FY 2002 Columbia Plateau proposal 200202200

Section 1. Administrative

Project location

Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives (RPAs)

Section 2. Past accomplishments

Section 3. Relationships to other projects

Section 4. Budget for Planning and Design phase

Task-based budget

Outyear objectives-based budget

Outyear budgets for Planning and Design phase

Section 5. Budget for Construction and Implementation phase

Task-based budget

Outyear objectives-based budget

Outyear budgets for Construction and Implementation phase

Section 6. Budget for Operations and Maintenance phase

Task-based budget

Outyear objectives-based budget

Outyear budgets for Operations and Maintenance phase

Section 7. Budget for Monitoring and Evaluation phase

Task-based budget

Outyear objectives-based budget

Outyear budgets for Monitoring and Evaluation phase

Section 8. Estimated budget summary

Itemized budget

Total estimated budget

Reason for change in estimated budget

NA

Reason for change in scope

NA

Cost sharing

Other budget explanation

Grant Administration @ 25.2% = $7,500

Reviews and recommendations

This information was not provided on the original proposals, but was generated during the review process.

Comment:

Fundable if an adequate response is given to the ISRP's concerns.

The project would provide chinook passage over a barrier and screen diversions at mile 2.1 of Big Creek near the Easton acclimation facility and install screens at the intakes for the ditches. The proposal provides few details on past utilization of the habitat but does describe the habitat as being high quality and water temperature is good above the barrier and summer flow is adequate. Anadromous fish access has been cut-off since the 1960's and have likely also limited movement of resident fish. This work should make valuable habitat available for spring chinook and secondarily steelhead. Some level of cooperation, and some cost-share, from the water users is also noted. M & E would be conducted by the Yakama Nation.

To the review panel, this looks like a relatively inexpensive project that might deserve higher priority than most of the cohort of new fish-related Yakima basin proposals. An earlier version of the proposal was reviewed in the High Priority competition but was too brief to be supportable. The current proposal is improved but still fails to address two of the issues raised in the High Priority review:

1. priority. What is the basis for this specific Big Creek project being worthy of immediate funding? For example, the proposal notes that Big Creek is on Washington's "Waldo" list, but does not describe how high the ranking (i.e., the priority need for the project).
2. potential impacts on native resident fish stocks if any are present above the culverts. Clarification of these issues is needed.

The response should also discuss the water rights situation. Will the in-stream flows be compromised by local user's water rights?

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Comments
Relatively low cost for restoration of anadromy to high quality, unregulated habitat.

Already ESA Req? no

Biop? yes

Comment:

Comment:

New proposals in the Yakima subbasin

As discussed in the general issues of this memorandum, there is not sufficient funding to initiate all of the new proposals that were rated as "fundable" by the ISRP and rated as "High Priority" by CBFWA in the Columbia Plateau province within the basinwide funding target of $186 million for Fiscal Year 2002. This is because funding all such proposals would not leave sufficient funds to initiate new proposals in the provinces that remain to be reviewed in the provincial review process. Therefore, the Council and its staff have worked with local entities to further prioritize new work, and asked them to put a premium on new work that represents consensus of the state and tribal resource managers that is consistent with Bonneville's BiOp needs. In the Yakima subbasin a collaborative effort was undertaken to prioritize Fiscal Year 2002 new needs along these guidelines. The following new proposals are those that were rated in this process as the highest priority at this time:

Project ID: 25022: YKFP Big Creek Passage & Screening

NMFS has designated this project as consistent with the overall strategy of the BiOp off-site mitigation strategy and actions (assigned a"500" rating) as a flow, passage, screening or water acquisition/lease project. The ISRP finds that"...streamflow availability will be adequate to restore the 10 miles of Big Creek to anadromous fish production,...with no deleterious impacts on native resident fish stocks above the currently existing barrier, ...(and) that this looks like a relatively inexpensive project that deserves higher priority (i.e., provide more fish production benefits per dollar) than most of the cohort of new fish-related Yakima tributary proposals."

Budget effect on base program (Project 25022):

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