BPA Project Number:  2003-011-00
CR-116982
Performance/Budget Period: September 15, 2009 – September 14, 2010

Technical Contact/Project Lead:  Catherine Corbett
Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership
811 SW Naito Parkway, Suite 410
Portland, Oregon  97204
Phone: (503) 226-1565 Ext. 240
Fax:  (503) 226-1580
howard@lcrep.org

Contracting Contact: Tom Argent
Technical Contracts Administrator
Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership
811 SW Naito Parkway, Suite 410
Portland, Oregon  97204
Phone: (503) 226-1565 Ext. 242
argent@lcrep.org
Fax:  (503) 226-1580

BPA Project Manager:  Tracey Yerxa
Bonneville Power Administration
905 NE 11th Avenue
Portland, Oregon  97208
Phone:  (503) 230-4738
Fax:  (503) 230-4564
tyerxa@bpa.gov

A Progress Report summarizing work completed under this contract, which covers the 2009-2010 funding year, will be submitted to BPA during funding year 2010-2011.  A Progress Report for funding year 2008-2009 will be submitted during the 2009-2010 funding year as part of the present contract.

BACKGROUND

To date most salmonid habitat restoration activities, such as dike breaches, tide gate retrofits, and riparian restoration in the lower Columbia River estuary have occurred in the tidally influenced reaches of estuarine tributaries and embayments rather than in the mainstem channel. Such restoration projects are important to the survival of juvenile salmonids; however, there is considerable interest in identifying restoration tools that can be applied in the mainstem of the lower river and estuary to benefit the millions of juveniles from upstream Evolutionarily Significant Units that reside in the lower river and estuary for extended periods.

To address this issue, the 2008 Federal Columbia River Power System Biological Opinion (2008 BiOp) includes Reasonable and Prudent Action (RPA) 38—Piling and Piling Dike Removal Program. This RPA directs the Action Agencies  (AA) (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers [USACE], Bureau of Reclamation, and Bonneville Power Administration to develop and implement a piling dike program.  The RPA also directs the AAs to work with the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership (Estuary Partnership) to develop a piling and pile dike removal plan.  The overarching goal of the Pile Structure Program (PSP) is to enhance and restore the Lower Columbia River ecosystem’s structure and function for the recovery of federally listed salmonids through the active management of pile structures and to increase survival benefits to listed ESUs in the lower river/estuary.  

Pile structure removal in some instances could enhance localized water quality, geomorphic and ecological processes, and access, all of which influence habitat conditions in the estuary for juvenile salmonids. Some pile structures may limit access or redirect salmon away from available habitats; removal of these structures could improve juvenile salmon survival. In other cases, removing creosote or copper-treated pile structures, using methods that do not release contaminants into the water column, will reduce localized toxic contaminant levels. Additionally, in some instances, it may be beneficial to create complex, woody debris habitat, important as salmon refugia, by modifying existing pile structures through the addition of large wood.

Despite the potential benefits, pile structure removal for the benefit of juvenile salmon remains an untested restoration technique. Some pile structures may have created or enhanced habitat conditions for juvenile salmon. Others may be well positioned to be modified to create complex woody debris important for salmon refugia. Because pile structure removal is experimental, developing and testing various hypotheses and performing extensive monitoring in the early stages of the program will be critical to ensure that the benefits of restoration efforts are maximized and potential impacts are avoided.  

Review of Prior Work

To account for uncertainties and knowledge gaps, during Year One (September 2008 – September 2009), the Action Agencies worked with the Estuary Partnership focusing on developing a scientifically defensible framework for the Pile Structure Program (PSP). The program’s strategic approach includes the following objectives:

1.Develop a plan for the removal and/or modification of pile structures that have lower value to navigation channel maintenance, and in which removal and/or modification will present low-risk to adjacent land use, is cost-effective, and would result in increased ecosystem structure and function.

2.Determine PSP benefits for juvenile salmonids and the lower Columbia River ecosystem through a series of intensively monitored pilot projects.  

3.Starting in 2010, begin implementation of strategically selected pilot projects and creosote-treated piling removal projects.

4.Incorporate best available science and pilot project results into an adaptive management framework to guide future management actions and help ensure that projects with the highest benefits to salmonids and the ecosystem are prioritized.

During Year One, the program team (composed of the Estuary Partnership, BPA and the USACE) made considerable progress establishing the PSP and moving it toward implementation. Specifically, the program team accomplished the following:
•Developed a draft program plan that establishes a scientifically defensible approach to determining the benefits of PSP projects as well as an adaptive management plan;
•Developed a comprehensive, geo-referenced inventory of pile structures in the lower river;
•Reached out to the broader science community via formation of a Pile Structure Subcommittee, organized and led site visits, and gathered of research scientists, regulatory officials, and others to solicit input;
•Developed PSP hypotheses, which will form the basis of pilot project experiments designed to determine program benefits for ecosystem restoration and salmon recovery;
•Categorized pile structures into three separate classes and assigned relevant hypotheses to each class;
•Selected a suite of pilot projects for implementation over the next 3 years;
•Initiated pilot project due diligence, monitoring, and permitting;
•Initiated a study to develop a rapid assessment method that will provide a means of cost-effectively identifying contaminant issues at project sites;
•Submitted all required permits for 2009/2010 pilot projects;
•Implemented (with NOAA Marine Debris Removal Program funding) a pilot piling removal project at Coal Creek Slough, a side channel of the lower Columbia River located near Longview, Washington.

Due to these accomplishments, the PSP is on track to implement, monitor, and assess the benefits of 2-3 pilot projects in 2010. These pilot projects will incorporate comparison studies within each structure type to inform the adaptive management framework and future project design and implementation.

Work Efforts for September 15, 2009 to September 14, 2010

Year Two activities will focus on pilot project development, implementation, and monitoring for validating hypotheses and determining PSP benefits.  Specifically, the Estuary Partnership will focus on project permitting, contracting, pile removal projects, and post-project monitoring.  Specific activities include the following:
1. Pilot project permitting for compliance with federal, state, and local regulations;
2. Contracting and implementation of two to three pile field pilot projects;
3. Post-project monitoring at pilot project sites; and,
4. Compilation, analysis and reporting of monitoring results.

Additionally, in Year Two the Estuary Partnership will take the necessary steps to develop projects for Year Three implementation.  Year Three pilot project experiments may be more complex due to the nature and function of the transverse dike structures and their ownership by the USACE; consequently, more up-front coordination, analyses, and design will be required. Specific Year Two activities include the following:

1. Pre-implementation monitoring at transverse dike pilot project sites;
2. Structure and function analyses of transverse dikes to determine if they are critical to the maintenance of the navigation channel;
3. Working with the USACE to analyze transverse dikes and approve their modification or removal; and,
4. Design of transverse dike pilot projects.

Finally, three program-level issues will require attention in Year Two:
1. Development of a programmatic permitting strategy; and,
2. Assess the feasibility of adding large wood debris to pile structures or modifying them so that they better recruit woody debris
3. Resolution of legal issues.

Due to the anticipated longevity of the PSP, a programmatic permitting strategy will be explored to determine its potential as a more cost-effective means of complying with applicable regulations, and as an approach that can provide greater surety for future design and planning efforts. The second item above includes a project to assess the feasibility of placing large wood on pile structures within the mainstem without potentially harming navigation, infrastructure or boater safety if large flow events occur in the future.  The third item involves investigation and resolution of how to sell salvaged timber, protect restoration sites from future development, etc.