FY07-09 proposal 200303800
Jump to Reviews and Recommendations
Section 1. Administrative
Proposal title | Evaluate Restoration Potential of Snake River Fall Chinook Salmon Spawning Habitat |
Proposal ID | 200303800 |
Organization | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory |
Short description | The research to be conducted under this proposal will evaluate the restoration potential of mainstem habitats for the Snake River Chinook salmon fall-run ESU. |
Information transfer | agency collaborations, workshops, presentations, reports, publication in peer-reviewed literature, public-access electronic databases |
Proposal contact person or principal investigator |
Contacts
Contact | Organization | |
---|---|---|
Form submitter | ||
Timothy Hanrahan | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | tim.hanrahan@pnl.gov |
All assigned contacts | ||
Timothy Hanrahan | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | tim.hanrahan@pnl.gov |
Section 2. Locations
Province / subbasin: Mainstem/Systemwide / Systemwide
Latitude | Longitude | Waterbody | Description |
---|---|---|---|
46 00 00 | -119 00 00 | Snake River | mainstem Snake River from mouth upstream to upper end of Lower Granite reservoir |
Section 3. Focal species
primary: Chinook Snake River Fall ESUSection 4. Past accomplishments
Year | Accomplishments |
---|---|
2005 | We collected physical habitat data (bathymetry, substrate, channel morphology) at the lower Snake River study sites, covering 30 river kilometers. We completed modeling at the reference site. We initiated modeling at the Snake River study sites. |
2004 | We collected physical habitat data (bathymetry, substrate, channel morphology) at the reference site, spanning 10 river kilometers and 2000+ fall Chinook salmon redds. We completed hydrodynamic modeling for 9 flow regimes at the reference site. |
Section 5. Relationships to other projects
Funding source | Related ID | Related title | Relationship |
---|---|---|---|
BPA | 199102900 | Post-Release Survival of Fall | Share knowledge regarding linking the effects of physical habitat variables, such as managed flows, to measurable biotic parameters and ecosystem processes. |
BPA | 199801003 | M&E Yearling Snake R. Fall Ch | Share knowledge regarding linking the effects of physical habitat variables, such as managed flows, to measurable biotic parameters and ecosystem processes. |
BPA | 199406900 | Spawning Habitat Model - Snake | Share knowledge regarding linking the effects of physical habitat variables, such as managed flows, to measurable biotic parameters and ecosystem processes. |
BPA | 199701400 | Eval Juv Fall Chin Str | Share knowledge regarding linking the effects of physical habitat variables, such as managed flows, to measurable biotic parameters and ecosystem processes. |
BPA | 199900301 | Salmon Spawning Below Lower Co | Share knowledge regarding linking the effects of physical habitat variables, such as managed flows, to measurable biotic parameters and ecosystem processes. |
Section 6. Biological objectives
Biological objectives | Full description | Associated subbasin plan | Strategy |
---|---|---|---|
Increase FCH spawning habitat in lower Snake River | The research to be conducted under this proposal will evaluate the restoration potential of mainstem habitats for fall Chinook salmon. The studies will address two research questions: “Are there sections not currently used by spawning fall Chinook salmon within the impounded lower Snake River that possess the physical characteristics for potentially suitable fall Chinook spawning habitat?” and “Can hydrosystem operations affecting these sections be adjusted such that the sections closely resemble the physical characteristics of current fall Chinook spawning areas in similar physical settings?” We will use a reference site, indicative of current fall Chinook salmon spawning areas in tailwater habitat, against which to compare the physical characteristics of each study site. We will determine the quantity and quality of potential spawning habitat in the tailrace areas of all four lower Snake River dams.This project will result in a report on the location and spatial extent of potential restoration areas, and recommendations to the region for adjusting hydrosystem operations to improve Snake River fall Chinook spawning habitat, including alternative flow scenarios by water-year type. | None | Council’s 2003 Mainstem Amendments (pp. 11, 12, 17), NOAA’s 2000 FCRPS BiOp RPA 155, Crosswalk of Draft UPA (August 2004, page 30), 2005-2007 Final Implementation Plan for the FCRPS UPA (May 2005, pg. 41 Table 22, pg. 101) |
Section 7. Work elements (coming back to this)
Work element name | Work element title | Description | Start date | End date | Est budget |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Manage and Administer Projects | F: Project Management | Task F.1. Provide oversight on the project throughout the performance period. Respond to BPA as requested, providing financial, contractual, and administrative documents. | 1/1/2007 | 12/31/2009 | $14,387 |
Biological objectives Increase FCH spawning habitat in lower Snake River |
Metrics |
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Produce/Submit Scientific Findings Report | E: Produce final report | Task E.1. Summarize results describing the restoration potential of mainstem habitats for fall chinook salmon. Complete a report providing recommendations to the region for adjusting hydrosystem operations, including alternative flow scenarios by water-year type. Key findings will be summarized and reported through formal presentations at meetings and conferences, and informal communications with management agencies and researchers working on similar studies. Results germane to the management and scientific communities will be communicated through the preparation of manuscripts to be submitted for publications in peer-reviewed journals. | 1/1/2007 | 12/31/2009 | $149,543 |
