FY 2002 Mountain Snake proposal 198709900

Section 1. General administrative information
Section 2. Past accomplishments
Section 3. Relationships to other projects
Section 4. Budgets for planning/design phase
Section 5. Budgets for construction/implementation phase
Section 6. Budgets for operations/maintenance phase
Section 7. Budgets for monitoring/evaluation phase
Section 8. Budget summary

Reviews and Recommendations

Additional documents

Title	Type
198709900 Narrative	Narrative
198709900 Sponsor Response to the ISRP	Response
198709900 Powerpoint Presentation	Powerpoint Presentation
198709900 Powerpoint Presentation: 2003 Update	Powerpoint Presentation
Mountain Snake: Clearwater Subbasin Map with BPA Fish & Wildlife Projects	Subbasin Map
Mountain Snake: Clearwater Subbasin Map with BPA Fish & Wildlife Projects	Subbasin Map

Section 1. Administrative

Proposal title	Dworshak Dam Impacts Assessment and Fisheries Investigation
Proposal ID	198709900
Organization	Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG)
Proposal contact person or principal investigator
Name	IDFG
Mailing address	P.O. Box 56 Ahsahka, ID 83520
Phone / email	2084769244 / [email protected]
Manager authorizing this project	Steve Yundt, State Research Manager
Review cycle	Mountain Snake
Province / Subbasin	Mountain Snake / Clearwater
Short description	Evaluates the impacts of drawdowns and routine dam operations on resident fish populations. Also, determines ways to minimize entrainment losses of fish into Dworshak Dam.
Target species	Kokanee

Project location

Latitude	Longitude	Description
46.509	-116.2875	Dworshak Reservoir, forebay, and tributaries.

Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives (RPAs)

Sponsor-reported:

RPA
Hydro RPA Action 34

Relevant RPAs based on NMFS/BPA review:

Reviewing agency	Action #	BiOp Agency	Description

Section 2. Past accomplishments

Year	Accomplishment
1990	Reservoir fishery documented by creel survey (1988 -1990).
1993	Fishery objectives defined for waters of this type and productivity. Published in Rieman and Maiolie 1995.
1994	Selector gates on dam utilized to avoid kokanee losses during winter of low flow and resulted in a record high kokanee population.
1995	Selector gates on dam again utilized to avoid kokanee losses during winter of low flow and second record high kokanee population was produced.
1995	Eighty foot drawdown of reservoir to provide anadromous fish flows were found to have minimal impacts on the kokanee population.
1996	Kokanee population abundance in the reservoir was successfully monitored throughout the year and during a flood event, when selector gates could not be used due to low pool elevation. Ninety five percent of the kokanee population was lost.
1997	Off-site strobe light testing began. Lights repelled Kokanee during open water tests on free ranging fish.
1998	Winter strobe light tests off-site were conducted and were found to be even more effective than summer tests.
1998	Tests using downward pointing strobe lights were found to repel kokanee vertically.
1999	Hydroacoustic equipment tested in front of turbine intakes shows promise for monitoring entrainment and strobe light effectiveness on deterring fish entrainment.
1999	Hydroacoustic estimates of kokanee abundance, verified by trawling, showed a recovering kokanee population warranting further strobe light testing.
2000	Strobe light testing schedule and construction of floating research platform approved by Dworshak Natural Resource Department of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
2000	Construction of floating research platform and installation of strobe light equipment on platform completed and located on site.
2001	Forebay water velocities surveyed near turbine intakes under a variety of operating conditions to determine spatial and temporal distribution of critical entrainment velocities, helping to determine strobe light operational restraints.
2001	Developed strobe light test and entrainment survey protocols using hydroacoustic equipment and have since started tests and surveys.

Section 3. Relationships to other projects

Project ID	Title	Description
9501100	Chief Joseph Kokanee Enhancement Project	Similar project, but on larger scale, dependent upon our results. Also sharing our strobe and platform design information.
	IDFG Project (USACE Study Code BT-W-00-Xc)	Evaluate bull trout life history in Dworshak Reservoir, N.F. Clearwater River Drainage, ID. This project is currently seeking funding through BPA to continue their research and monitoring of bull trout.

