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Aquatic Resource PME Considerations for Packwood Hydroelectric Facility

This document provides early and preliminary technical input into Energy Northwest's Aquatic Resource PME's, with considerations for changes or additions to existing PME's. It also discusses unresolved PME's issues tied to Lake Creek flow.

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Aquatic Resource PME Considerations for Packwood Hydroelectric Facility

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  1. Draft Agency Aquatic Workgroup Considerations Energy Northwest’sProposedPME’s & Lake Creek Flows forPackwood Hydroelectric FacilityPresent: October 25, 2007

  2. Agency Aquatic Work Group • The Following Provides early and preliminary technical input into Energy Northwest’s Aquatic Resource PME’s • The Following Govt’s Participated in the development (to varying degrees):NOAA USFWSUSFS WDFWYakama Tribe WA Dept. Ecology • Participation Does Not Imply Consent; However early Coordination Helped to Develop This Product

  3. PME’s • We Provide Initial Considerations forChanges or Additions to Existing PME’s • Still Reviewing Study Reports & Resource Needs for Adding to PME’s • Still Working on Flow Considerations PME’s

  4. PME’s Provide a Spill Event 285 cfs for 24 Hrs If a Spill Event of This Magnitude & Duration Has Not Occurred Within the Previous Water Year Provide Safe, Efficient & Timely Transport for Rainbow Trout Downstream & Possibly Upstream of Dam(Will Need to Review Entrainment Report Prior to Determining Need for Upstream Transportation)

  5. PME’s (Continued) Snyder Creek Fish PassageRe-route Snyder Creek From the Existing Tailrace Crossing to the South Side Channel Behind Tailrace Within Five Years of License Issuance (2015)

  6. PME’s (Continued) • Trash ScreensDevelop O&M Plan • Traveling Screens Question: Is Mesh Size in Compliance for Protecting Steelhead & Rainbow Trout? • Tailrace Fish BarrierMaintain & Monitor Effectiveness • Develop & Implement Integrated Weed Management Plan

  7. PME’s (Continued) • Transmission Line Work With Agencies on Developing Avian Powerline Protections & Right of Way Buffers • Develop & Implement a Threatened, Endangered & Sensitive Species Management Plan

  8. Additional PME’s • Create Habitat For: Loss of Aquatic Vegetation From Reservoir Fluctuations Losses to Wetland Function & Form Enhancements • Create Composting Toilet Facilities to Handle Existing & Future Recreation Impacts & Provide for Operations & Maintenance of Those Facilities • Provide Maintenance of Recreation Sites

  9. PME’S (Continued) • Develop all Measures and Actions in Consultation & Pursuant to Agency & Tribal ApprovalWrite Plans Describing Process, Monitoring, O&M, Contingencies, Timelines, Review & Approval Process(Unless Agencies Agree It Is Not Needed for Specific PME’s)

  10. Unresolved PME’S Issues Tied to Lake Creek Flow Which Still Need to Be Resolved • Timing of Outage • Lake Elevations • Tailrace Flows • Ramping and Fluctuation Rates • Others

  11. Flow Considerations • Present Approach & Initial Considerations • We Were Unable to Accommodate Restoration Proposal Without Additional Critical Information • Consideration; NOT Recommendations • Present Logic for Our Considerations in Summary & by Month

  12. Flow ConsiderationsMethods & Consideration • Ecosystem Approach: • Consider & Manage for the Suite of Resources Present; To the Detriment of None • Flows then are constrained by the most sensitive endpoint • Guided by Tribal & Agencies’ Laws, Policies, & Regulations • Flows That Provide No Net Loss of Weighted Usable Area (WUA) From Natural Flow Conditions

  13. References & Source Information • Recovery Objectives • Agencies & Tribal Guidance • Regional, Historic Perspectives • Lake Creek Parameters • Lake Creek’s Relative Contribution to Cowlitz River System • Study Results • Riverine & Geomorphic Processes

  14. Anadromous Reach:Fish & Habitat Present • Lower Lake Creek Seems Most Typical of Steelhead Habitat • However Multiple Fish Depend Upon Lake Creek • Licensing Studies & Tailrace Fish Rescue Information Indicate; Coho, Cutthroat, Steelhead, Rainbow, & Chinook

  15. Process for Determining Flows • Cross-walked Flows, Lake Inflow, Accretion Flows, Hydrographs, Season, & Temperatures With Species, & Lifestages • “Natural” Flow is Mean Monthly Flow at Top Pre-Project Also Considered: Holding Depths Attraction Flows Migration Icing Incubation Needs Across Months Within Creek Fish Movements

  16. General Considerations • Kept Flows for All Species Such That WUA  90% for All Species & Lifestages • Within This Parameter, We Matched Steelhead flows to 100% Natural Whenever Possible • Upper Flow Limits Were Capped at Natural Flow

