Niagara Springs Hatchery was built in 1966 as a rearing facility for steelhead.  In 2013, Idaho Power completed a two-year renovation of the hatchery. The project included construction of a 23,000-square-foot hatchery building, a modern water filtration system, an improved feeding apparatus and predator exclusion equipment.  The new hatchery building includes a visitor center. Again in 2018 the facility was renovated to provide a permanent predator exclusion structure over the outdoor raceways.  

Niagara Springs Hatchery is named after the spring that serves as its water source. The water is clean, clear and, most importantly, warmer than the water in which naturally spawned steelhead grow up. The spring water creates the ideal environment for the fish to achieve the equivalent of two years’ growth in just one year.

Each April and May, eggs from adult steelhead spawned by crews at Idaho Power hatcheries in the Snake and Salmon River basins are delivered to Niagara Springs Hatchery to begin the rearing cycle.  Fish are initially reared indoors and then finish their rearing cycle outdoors in concrete raceways.  In March, the yearling fish are hauled back to Hells Canyon, the Little Salmon River, and the Pahsimeroi River where they will begin a journey of more than 500 miles to the ocean. The spring fish haul takes about six weeks to complete.

Niagara Springs Hatchery has proven to be a tremendous asset in the rearing of steelhead. In the wild, less than 5 percent of the eggs hatch and survive to migrate to the ocean. At Niagara Springs Hatchery, more than 80 percent of the eggs received from Pahsimeroi and Oxbow hatcheries survive to make their ocean journey.

Niagara Springs Sturgeon Hatchery was constructed in 2020 with the intent to increase White sturgeon populations in the Middle Snake River.  Idaho Power Company started the program at the College of Southern Idaho Hatchery, but the program was moved to Niagara Springs once the building was complete. The facility has a looped heated water system where the water temperatures can be manipulated to increase growth and survival at critical stages within the White sturgeon life cycle.  

In May and June of each year, Idaho Power Company (IPC) sets gear within the Bliss Dam to CJ Strike Dam reach to collect eggs from naturally spawning sturgeon. IPC checks the gear on a regular basis and then delivers the sample bags to the hatchery to be sorted. The bags that contain the eggs also collect macrophytes, shells, and other debris floating down the river. The eggs are picked from the debris and then incubated and grown to approximately 0.5 pounds and 12 inches.

In April-June of each year, the Snake River White sturgeon are then stocked within the middle Snake River from Shoshone falls to Brownlee dam, with the exception the Bliss to CJ Strike reach where the eggs are collected for the program.