Section 4. Budget for Planning and Design phase

Task-based budget

Objective	Task	Duration in FYs	Estimated 2002 cost	Subcontractor
1. Stabilize kokanee densities between 30 and 50 adults/ha by reducing entrainment losses. This can be accomplished if annual survival rate for each year class of kokanee can be increased to 50%.	a. Pre-project (preliminary) strobe light testing on site to ensure proper light functioning and for their potential effectiveness at repelling kokanee from the turbine intakes.	completed	$0
	b. Develop strobe light test and entrainment survey protocols for evaluation and monitoring at one turbine using our current hydroacoustic equipment.	completed	$0
	c. Design a second research platform for strobe test and entrainment surveys in front of a second turbine intake. (Steel barge not available, as was donated last year.)	0.1	$750
	d. Plan and design a mobile walkway connecting second research platform (second set of lights) to current platform, for monitoring strobe light effectiveness when two turbines are operating.	0.1	$1,000
	e. Plan and design new multiplexed hydroacoustic transducer system for monitoring of entrainment and conducting multiple intake stationary strobe tests.	0.1	$650
	f. Consult with hydroacoustic equipment manufacturer to establish sampling protocol for both entrainment surveys and stationary strobe tests concurrently on more than one intake.	0.05	$740
	g. Plan and design multiplexed hydroacoustic transducer system to monitor entrainment into the three reservoir outlets (R.O.'s).	0.1	$1,600
	h. Conduct 3-D acoustic doppler current profiling (mapping) of reservoir outlets while in use (discharging) to determine spatial extent of critical entrainment velocities.	0.05	$16,000	Yes
	i. Contingent upon extent and severity of velocities in front of R.O.'s, design a new research platform or build upon current platform to test effectiveness of strobe lights to decrease entrainment at the R.O.'s.	0.1	$10,000
	j. If strobe light testing proves suitable for implementation at the turbine intakes and R.O.'s, develop and recommed an implementation plan to the Army Corps of Engineers.	0.3	$0
	k. If a stable kokanee population is deemed attainable by reducing entrainment, develop a predator management plan within the confines of the Subbasin Plan.	0.4	$0
2. Increase kokanee density above the initial management goal of 30-50 adults/ha yet still retain a desirable average size of 10 inches in length.		0.1	$0
	b. Develop a reservoir fertilization plan to increase productivity to support higher densities of zooplankton and thus kokanee.	0.2	$0
	c. Develop an adaptive management plan to balance the predator-prey relationship within the confines of the reservoir fertilization regime.	0.2	$0

Outyear objectives-based budget

Objective	Starting FY	Ending FY	Estimated cost
1. Stabilize kokanee densities between 30 and 50 adults/ha by reducing entrainment losses. This can be accomplished if annual survival rate for each year class of kokanee can be increased to 50%.	2002	2005	$52,000
2. Increase kokanee density above the initial management goal of 30-50 adults/ha yet still retain a desirable average size of 10 inches in length.	2003	2006	$55,000

Outyear budgets for Planning and Design phase

FY 2003	FY 2004	FY 2005	FY 2006
$52,000	$20,000	$18,000	$17,000

Section 5. Budget for Construction and Implementation phase

Task-based budget

Objective	Task	Duration in FYs	Estimated 2002 cost
1. Stabilize kokanee densities between 30 and 50 adults/ha by reducing entrainment losses. This can be accomplished if annual survival rate for each year class of kokanee can be increased to 50%.		0.2	$110,000
	b. Construct and install a mobile walkway connecting second research platform (second set of lights) to current platform, for simultaneously monitoring strobe light effectiveness when two turbines are operating.		$19,300
	c. Install or mount a new multiplexed hydroacoustic transducer system for monitoring of entrainment and conducting multiple intake stationary strobe tests.		$14,500
d. Mount or reconfigure multiplexed hydroacoustic transducer system to monitor entrainment into the three reservoir outlets (R.O.'s).		$13,000	$0
	$6,000		$0
	$0		$0

Outyear objectives-based budget

Objective	Starting FY	Ending FY	Estimated cost
1. Stabilize kokanee densities between 30 and 50 adults/ha by reducing entrainment losses. This can be accomplished if annual survival rate for each year class of kokanee can be increased to 50%.	2002	2005	$170,000
2. Increase kokanee density above the initial management goal of 30-50 adults/ha yet still retain an average size of 10 inches in length.	2004	2006	$230,000