  17. General Considerations Across Months • Used Median Accretion Flows to Estimate Spawning Flow • Used 80% Exceedance of Accretion Flow Instead of Mean (Average) to Estimate Incubation Flow in the Anadromous Reach • To Protect Redds: We Calculated Incubation Flow Across Months As 66.67% of Spawning Flows

  18. Flow Considerations Reduced Flows Are Provided to Indicate What Might Be Considered If Aquatic Habitat Mitigation Is Sufficient

  19. August Considerations • Emergence of All Salmonids Is Complete • Chinook Begin Spawning • High Temperatures = High Metabolic Needs & Aggressive Feeding by Rearing Fish • Below 76 cfs Top/85 cfs Bottom Steelhead Rearing Habitat Declines Below 90% WUA • >100% Natural WUA for Chinook Spawning is Provided by 20-76 cfs • 76 Cfs Provides for Protection for Both Chinook Spawning and Steelhead Rearing

  20. August Needs Sets Across-Month Considerations • To Protect Incubation Throughout the Year: Lower Reach Flows Should Not Drop Below 2/3 of Spawning Flows in Previous Months • As New Spawning / Incubation by Other Species Occurs in Subsequent Months Incubation Flows will change • The Amount of Release Flow Needed to Attain Those Flows Will Also Change As Monthly Accretion Flows Change

  21. September Considerations • Environmental Conditions & Resource Needs Are Similar to August • For Chinook Incubation: Need  57 cfs in Lower Reach: Mid-august to March • Below 56 cfs Rearing WUA of all species declines Will check on incubation

  22. October Considerations • Temperature Drops, Rearing Fish Feed Vigorously • Considerable Growth Occurs in Preparation for Winter • Continuing to Put a Premium on Rearing Habitat • Natural Flow of 63 cfs Reflects Unpredictable & Variable October Flows • Rearing Habitat primary consideration and falls below 90% at below 100 cfs but is capped by Natural Flows

  23. November & December Considerations • Rearing Is Less Sensitive As Temps Drop & Fish Become Less Active • Primary Flow-sensitive Activity Is Coho Spawning • Coho Spawning WUA Declines Below the natural 86 cfs in November & 70 cfs in December • Flows Are Capped at Natural

  24. January Considerations • Coho Spawning WUA Declines Below 88 cfs • Coastal Cutthroat Spawning Occurs • With 90+% WUA for Cutthroat Is Provided for at 88 & Also at 20-35 cfs

  25. February Considerations • Coho Spawned at a Higher Flows in January Than in December & at Least 87 cfs is now needed in the Anadromous Reach Through May to Provide Incubation Flow of 2/3 of the Spawning Flow; in February this is 65 cfs • Coho Incubation Now Becomes Most Sensitive Constraint Upon Flow

  26. March Considerations • Typically Lower Flow Month As Precipitation Declines Before Melting Commences • Cutthroat Spawning Tapers off • Cutthroat & Coho Incubation Continue • Rearing May Begin If There Is Some Warming • 63 cfs Provides 100% of Rearing “Natural” WUA • “Normal” Flow of 63 cfs Is Slightly Less Than the 66 cfs Needed for Incubation but Flow Is Capped at This Natural Level

  27. April & May Considerations • Steelhead Spawning Peaks • Rearing Becomes More Active • April: Rearing WUAs for Steelhead, Rainbow, & Cutthroat All Decline Below 83 cfs • May: Steelhead Rearing WUA Declines Below 153

  28. June Considerations • Rainbow Spawning Begins; Incubation Continues, but Rearing Flow Needs Are Higher • May Spawning Flows Were at 178 cfs in the Anadromous Reach; So the “2/3 Incubation Flow” is 119 cfs (or 105 at the Top in June) • For Steelhead Rearing We Used Natural WUA Versus 90% Criteria to Protect Natural Conditions for Steelhead Rearing • 120 cfs Equals or Exceeds 90% “Natural” WUA for All Rearing Species; Which Also Meets Incubation Needs

  29. July Considerations • Rearing Remains the Most Flow-sensitive Activity in July • All Species’ Rearing WUA Equals or Exceeds “Natural” WUA Above 120 cfs (Except Rainbow) • This Also Meets the Incubation Needs of 109 cfs • July “Natural” Flow Is 153 cfs

  30. Conclusion • So You Can See We Lack Critical Information to Proceed • Must Be Reasoned, Supportive, Protective • Need More concrete proposal to evaluate in relation to the flow proposal

  31. Process Forward • Review Updated Lake Creek PME Proposals • Comment on Study Reports • Reviewing PLP • Would Like to Formally Document Agreements for collaborative movement forward in truncated FERC Regulatory Process • Incorporating Needs into License and/or Project Description Upfront

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