This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

In another sign of Red Butte Creek's comeback after last year's oil spills, Utah wildlife officials Tuesday planted 3,000 fingerling Bonneville cutthroat trout in the urban stream.

This move marks the first reintroduction of the native trout in a five-year plan funded by Chevron.

The creek's fish perished during the 2010 spills near Red Butte Garden.

The first, on June 11-12, unleashed 33,600 gallons of crude, scarring the creek, the Liberty Park pond and the Jordan River. Chevron repaired and reopened the pipeline a little more than a week later, on June 21.

But a Dec. 1 spill from the same pipeline spewed 21,000 gallons near Red Butte Garden's amphitheater. The pipeline reopened Feb. 1, 2011, with safety upgrades. The Liberty Park pond didn't reopen until May 14.

Chevron paid a $424,000 civil penalty to the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration because of the June 2010 spill.

In September, the oil giant agreed to a $4.5 million payout to the city and the state to cover the two spills. At that time, Chevron already had shelled out $36.6 million to clean up Red Butte Creek.