Outyear budgets for Construction and Implementation phase

FY 2003	FY 2004	FY 2005	FY 2006
$120,000	$85,000	$110,000	$85,000

Section 6. Budget for Operations and Maintenance phase

Task-based budget

Objective	Task	Duration in FYs	Estimated 2002 cost
1. Stabilize kokanee densities between 30 and 50 adults/ha by reducing entrainment losses. This can be accomplished if annual survival rate for each year class of kokanee can be increased to 50%.	a. Calibrate, replace, maintain, and repair strobe lights, hydroacoustics equipment, and research platform.	0.05	$16,000
b. Conduct strobe light tests under a variety of dam operating conditions utilizing both mobile and stationary hydroacoustic sampling in front of a single intake to reduce entrainment.	4.0	$20,000	$0
4.0	$25,000		$0
$20,000		2. Increase and kokanee density above the initial management goal of 30-50 adults/ha yet still retain an average size of 10 inches in length.	$0

Outyear objectives-based budget

Objective	Starting FY	Ending FY	Estimated cost
1. Stabilize kokanee densities between 30 and 50 adults/ha by reducing entrainment losses. This can be accomplished if annual survival rate for each year class of kokanee can be increased to 50%.	2002	2005	$195,000
2. Increase and kokanee density above the initial management goal of 30-50 adults/ha yet still retain an average size of 10 inches in length.	2004	2006	$120,000
			$315,000

Outyear budgets for Operations and Maintenance phase

FY 2003	FY 2004	FY 2005	FY 2006
$100,000	$100,000	$100,000	$100,000

Section 7. Budget for Monitoring and Evaluation phase

Task-based budget

Objective	Task	Duration in FYs	Estimated 2002 cost
1. Stabilize kokanee densities between 30 and 50 adults/ha by reducing entrainment losses. This can be accomplished if annual survival rate for each year class of kokanee can be increased to 50%.	a. Monitor entrainment under a variety of dam operating conditions thoughout the water year by means of stationary hyrdroacoustic surveys in front of a single intake.	3.0	$15,500
b. Evaluate and statistically analyze effectiveness of strobe lights to reduce entrainment at a single intake from hydroacoustic monitoring data.	1.0	$2,500	$0
c. Monitor entrainment under a variety of dam operating conditions thoughout the water year by means of stationary hyrdroacoustic surveys in front of multiple intakes and reservoir outlets.	3.0	$25,000	$0
d. Evaluate and statistically analyze effectiveness of strobe lights to reduce entrainment at multiple intakes from hydroacoustic monitoring data.	2.0	$3,160	$0
e. Monitor the kokanee population in Dworshak Reservoir and calculate survival rates to evaluate the population effect of entrainment losses using hydroacoustics and trawling.	0.75	$15,500	$0
f. Evaluate and statistically analyze the effectiveness of strobe lights to reduce entrainment through the reservoir outlets (R.O.'s) during high discharge conditions utilizing both mobile and stationary hydroacoustic monitoring data.	1.0	$10,000	$0
0.1	$2,500	h. Conduct annual kokanee spawner counts in tributary streams in the fall as an additional long-term population indice.	$0
i. Monitor and evaluate the success and effects of prospective introduced sterile predator on kokanee and other resident fish.	3.0	$0	$0
a. Monitor seasonal reservoir limnological conditions including nutrient concentrations, productivity, zooplankton density and assemblage, and kokanee growth, consumption, and life history timing to determine baselines for productivity modeling.	1.0	$0	$0
b. Monitor and evaluate effects of prospective lake fertilization on nutrient concentrations; productivity; zooplankton density and assemblage; and kokanee consumption, density, and growth.	4.0	$0	$0
c. Monitor and evaluate kokanee and predator abundance to determine predator-prey balance and annually adapt management actions accordingly	3.0	$0	$0

Outyear objectives-based budget

Objective	Starting FY	Ending FY	Estimated cost
1. Stabilize kokanee densities between 30 and 50 adults/ha by reducing entrainment losses. This can be accomplished if annual survival rate for each year class of kokanee can be increased to 50%.	2002	2005	$2,005
$200,000		2003	$2,006
$150,000			$0

Outyear budgets for Monitoring and Evaluation phase

FY 2003	FY 2004	FY 2005	FY 2006
$85,000	$85,000	$85,000	$85,000

Section 8. Estimated budget summary

Itemized budget

Item	Note	FY 2002 cost
Personnel	FTE: 4.1 (6 employees: 4 part-time)	$130,000
Fringe	averaged at 35% of pay	$45,500
Supplies		$35,000
Travel		$5,000
Indirect	20.9% of budget not including capital outlay items.	$45,040
Capital	1. 2 hydroacoustic transducers (multiplexing ability) 2. strobe light system 3. docks to span between research platforms	$82,340
NEPA		$0
PIT tags		$0
Subcontractor	Battelle - Pacific Northwest National Laboratories	$16,000
		$358,880