Biological objectives Increase FCH spawning habitat in lower Snake River |
Metrics |
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Analyze/Interpret Data | C: Analyze lower Snake River study sites | Quantify the physical characteristics at the study sites under a range of hydrosystem operational scenarios.Apply hydrodynamic model(s) to the study sites to estimate two-dimensional hydraulic characteristics under different flow scenarios. Scenarios would include incremental drawdown of forebay elevations between spillway crest and normal operating pool, including an elevation that would allow the travel of shallow draft barges. The modeling evaluation would also include an analysis of flow scenarios by water-year type (extremely wet, wet, normal, dry, extremely dry) to account for natural variation in hydrologic regime. Water-year types would be determined based on runoff volume at The Dalles Dam by July 1. | 1/1/2007 | 5/1/2009 | $286,372 |
Biological objectives Increase FCH spawning habitat in lower Snake River |
Metrics Focal Area: lower Snake River Primary R, M, and E Type: Uncertainties research Secondary R, M, and E Type: Action effectiveness research |
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Analyze/Interpret Data | D: Compare data at Columbia and Snake River tailrace sites | Determine if changes in hydrosystem operations cause physical characteristics at study sites to resemble those at reference site. Compare the results from Work Elements (A) and (C) to determine the presence and extent of similar characteristics. | 1/1/2008 | 8/1/2009 | $192,903 |
Biological objectives Increase FCH spawning habitat in lower Snake River |
Metrics Focal Area: lower Snake River Focal Area: Wanapum Dam tailrace Primary R, M, and E Type: Uncertainties research Secondary R, M, and E Type: Action effectiveness research |
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Collect/Generate/Validate Field and Lab Data | A: Reference site physical habitat characteristics | Quantify the physical characteristics that define suitable fall Chinook spawning habitat at the tailwater reference site.Map spawning areas at the reference site. Use existing data indicating spawning areas and redd locations. If necessary, collect aerial photography to delineate spawning areas.Collect data on the physical characteristics of the spawning areas and throughout the reference site. The data to be collected will be metrics of physiography, hydrologic regime, channel morphology, substrate, hydraulics, water quality, and hyporheic exchange. These data will support the setup of a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model that will estimate hydraulic characteristics within the reference site for different flow regimes. The data will support analyses of habitat quantity and quality. | 1/1/2007 | 1/1/2009 | $102,979 |
Biological objectives Increase FCH spawning habitat in lower Snake River |
Metrics Primary R, M, and E Type: Uncertainties research Focal Area: Wanapum Dam tailrace |
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Collect/Generate/Validate Field and Lab Data | B: Lower Snake River physical habitat characteristics | Using the physical characteristics identified at the reference site in Work Element A, quantify the physical characteristics at each of the Snake River study sites.Refine the study site locations. Conduct a thorough analysis and summary of existing data for study sites, including site visits for reconnaissance level work. The research will be carried out in two phases at each site. The first phase involves estimating the quantity of potential fall Chinook salmon spawning habitat, while the second phase involves evaluating the quality of the potential habitat.Collect data on the physical characteristics of the study sites. The data to be collected will be metrics of physiography, hydrologic regime, channel morphology, substrate, hydraulics, water quality, and hyporheic exchange. These data will support the setup of a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model that will estimate hydraulic characteristics within each study site for different flow regimes. Estimating hydraulic characteristics through the use of a hydrodynamic model is necessary because the study sites are currently impounded. The data will support analyses of habitat quantity and quality. During years 1 and 2 we will evaluate the quality of potential habitat at the Ice Harbor and Lower Granite study sites, and the quantity of potential habitat at the Lower Monumental and Little Goose study sites. Years 2 and 3 of the study will focus on modeling alternative flow scenarios and evaluating habitat quality at the Lower Monumental and Little Goose study sites. | 1/1/2007 | 1/1/2009 | $234,487 |
Biological objectives Increase FCH spawning habitat in lower Snake River |
Metrics Focal Area: lower Snake River Primary R, M, and E Type: Uncertainties research |
Section 8. Budgets
Itemized estimated budget
Item | Note | FY07 | FY08 | FY09 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Personnel | [blank] | $88,019 | $119,692 | $98,956 |
Fringe Benefits | [blank] | $30,454 | $40,456 | $32,161 |
Supplies | [blank] | $15,440 | $15,810 | $16,190 |
Travel | [blank] | $12,813 | $13,121 | $9,675 |
Overhead | [blank] | $141,807 | $188,148 | $152,949 |
Other | [blank] | $1,427 | $1,745 | $1,808 |
Totals | $289,960 | $378,972 | $311,739 |
Total estimated FY 2007-2009 budgets
Total itemized budget: | $980,671 |
Total work element budget: | $980,671 |
Cost sharing
