Murray Springs Trout Hatchery

Hatchery

Murray Springs Fish Hatchery was built in 1978-1979 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to mitigate for the river habitat lost when the Libby Dam project was built and Lake Koocanusa was established. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to fund and maintain the Murray Springs facility while Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks operates and manages the facility. The main mission for Murray Springs is to provide fish for Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai drainage and other waters in Northwest Montana. The hatchery is located near one of Montana's finest artesian springs, which supplies 4 to 9 million gallons of water per day at a constant 52 degrees Fahrenheit. The water contains 7 parts per million oxygen and an aeration tower oxygenates the water to 9 ppm. The hatchery site consists of hatchery and spawn buildings, outside brood and rearing raceways, a pump house, head tank tower, waste treatment pond, isolation and U.V. facility and three residences for employees.