Total estimated budget

Total FY 2002 cost	$358,880
Amount anticipated from previously committed BPA funds	$0
Total FY 2002 budget request	$358,880
FY 2002 forecast from 2001	$0
% change from forecast	0.0%

Reason for change in estimated budget

Project results will be shared at the International Kokanee Workshop, AFS state, regional, and national meetings and may be utilized for developing fish deterrent strategies on other hydropower dams in the region and elsewhere. Project information will also be shared through the IDFG internet homepage, meetings with the USACE (resident fish mtgs), and results have and will continue to be published in peer reviewed AFS journals and special publications (books - Fish Behavioral Deterrent Devices).

Reason for change in scope

Cost sharing

Organization	Item or service provided	Amount	Cash or in-kind

Other budget explanation

Reviews and recommendations

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

REVIEW:
ISRP Preliminary Review (ISRP 2001-9)

Recommendation:
Fundable only if response is adequate

Date:
Sep 28, 2001

Comment:

Response needed. The project history, review of past accomplishments, and (field visit) presentation with visual aids helped greatly in assessing the project with regard to objective 1, remedying kokanee entrainment. The strobe-light method is working at the one turbine intake where testing is being done. It will now be tried also on "multiple" turbine intakes, and if successful there, expanded to testing for coverage of reservoir outlets. Outlet screening with strobe lights presents difficult problems. Dealing with kokanee loss over the spillway, where greatest loss occurs in years of high flow, is envisaged for further in the future and is briefly mentioned in the proposal. The long-range, stepwise plan seems reasonable. The project's reports and prospects for one peer-reviewed publication are shown. Progress toward reducing kokanee entrainment seems to be moving very slowly; efforts should be taken to accelerate it. If the bulk of the fish loss is over the spillway, why wait for future years to begin even elementary contemplation of how to reduce that loss?

Objective 2 on bull trout entrainment is entirely new, and the proposal provided no clear justification for initiating it. More background information, including a better review of the pertinent literature would be needed. This objective would be more appropriate as a separate project and indeed is proposed under Project 28022. Objective 2 should be dropped from the proposal.

Objective 3, collection of basic data for analyzing productive capacity of the reservoir for kokanee, seems reasonable in approach and methods.

What does "implement a prospective lake fertilization plan" (Task 3a, budget p. 10) mean? What process is being followed to assess if and how fertilization might be implemented?

The mention of "bioenergetics and or production models" is too vague. Proposers should detail the status of that effort if continued funding for that task is anticipated.

It is unclear why US Army Corps of Engineers is not funding this, and what USACE has funded in past and continues to fund.

REVIEW:
CBFWA Funding Recommendation

Recommendation:
Recommended Action

Date:
Nov 30, 2001

Comment:

M2 - Although this project would address the primary threat to the Dworshak reservoir kokanee population, kokanee are not a listed species and therefore received a NO for this criteria. There is a significant increase in the revised budget submitted to the ISRP.

This project has a long history of past accomplishments and publications (proposed activities are either a continuation of tasks or are a result of work performed through Projects 198709900 and 20001739). Past work has focused on testing strobe lights in off-site lakes with high densities of kokanee, and the results are encouraging. Currently, the principal investigators are testing the use of strobe lights on one turbine of the dam. Results of this study will demonstrate if future mitigation efforts should include installing strobe lights on the reservoir outlets, and ultimately full implementation on the dam. Therefore, it is important to complete Objective 1 in order to direct future mitigation efforts.

Objective 2 will determine if bull trout are being entrained through the dam, assess if strobe lights repel bull trout, and correlate dam operations with the abundance and distribution of bull trout in the reservoir. The contention that bull trout are vulnerable to entrainment when kokanee are concentrated near the dam seems intuitively logical and needs further investigation. The objective would be more justified if the authors could cite a reference for the statement that "entrainment losses of bull trout may exceed 30% of the population per year.