Funding source/org | Item or service provided | FY 07 est value ($) | FY 08 est value ($) | FY 09 est value ($) | Cash or in-kind? | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Totals | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Section 9. Project future
FY 2010 estimated budget: $0 FY 2011 estimated budget: $0 |
Comments: |
Future O&M costs:
Termination date: 12/31/2009
Comments:
Final deliverables: agency collaborations, workshops, presentations, reports, publication in peer-reviewed literature, public-access electronic databases
Section 10. Narrative and other documents
Reviews and recommendations
FY07 budget | FY08 budget | FY09 budget | Total budget | Type | Category | Recommendation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NPCC FINAL FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS (Oct 23, 2006) [full Council recs] | ||||||
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Expense | Basinwide | Do Not Fund |
NPCC DRAFT FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS (Sep 15, 2006) [full Council recs] | ||||||
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Basinwide |
ISRP PRELIMINARY REVIEW (Jun 2, 2006)
Recommendation: Fundable
NPCC comments: This is a generally well-prepared proposal for an ongoing project that has produced useful results. The additional work coupled with the hydrodynamic modeling should be very helpful to hydrosystem operators. The proposal clearly explains the technical background of the project and identifies a need for the research. It mentions that the highest potential spawning areas for fall Chinook in the mainstem Columbia and Snake Rivers have been reduced to 6% of historical areas, but it was not clear whether this figure included the preferred spawning areas in the lower reaches of major tributaries. The proposal does a good job of identifying the potential to adjust operations of the lower Snake River dams in order to improve tailrace spawning potential. The background also identifies that microhabitat analysis has provided limited insight into predicting what characteristics salmon require when they decide where to spawn. The weakness of the background is that it has does not provide compelling evidence that they have overcome this limitation, and that they are, in fact, capable of making measurements on habitat, modeling flow, and then determining what the quantity and quality of the habitat might be. The predictions need to be tested empirically, if possible. The proposal places the research in the context of the 2000 BiOp, and relates the study to knowledge gaps identified in Independent Scientific Group and ISRP reports. While it does link the study to the Council's Fish and Wildlife Program, it does not specifically mention subbasin plans. The proposal describes the partnership with the USACE and the history of hydrodynamic modeling, and it mentions some of the other Snake River Chinook projects. However, it does not mention the ongoing life history projects or discuss how hydrosystem operations to improve spawning habitat could affect other segments of the life cycle (e.g., outmigration timing). The project history is informative about what the project did, but not what they have found so far. More details on results would have been helpful. There is a very clear set of objectives, hypotheses, and timelines. The introductory material provides a good overview of the study, although there are few explicit references to how the study addresses planning objectives (other than the overall objective of increasing natural fall Chinook spawning). As the work progresses, numerical objectives may be needed to justify the costs to the hydrosystem of operational changes. The methods build on the results of previous research in this project. For the most part, they use the latest technology and address the various controlling factors on substrate morphology. The hydrodynamic modeling work could be very helpful in guiding hydrosystem operations. There is some weakness among the goals, the data they are going to collect, and the inferences they hope to make, which provoke a sense of caution. The assertion that the product of the proposal provides a means for linking effects of physical habitat variables to measurable biotic parameters and ecosystem processes is limited to a post-hoc description of what they observed, not a prediction of what would happen at other sites. The determination of quantity and quality of habitat suffers from lack of precise definition of each and how they are measured in the field and analyzed. It seems likely that these measures will not provide self-evident conclusions. Rather they will be inferences open to debate about their veracity, with a need to be established by empirical testing. The monitoring and evaluation methods are clearly identified. To some extent, the investigators are at the mercy of the weather and Snake River discharge, but they should have at least some real-world conditions with which to compare model outputs. It wasn't clear how the fluctuating flows under load following would be factored into their model. The personnel are highly qualified for this project. Similar work is being done in tailwaters elsewhere. The proposal mentions peer-reviewed publications and progress reports, but does not specify if or how data and meta-data will be archived and made available to the public. However, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has a good track record in this regard. This project will clearly benefit naturally spawning fall Chinook salmon and could be very helpful if the US Army Corps of Engineers is willing to modify dam operations to create and maintain longitudinal bars in the tailraces that the salmon seem to prefer for spawning.
