FY 2001 Action Plan proposal 200106100
Contents
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 |
|---|---|
| 26030 Narrative | Narrative |
| Columbia Plateau: Walla Walla Subbasin Map with BPA Fish & Wildlife Projects | Subbasin Map |
| Columbia Plateau: Walla Walla Subbasin Map with BPA Fish & Wildlife Projects | Subbasin Map |
Section 1. Administrative
| Proposal title | Touchet River Flow Acquisition |
| Proposal ID | 200106100 |
| Organization | Washington Water Trust (WWT) |
| Proposal contact person or principal investigator | |
| Name | Cheyenne Chapman |
| Mailing address | 810 Third Avenue, Suite 120 Seattle, WA 98104 |
| Phone / email | 2066751585 / sarah@thewatertrust.org |
| Manager authorizing this project | Yolanka Wulff |
| Review cycle | FY 2001 Action Plan |
| Province / Subbasin | Columbia Plateau / Walla Walla |
| Short description | Water right from 78 acres of farmland along the Touchet River. Water right will be purchased, dedicated to instream flow and protected in Washington State's Trust Water Right Program. |
| Target species | Threatened steelhead and bulltrout |
Project location
| Latitude | Longitude | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 46.04 | -118.68 | Water Right is appurtenant to property along the Touchet River (a tributary to the Walla Walla River) between Prescott and Waitsburg at approximately river mile 40+/-. |
Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives (RPAs)
Sponsor-reported:
| RPA |
|---|
Relevant RPAs based on NMFS/BPA review:
| Reviewing agency | Action # | BiOp Agency | Description |
|---|
Section 2. Past accomplishments
| Year | Accomplishment |
|---|
Section 3. Relationships to other projects
| Project ID | Title | Description |
|---|
Section 4. Budget for Planning and Design phase
Task-based budget
| Objective | Task | Duration in FYs | Estimated 2001 cost | Subcontractor |
|---|
Outyear objectives-based budget
| Objective | Starting FY | Ending FY | Estimated cost |
|---|
Outyear budgets for Planning and Design phase
Section 5. Budget for Construction and Implementation phase
Task-based budget
| Objective | Task | Duration in FYs | Estimated 2001 cost | Subcontractor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Develop Acquisition Opportunity | a. Initial discussion with land owner | 3 months | $1,500 | |
| b. Evaluate water right, biological benefits, and acquisition opportunity | 3 months | $2,000 | ||
| c. Site visit | 2 days | $2,000 | ||
| d. Negotiate acquisition agreements | 1 month | $1,500 | ||
| e. Apply to transfer water right | 1 month | $1,500 | ||
| 2. Increase Streamflow | a. Purchase and create permanent instream water right for critical season in the Touchet River within the Walla Walla Subbasin (Existing water is for 78 acres and approximately 1.04 cfs.) | 4-6 months | $102,024 | |
| 3. Instream water right protection and ecological evaluation | a. Develop plan for specific site with partners as appropriate | 1 month | $1,000 | |
| b. Coordinate with partners and subcontractors where necessary to implement monitoring plan | ongoing | $4,000 |
Outyear objectives-based budget
| Objective | Starting FY | Ending FY | Estimated cost |
|---|
Outyear budgets for Construction and Implementation phase
Section 6. Budget for Operations and Maintenance phase
Task-based budget
| Objective | Task | Duration in FYs | Estimated 2001 cost | Subcontractor |
|---|
Outyear objectives-based budget
| Objective | Starting FY | Ending FY | Estimated cost |
|---|
Outyear budgets for Operations and Maintenance phase
Section 7. Budget for Monitoring and Evaluation phase
Task-based budget
| Objective | Task | Duration in FYs | Estimated 2001 cost | Subcontractor |
|---|
Outyear objectives-based budget
| Objective | Starting FY | Ending FY | Estimated cost |
|---|
Outyear budgets for Monitoring and Evaluation phase
Section 8. Estimated budget summary
Itemized budget
| Item | Note | FY 2001 cost |
|---|---|---|
| Personnel | FTE: | $8,000 |
| Travel | $1,000 | |
| Indirect | $500 | |
| Capital | $102,024 | |
| Subcontractor | Monitoring | $4,000 |
| $115,524 | ||
Total estimated budget
| Total FY 2001 cost | $115,524 |
| Amount anticipated from previously committed BPA funds | $0 |
| Total FY 2001 budget request | $115,524 |
| FY 2001 forecast from 2000 | $0 |
| % change from forecast | 0.0% |
Cost sharing
| Organization | Item or service provided | Amount | Cash or in-kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WDFW | Staff review of stream priorities, fisheries benefits | $1,000 | in-kind |
| DOE | Water Master time on water right evaluation | $8,000 | in-kind |
| Other funders including private foundations and organizations | additional operating costs related to this water right acquisition | $8,000 | cash |
Reviews and recommendations
This information was not provided on the original proposals, but was generated during the review process.
Comment:
Fundable, ranked at the top of the B list. This project meets the ESA criterion (steelhead, bull trout), is for a one-time action with immediate benefits, and is to gain flow increase and passage improvement derived from additional flow. The project is to obtain water rights from 78 acres of farmland along the Touchet River, a tributary of the Walla Walla River in Washington that has suffered from dewatering. The acquisition can be completed in a year. The water right would become effective immediately and continue in perpetuity under the Washington Water Trust. This is a time-limited opportunity. The fairly senior (1869) water right would protect the water from downstream junior users. The water right is described as "up to 1.04 cfs." One of the major benefits of the purchase and transfer of the right to an instream right is to prevent a downstream "junior" user from completely dewatering the river. In addition, before funding Council should assure that there are not more senior users who will dewater the stream prior to the location of this right. There is need for clarification the terms "up to 1.04", the "if" in, "If this water right is transferred to an instream right," and the "fairly" in, "fairly senior water right." Without a clarification of these points, the value of the project may be questionable.This project could result in additional accessible habitat in the Touchet, which would compensate for losses in the mainstem due to the power emergency. The proposal adequately relates the proposed project to other activities in the vicinity to increase stream flows. There is a provision for monitoring of water to be sure it is not diverted (but just a brief statement). One caution: the proposal is not clear regarding how much groundwork has already been done. Task 1 suggests that much of the preparatory work with the landowner regarding validity of the water right and with WDFW to ascertain benefits still needs to be done.
Comment:
Comment: