Bobby N. Setzer State Fish Hatchery

Cooper Tacia’s Civil & Marine division was contracted by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to perform a major renovation and upgrade project at the Bobby N. Setzer State Fish Hatchery, the state’s largest trout production facility, located in the Pisgah National Forest near Pisgah Forest (Brevard), North Carolina.

The comprehensive scope focused on modernizing aging infrastructure originally built in the late 1950s to improve operational efficiency, water quality, flood resiliency, and long-term trout production for statewide stocking programs.

Key elements included upgrades to existing intakes with the installation of heavy sediment removal systems; construction of a new hatchery building featuring a drum screen, UV treatment, chilled water system, degassing column, rearing tanks, and egg incubation systems; installation of a new concrete flow splitter and equalization basins; replacement of existing concrete fish raceways with the addition of steel cover structures; and construction of a new effluent waste treatment system along with replacement of the effluent recirculation pump station.

Additional work encompassed a new pre-engineered metal garage building, CMU public restroom, standby generator installation, electrical and instrumentation improvements, and all associated site development tasks such as clearing, grubbing, demolition, earthwork, stormwater improvements, landscaping, and surface restoration. This project supported the NC Wildlife Resources Commission’s efforts to ensure reliable, sustainable trout production, enhance environmental protection in the Davidson River watershed, and address infrastructure challenges at this vital coldwater hatchery.