ISRP FINAL REVIEW (Aug 31, 2006)
Recommendation: Fundable
NPCC comments: This is a generally well-prepared proposal for an ongoing project that has produced useful results. The additional work coupled with the hydrodynamic modeling should be very helpful to hydrosystem operators. The proposal clearly explains the technical background of the project and identifies a need for the research. It mentions that the highest potential spawning areas for fall Chinook in the mainstem Columbia and Snake Rivers have been reduced to 6% of historical areas, but it was not clear whether this figure included the preferred spawning areas in the lower reaches of major tributaries. The proposal does a good job of identifying the potential to adjust operations of the lower Snake River dams in order to improve tailrace spawning potential. The background also identifies that microhabitat analysis has provided limited insight into predicting what characteristics salmon require when they decide where to spawn. The weakness of the background is that it has does not provide compelling evidence that they have overcome this limitation, and that they are, in fact, capable of making measurements on habitat, modeling flow, and then determining what the quantity and quality of the habitat might be. The predictions need to be tested empirically, if possible. The proposal places the research in the context of the 2000 BiOp, and relates the study to knowledge gaps identified in Independent Scientific Group and ISRP reports. While it does link the study to the Council's Fish and Wildlife Program, it does not specifically mention subbasin plans. The proposal describes the partnership with the USACE and the history of hydrodynamic modeling, and it mentions some of the other Snake River Chinook projects. However, it does not mention the ongoing life history projects or discuss how hydrosystem operations to improve spawning habitat could affect other segments of the life cycle (e.g., outmigration timing). The project history is informative about what the project did, but not what they have found so far. More details on results would have been helpful. There is a very clear set of objectives, hypotheses, and timelines. The introductory material provides a good overview of the study, although there are few explicit references to how the study addresses planning objectives (other than the overall objective of increasing natural fall Chinook spawning). As the work progresses, numerical objectives may be needed to justify the costs to the hydrosystem of operational changes. The methods build on the results of previous research in this project. For the most part, they use the latest technology and address the various controlling factors on substrate morphology. The hydrodynamic modeling work could be very helpful in guiding hydrosystem operations. There is some weakness among the goals, the data they are going to collect, and the inferences they hope to make, which provoke a sense of caution. The assertion that the product of the proposal provides a means for linking effects of physical habitat variables to measurable biotic parameters and ecosystem processes is limited to a post-hoc description of what they observed, not a prediction of what would happen at other sites. The determination of quantity and quality of habitat suffers from lack of precise definition of each and how they are measured in the field and analyzed. It seems likely that these measures will not provide self-evident conclusions. Rather they will be inferences open to debate about their veracity, with a need to be established by empirical testing. The monitoring and evaluation methods are clearly identified. To some extent, the investigators are at the mercy of the weather and Snake River discharge, but they should have at least some real-world conditions with which to compare model outputs. It wasn't clear how the fluctuating flows under load following would be factored into their model. The personnel are highly qualified for this project. Similar work is being done in tailwaters elsewhere. The proposal mentions peer-reviewed publications and progress reports, but does not specify if or how data and meta-data will be archived and made available to the public. However, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has a good track record in this regard. This project will clearly benefit naturally spawning fall Chinook salmon and could be very helpful if the US Army Corps of Engineers is willing to modify dam operations to create and maintain longitudinal bars in the tailraces that the salmon seem to prefer for spawning.