The WDFW has been actively involved with Yakima River Basin Phase II screen O&M for the last twelve years (1993), the start of the Phase II Screening Program.  Yakima Fish Screen Phase II O&M, project # 199200900, was originally started with Intergovernmental Agreement # DE- BI79-93BP71031 effective April 1, 1993.  In 1994, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between BPA, BOR, and WDFW was drafted and agreed upon (BPA # 95AI37444, BOR # 1425-4-MA-10-00840, WDFW# 241-950010).  This MOA, through the use of an Annual Work Plan (AWP), assigns specific duties to WDFW for O&M of Phase II facilities and is funded by BPA through master contract #00000195-00001, formerly #93B971031.  The WDFW has expanded these fish protection activities into the Walla Walla Basin with BPA funding.
The WDFW O&M project team routinely provides input to BOR and agency engineering staff on design and equipment innovations for future facilities.  Measurable benefits of proper operation and maintenance of fish screening facilities was documented by Battelle, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) (Abernethy 1996) which showed "Yakima Phase II fish screen facilities, constructed to current criteria and properly operated and maintained, protected fry from injury/mortality and achieved bypass guidance rates in the 90 to99 percent range".  This BPA O&M project is tied to WDFW's ongoing Fish Screen Inspection Program that visits all gravity irrigation diversions once a week throughout the irrigation season.  In doing so this program enables WDFW to perform the BPA O&M activities at a reduced cost in that only a portion of drive and inspection time is charged to BPA.