FY 2002 Columbia Plateau proposal 200201800

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

Cost sharing

Reviews and recommendations

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

Comment:

Fund following provision of additional information

This proposal builds on past investments by Tapteal Greenway (purchased site in 1997), and proposes to stabilize the streambank along about 500 feet of riparian area (Rm 8, lower Yakima River), and to acquire an adjacent island habitat to provide contiguous habitat protection along both sides of the river channel. Cost for restoration and purchase of the island are modest ($160,500 in FY02) and future costs are reduced to maintenance and monitoring (approx. $11,000 declining to $2,750 by FY06).

The Tapteal Greenway, a non-profit conservation organization, purchased the 2.5 acre parcel with the intended purpose of using it as a demonstration site for streambank restoration and environmental education. Riverbank stability was severely degraded in the 1996 flood and riparian habitat had previously been destroyed. This proposal's objectives are to design, implement, and maintain a bio-engineered, streambank restoration project and conduct long-term monitoring of the restoration work. Proposed tasks include barbs to capture silt and deflect flow, roughened rock or log toes, riparian buffer (willow, ground covers), soil reinforcement, and bank grading for severe cutbanks. Photo-point monitoring and plot sampling would gauge the effectiveness and success of the restoration project. Acquisition of an adjacent, undisturbed island with cottonwood galleries would serve to expand the protective buffer to the river corridor and provide opportunity to re-connect a cut-off side channel to the river. This site is an important part of the movement corridor for migrant salmonids and provides good resting, rearing, and brood areas. These land parcels and the proposed restoration effort would provide an opportunity for public involvement and increase public awareness of watershed problems and solutions within the lower basin.

The committee is uncertain about the value of this proposal given that it is only one small site in the lower river, no design of the bank restoration was provided, and uncertainty about the basis of the budget if the bio-engineering plans have not been developed. The latter two concerns should be responded to before funding is provided. However, this organization had the foresight to purchase this land and to develop an educational site. The information and education objective of the proposal should be more fully linked to strengthened monitoring and evaluation activities. This work would provide a valuable opportunity to involve children and the general public in restoration and monitoring activities.

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Comments
Extremely difficult to assign any benefit to listed ESU. The project addresses sediment primarily, although the proposal describes a numerous other adverse conditions. Is sedimentation the factor most limiting salmonids in this area? Most of cost is to stabilize a stream bank, protecting a greenway. The previous purchase of land for habitat and aesthetic values was good idea. This project appears to address symptoms of degradation rather than the underlying causes. It does request funds for a land assessment as a precursor to buying a small island in the river. High potential for public outreach.

Already ESA Req? no

Biop? yes

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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: 25013: Restore Riparian Corridor at Tapteal Bend, Lower Yakima River

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 has determined that, "This high visibility project has excellent potential as a demonstration and education project. It could also contribute to improving water quality in the lower river."

Budget effect on base program (Project 25013):

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Sponsor comments: See comment at Council's website