Upper Columbia Region Habitat Improvement

archived

The responsibilities for habitat improvement are shared among the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) agencies. The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) currently provides technical assistance in eleven tributary subbasins in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Actions identified in these subbasins are designed to improve survival of fish during spawning and rearing life stages. Reclamation’s responsibility for its subbasins is to work with willing partners on non-Federal lands to implement actions to meet specific metric goals that include: (1) fish screens that meet current criteria; (2) spawning and rearing access restored by removal of fish passage barriers; (3) meeting instream flow targets; and (4) increased miles of channel complexity in the Upper Columbia Region, Entiat Subbasin (Subbasin). Except under special circumstances, Reclamation is unable to fund or participate directly in habitat improvement construction activities in the subbasins. Thus, Reclamation fulfills its FCRPS Biological Opinion (BiOp) obligations by funding “Project Sponsors” who identify, fund, permit, manage, and monitor projects that meet Reclamation’s eligibility criteria. Implementation funding is largely obtained by Project Sponsors from grant funding agencies and organizations by submitting applications in a competitive process. This Agreement identifies a stream habitat improvement project which will: 1) obtain additional permanent instream flows in Roaring Creek; 2) remove the only two diversions from the creek; and 3) change the Point of Diversion for all Roaring Creek water users to the main stem Entiat River to enhance habitat for ESA-listed fish.

High