Section 1. Administrative
| Proposal title | Fifteenmile Subbasin Water Right Acquisition Program |
| Proposal ID | 200102300 |
| Organization | Oregon Water Trust (OWT) |
| Proposal contact person or principal investigator |
| Name | Steve Pearrett |
| Mailing address | 111 SW Naito Parkway, Suite 404 Portland, OR 97204 |
| Phone / email | 5035250141 / steve@owt.org |
| Manager authorizing this project | Andrew Purkey, Executive Director |
| Review cycle | Columbia Gorge |
| Province / Subbasin | Columbia Gorge / Fifteenmile |
| Short description | Acquire 2 cfs of existing Fifteenmile Creek Subbasin water rights on a voluntary basis and transfer to instream water rights under Oregon state law; target acquisitions to maximize fulfillment of habitat objectives for instream flows. |
| Target species | winter steelhead and spring chinook salmon |
Project location
| Latitude | Longitude | Description |
|---|
| 45.44 |
-121.16 |
Fifteenmile Subbasin |
Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives (RPAs)
Relevant RPAs based on NMFS/BPA review:
| Reviewing agency | Action # | BiOp Agency | Description |
|---|
Section 2. Past accomplishments
| Year | Accomplishment |
|---|
| 1997 |
Short-term lease of water rights from City of Dufur totaling 1.85 cfs; 0.63 cfs with seniority to be protected through irrigation season. |
| 1998 |
Short-term leases of water rights from three irrigators and City of Dufur totaling 4.25 cfs; 1.25 cfs with seniority to be protected through irrigation season, thus making progress towards ODFW's minimum flow goal of 4 cfs in September and October. |
| 1999 |
Permanent acquisition of water right from irrigator totaling 0.3 cfs (funded in part by BPA) and short-term leases of water rights from three irrigators and City of Dufur totaling 4.25 cfs; 1.55 cfs to be protected through the irrigation season. |
| 2000 |
Permanent instream water right of 0.3 cfs and short-term leases of water rights from four irrigators and City of Dufur totaling 4.7 cfs. Also, agreements have been signed with two irrigators to purchase water rights on Eightmile and Fifteenmile creeks. |
Section 3. Relationships to other projects
| Project ID | Title | Description |
|---|
| 199908800 |
Water Right Acquisition Program |
OWT's current multi-year (FY 2000-2002) project has included the Fifteenmile subbasin. It is now being seperated from our existing project and submitted under the Columbia Gorge province process. |
| 199304000 |
Fifteenmile Creek Habitat Restoration Project |
Acquisition of existing water rights will contribute to the flow restoration objective of this project that is sponsored by ODFW, CTWSRO, USFS and Wasco Co. SWCD. |
Section 4. Budget for Planning and Design phase
Task-based budget
| Objective | Task | Duration in FYs | Estimated 2001 cost | Subcontractor |
|---|
| 1. Develop acquisition opportunities |
a. Outreach to water right holders |
ongoing |
$1,920 |
|
|
b. Evaluate acquisition opportunities |
ongoing |
$1,600 |
|
|
c. Negotiate acquisition agreements |
ongoing |
$1,920 |
|
|
d. Apply to transfer water rights instream |
ongoing |
$1,280 |
|
Outyear objectives-based budget
| Objective | Starting FY | Ending FY | Estimated cost |
|---|
Outyear budgets for Planning and Design phase
| FY 2002 | FY 2003 | FY 2004 | FY 2005 |
|---|
| $8,800 | $11,500 | $14,950 | $19,435 |
Section 5. Budget for Construction and Implementation phase
Task-based budget
| Objective | Task | Duration in FYs | Estimated 2001 cost | Subcontractor |
|---|
| 1. Increase streamflows |
a. Purchase and create instream water rights. (Cost of 2 cfs goal over 3 years is estimated at $150,000, of which BPA is asked to contribute $95,760.) |
ongoing |
$24,000 |
|
Outyear objectives-based budget
| Objective | Starting FY | Ending FY | Estimated cost |
|---|
Outyear budgets for Construction and Implementation phase
| FY 2002 | FY 2003 | FY 2004 | FY 2005 |
|---|
| $31,200 | $40,560 | $52,728 | $68,546 |
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 |
|---|
| 1. Instream water right protection and ecological evaluation |
a. OWT develops plan with OWRD |
ongoing |
$800 |
|
|
b. OWT coordinates with ODFW |
|
$480 |
|
Outyear objectives-based budget
| Objective | Starting FY | Ending FY | Estimated cost |
|---|