Objective 3 requires collection of limnological data to characterize the productivity of the reservoir to assess the feasibility of improving growth and average size of kokanee. This objective seems logical and funding is warranted; however, a more detailed description is needed to determine the feasibility of nutrient enhancement to improve growth and survival of kokanee. As stated, this should be clarified in the future as information is obtained and analyzed.

REVIEW:
ISRP Final Review (ISRP 2001-12A)

Recommendation:
Fund

Date:
Dec 21, 2001

Comment:

Fundable in part. This has been an on-going project to study efficacy of strobe-lighting for remedying kokanee entrainment. The project has demonstrated that this works, therefore should do its reporting and be concluded, not prolong the present study or start further objectives. It is time to halt testing and for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to apply the method. The proposal had two new objectives: study of bulltrout entrainment and study of prospects for lake fertilization. The bulltrout objective was dropped after preliminary ISRP review, the sponsor agreeing that it did not fit in with the project, and suggesting that it might be submitted as a separate proposal in the future. The same should be done with the lake fertilization objective. Omitting these new objectives and putting the project in a conclusion phase should enable considerable budget reduction.

REVIEW:
NMFS Review

Recommendation:

Date:
Feb 1, 2002

Comment:

Statement of Potential Biological Benefit to ESU
The primary objective of the proposal is to minimize entrainment losses of kokanee into the turbine intakes and reservoir.

Comments
The proposal would use strobe lights to divert kokanee away from the intakes to the dam. They also propose to monitor the kokanee population annually and relate changes to the operation of the dam. This empirical information can then be used to assist in the development of rule curves for the reservoir.

Already ESA Req?

Biop?

REVIEW:
BPA Funding Recommendation

Recommendation:
A Conditional

Date:
Feb 11, 2002

Comment:

Recommend funding next phase of ongoing strobe light study only to test the effectiveness of the strobe lights at the face of the dam under varying flow conditions to test effects on entrainment of kokanee salmon.

BPA RPA RPM:
--

NMFS RPA/USFWS RPM:
--

REVIEW:
NWPPC Funding Recommendation

Recommendation:
Fund

Date:
Apr 19, 2002

Comment:

Council recommendation: This ongoing project evaluates the impacts of draw-downs and routine dam operations on resident fish populations and determines ways to minimize entrainment losses of fish into Dworshak Dam.

The ISRP provided a "fundable in part" recommendation. It recommended that new objectives associated with bull trout entrainment and lake fertilization (Section 4, objective 2, task b & c and Section 7, objective 2, task b & c) be removed and that the project be moved to its concluding phase. BPA provided a rank "A, conditional," proposing to fund only the next phase of ongoing strobe light study (objective 1).

Based on the above reviews and comments, the Council recommends that the project be funded to complete the evaluation component of this project. Council recommends funding for Fiscal Year 2002 through Fiscal Year 2004 as presented in Table 1, to cover completion of the strobe light evaluations under actual operations (objective 1). The Council recommends conditioning this with a requirement that out-year funding for full implementation of a strobe light array at the dam await completion of the evaluation phase.

Evaluation of the strobe lights under actual operating conditions will commence during FY02. It is anticipated that two additional years (FY '03 and '04) of evaluation would occur under different dam-operations scenarios and light arrays, dependent on water-year conditions. The Council recommends that the sponsor be advised that the study is to be completed at this time and is not likely to be extended. Upon completion of the evaluation, a recommendation would be made regarding implementation (whether or not to implement and to what degree) of the strobe light strategy, depending on study results. Future funds would be dependent on the review and approval of this final evaluation report. The Council believes that limited funding in this stepwise manner best protects past investments in this work.

REVIEW:
BPA Funding Decision

Recommendation:
Fund

Date:
Jun 13, 2002

Comment:

Fund next phase of ongoing strobe light study only to test the effectiveness of the strobe lights at the face of the dam under varying flow conditions to test effects on entrainment of kokanee salmon.

REVIEW:
NWPPC Funding Recommendation

Recommendation:
Fund

Date:
Sep 20, 2003

Comment:

On track. Sponsor to confirm 2005. Could be behind in billing

REVIEW:
Project Sponsor Request for FY04-05

Recommendation:

Date:
Sep 20, 2003

Comment:

REVIEW:
NW Power and Conservation Council's FY 2006 Project Funding Review

Funding category:
expense

Date:
May 2005

FY05 NPCC start of year:	FY06 NPCC staff preliminary:	FY06 NPCC July draft start of year:
$160,000	$0	$0

Sponsor comments: See comment at Council's website