96 Council Earmarks Over $1 Million for more Subbasin Plans, Columbia Basin Bulletin

Council Earmarks Over $1 Million for more Subbasin Plans
by CBB Staff
Columbia Basin Bulletin - February 21, 2003

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council on Wednesday earmarked more than $1 million for the development of 15 subbasin plans in Washington and one -- the Snake River/Hells Canyon subbasin -- that includes territory in three of the four states that have Columbia River Basin acreage.

The Council on Wednesday also shifted back a bit, from May 1, 2004, to May 28, 2004, its final deadline for submittal of subbasin plans that the NPCC expects guide the project selection process in its fish and wildlife program. The Council, in its Aug. 12, 2002 request for recommendations (subbasin plans), called for the submittal of plans between May 1, 2003 and May 1, 2004.

Only one plan, for the Clearwater River subbasin in central Idaho, has been submitted thus far and no other submittals are expected before May 1.

"We now have more than half of the subbasin work plans approved by the Council," said Lynn Palensky, NPPC subbasin planning coordinator. The Council's authorization of 16 new subbasin plan development scopes of work means that about $7.5 million in spending has been approved by the Council to-date, though much of that work has yet to be contracted. The Council expects to spend $15.2 million over two years for the development of subbasin plans.

The deadline shift is intended to allow the maximum amount of time to develop the recommendations while still allowing for the Council amendment proceeding to adopt plans by the end of 2004, according to a staff memo. It is envisioned that a subbasin plan for each of the Columbia Basin's 62 subbasins will be adopted as an amendment to the Council's fish and wildlife program. The Council, and program, were created via 1980's Northwest Power Act. The program is funded by the Bonneville Administration as mitigation for impacts on fish and wildlife from construction and operation of the federal hydrosystem.

The Council has one year from the work plans' submittal to adopt them into the program. The plans are being developed by fish and wildlife managers and other stakeholders in the individual locales and states. NPCC senior counsel John Ogan said Tuesday that staff does not feel it would take a full year for the Council to adopt the plans through a public process.

The Council this week also shifted the entry point for exposure of the plans to independent scientific review.

"The Council has decided that it will offer scientific review of final draft subbasin plans before they are formally submitted to the Council as recommendations," according to a staff memo. That will allow the subbasin planners to take the input from the Council's Independent Scientific Review Panel and make any necessary changes before submitting the final plan.

The Council had originally intended for the ISRP review to take place after submittal of the final subbasin plans.

The Council on Wednesday authorized NPCC executive director Steve Crow to negotiate contracts for the development of:

the Wenatchee subbasin plan in amounts not to exceed $117,757 with the Yakama Nation, $61,913 with Chelan County and $16,900 with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, for work approved by and submitted through the Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board.
the Chelan subbasin plan in amounts not to exceed $34,726 with Chelan Council and $22,133 with the WDFW, for work approved by and submitted through the Columbia Salmon Recovery Board.
the Upper Middle Mainstem Columbia subbasin plan in amounts not to exceed $113,136 with Douglas County and $42,625 with the WDFW, for work approved by and submitted through the Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board.
the Snake Hells Canyon subbasin plan in an amount not to exceed $163,430 with the Nez Perce Tribe for work approved by and submitted through the Idaho Level II Coordination Group.
the Entiat subbasin plan in amounts not to exceed $30,928 with Chelan County, $51,727 with the Yakama Nation and $14,820 with the WDFW for work approved by and submitted through the Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board.
the Methow subbasin plan in amounts not to exceed $142,710 with Okanogan County and $53,860 with the WDFW for work approved by and submitted through the Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board.
for the Okanogan subbasin plan in amounts not to exceed $78,153 with Okanogan County, $106,978 with the Colville Confederated Tribes and $11,440 with WDFW for work approved and submitted through the Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board.
The Council also authorized Crow to negotiate a contract with the North Central Washington Resources Conservation and Development Council in an amount not to exceed $208,000 to provide technical assistance and related work products for six subbasin in the Columbia Cascade Province. That scope of work was also approved by and submitted through the Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board.
Related Pages:
NWPPC: www.nwcouncil.org
BPA: www.bpa.gov/indexmain.shtml
CBFWA: www.cbfwa.org/Default.htm

CBB Staff
Council Earmarks Over $1 Million for more Subbasin Plans
Columbia Basin Bulletin, February 21, 2003

See what you can learn
learn more on topics covered in the film
see the video
read the script
learn the songs
discussion forum