Outyear budgets for Monitoring and Evaluation phase
| FY 2002 | FY 2003 | FY 2004 | FY 2005 |
|---|
| $1,775 | $2,165 | $2,812 | $3,656 |
Section 8. Estimated budget summary
Itemized budget
| Item | Note | FY 2001 cost |
|---|
| Personnel |
FTE: 215 staff hrs @ $25/hour |
$5,375 |
| Fringe |
Estimated at 6.5% of salaries |
$350 |
| Supplies |
Paper, reproduction costs, distribution of materials |
$370 |
| Travel |
Travel to and from and throughout subbasin |
$545 |
| Indirect |
Overhead |
$1,040 |
| Capital |
Water right acquisition funds |
$24,000 |
| Subcontractor |
Certified Water Rights Examiner |
$320 |
| $32,000 |
Total estimated budget
| Total FY 2001 cost | $32,000 |
| Amount anticipated from previously committed BPA funds | $0 |
| Total FY 2001 budget request | $32,000 |
| FY 2001 forecast from 2000 | $27,000 |
| % change from forecast | 18.5% |
Reason for change in estimated budget
The FY 2001 forecast from FY 2000 of $27,000 is OWT's estimate of the Fifteenmile Creek Subbasin's share of our overall Water Right Acquisition Program (#199908800) budget of $167,000. An additional $5,000 is requested primarily because the projected cost of water in the Fifteenmile Creek Subbasin has increased based on recent acquisition experience there. OWT also anticipates that its operational costs will increase slightly due to more activity there.
Cost sharing
| Organization | Item or service provided | Amount | Cash or in-kind |
|---|
| Oregon Water Resources Department |
Monitoring by Watermasters (section 7) |
$500 |
in-kind |
| Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife |
Monitoring by district fish biologists (section 7) |
$500 |
in-kind |
| National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Bullitt Foundation, other foundations |
Acquistion (section 5) and Operational (section 4) Funding |
$17,000 |
cash |
Reviews and recommendations
This information was not provided on the original proposals, but was generated during the review process.
Recommendation:
Fundable only if response is adequate
Date:
Oct 6, 2000
Comment:
Fundable only if a response is provided that describes how monitoring and evaluation will be provided that accesses the benefits to fish and wildlife from the water acquisition. This proposal was highly supported by the reviewers. It complements the other work in the subbasin. The Oregon Water Trust has a track record in these acquisitions, and the proposal demonstrates appropriate coordination with other agencies to ensure that the rights acquired are beneficial to fish. As stated above, the monitoring and evaluation, especially ecological aspects, needs to be strengthened and better explained and part of the overall monitoring in this watershed. It may be that other agencies will accomplish aspects of monitoring and evaluation, but the programs should be explicitly identified in the proposal and endorsements from the agencies should be provided.
Recommendation:
Urgent/High Priority
Date:
Nov 15, 2000
Comment:
The ISRP suggests a monitoring and evaluation plan for the water right purchases. Once the purchases are made, the water master has the responsibility to insure the water is provided in-stream. The M+E is being performed through other instream work being done by the co-managers working in the area. The co-managers will assist OWT to specifically address this concern.
Recommendation:
Fund
Date:
Dec 1, 2000
Comment:
Fundable, the response is adequate. OWT demonstrates communication and interaction with Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, and Oregon Water Resources. OWT describes indicators of ecological benefits and their approach to quantification of the effects of enhanced streamflow. OWT describes their approach to stewardship, including documented relationships with OWRD and their own direct efforts on site. The ISRP encourages OWT to integrate water rights acquisitions into plans for subbasin rehabilitation, including monitoring and evaluation (stream gages).
Recommendation:
Fund
Date:
Mar 16, 2001
Comment:
Recommendation:
Fund
Date:
Sep 11, 2001
Comment:
Recommendation:
Do Not Fund
Date:
Sep 20, 2003
Comment:
Project has moved to RPA 151 implementation, Innovative Water Acquisition July was end of performance period.
Recommendation:
Date:
Sep 20, 2003
Comment:
