards their destination at Mount Rainier. While fixing the dam would not change this, it would make the trap much safer for both populations, and would cut back on the number of unnecessary deaths.

While this plan may take some time to go into effect (the new dam is slated for 2020) many are pleased at the new agreement. Both tribes involved in the dealings, the Muckleshoot and the Puyallup, have been seeking this kind of reform for generations. This is a huge step in fish conservation, and will hopefully allow both endangered species a new chance to grow and recover some of their lost numbers.