FY 1999 proposal 198346700
Section 1. Administrative
| Proposal title | Mitigation for the Construction and Operation of Libby Dam |
| Proposal ID | 198346700 |
| Organization | Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP) |
| Proposal contact person or principal investigator |
| Name | Brian Marotz / Steve Dalbey |
| Mailing address | 490 N. Meridian Rd. Kalispell, MT 59901 |
| Phone / email | 4067514546 / marotz@digisys.net |
| Manager authorizing this project | |
| Review cycle | FY 1999 |
| Province / Subbasin | Upper Columbia / Kootenai |
| Short description |
Execute watershed / habitat enhancement projects mitigating hydropower impacted native fish populations. Implement operational plan for Kootenai River and Libby Reservoir. Recover endangered Kootenai white sturgeon. Develop burbot recovery program. |
| Target species | bull trout (proposed ESA listing)
Naturally spawning fish without targeted artificial enhancement, contributes to rebuilding weak but recoverable native population.
Kootenai River white sturgeon ESA listed, artificial production to delay or avoid extinction.
mountain whitefish Contributes to rebuilding weak but recoverable native population, restoration through hatchery production or imprint planting to restore wild runs.
westslope cutthroat trout Naturally spawning native fish without targeted artificial enhancement, contributes to rebuilding weak but recoverable native population.
interior redband trout Naturally spawning native populations, initiation of spawning runs in historic range using experimental imprint planting. Some areas naturally spawning fish without targeted artificial enhancement, contributes to rebuilding weak but recoverable native population.
kokanee Naturally spawning fish without targeted artificial enhancement.
Kootenai River burbot Naturally spawning fish with possible experimental outplanting, contributes to rebuilding weak but recoverable native population |
Project location
| Latitude | Longitude | Description |
|---|
Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives (RPAs)
Relevant RPAs based on NMFS/BPA review:
| Reviewing agency | Action # | BiOp Agency | Description |
|---|
Section 2. Past accomplishments
Section 3. Relationships to other projects
| Project ID | Title | Description |
|---|
| 9401000 |
MFWP- Libby Reservoir Excessive Drawdown |
Habitat Enhancement |
| 9608702 |
MFWP- Focus Watershed |
Native Species Recovery |
| 8806500 |
IDFG-Kootenai River Fisheries Investigations |
White Sturgeon Revovery |
| 8806400 |
KTI – White Sturgeon Experimental Aquaculture |
White Sturgeon Recovery |
| 8346500 |
Libby and Hungry Horse Modeling Technical Analysis |
Reservoir Modeling |
| 9404900 |
Kootenai River Ecosystem Improvement Study |
Ecosystem Function |
Section 4. Budget for Planning and Design phase
Task-based budget
| Objective | Task | Duration in FYs | Estimated 1999 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 1999 cost | Subcontractor |
|---|
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 1999 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 1999 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 1999 cost |
|---|
| Personnel |
|
$143,609 |
| Fringe |
|
$46,795 |
| Supplies |
Includes Equipment |
$50,232 |
| Operating |
|
$9,904 |
| Travel |
|
$24,427 |
| Indirect |
|
$38,536 |
| Subcontractor |
Payne and Associates; University of Idaho; Wildlands Hydrology; WestWater Consultants |
$13,490 |
| Other |
|
$173,007 |
| Other |
|
$173,007 |
| Other |
|
$173,007 |
| Other |
|
$173,007 |
| $1,019,021 |
Total estimated budget
| Total FY 1999 cost | $1,019,021 |
| Amount anticipated from previously committed BPA funds | $0 |
| Total FY 1999 budget request | $1,019,021 |
| FY 1999 forecast from 1998 | $0 |
| % change from forecast | 0.0% |
Cost sharing
| Organization | Item or service provided | Amount | Cash or in-kind |
|---|
Other budget explanation
Schedule Constraints: None
Reviews and recommendations
This information was not provided on the original proposals, but was generated during the review process.
Recommendation:
Fundable
Date:
May 13, 1998
Comment:
Presentation: This project is the primary Kootenai mitigation project and is in transition from finishing the IFIM (9502500) to implementing mitigation. The public review process is complete and the plan now goes to the Council. This project will replace the excessive drawdown project (9401001) if the IRCs are implemented. Construction of Libby Dam caused the initial impacts but the operations continue to cause impacts. Until the IRCs are implemented, damage from excessive drawdowns will be covered under project 9401001. Questions/Answers: Is this a watershed project? Answer: Yes, it is driven by the watershed coordinator but that project does not provide money for on-the-ground projects in other areas. The Libby Mitigation Plan equals the Libby Watershed Plan.
Would it be more cost effective to have one group do all of the sturgeon work? Answer: Not really because they share equipment. Work on the ESA sturgeon is non-discretionary. Most of the work is done in Idaho, however Montana does
some population estimates.
Screening Criteria: Yes
Technical Criteria: Yes
Programmatic Criteria: Yes
Recommendation:
Fund
Date:
May 13, 1998
Comment:
Recommendation:
Adequate
Date:
Jun 18, 1998
Comment:
This project has been going on since 1982, but the first tasks listed are documentary (administrative planning) tasks. These tasks include completing the Final Libby Mitigation Program (needed to be on a par with the Flathead subbasin) and operational guidelines for target fish species at various flow regimes. These will likely be good planning products, but the proposal seems to duplicate what other Kootenai projects may be doing and offers little physical mitigation. Coordination with other Kootenai projects should be explained. The reliance on instream flow incremental method (IFIM) should be viewed with caution. If IFIM is implemented, it would hardwire use of heavy bioengineering techniques that could be costly to maintain in the long-term. This program should be organized into an umbrella proposal with subproposals on the major objectives. Extending the project to 2055 seems optimistic, especially for "pilot" projects. The proposal quality was in the midrange of the set.