WDFW Estuary Habitat MOA (2009) -- BPA Scoping Project 2010-070-00 – FY2012 Funding

Contract Performance Period: September 1, 2012 to August 31, 2013

The federal Action Agencies (AAs) that operate the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) have asked the state of Washington to join in a partnership to expedite habitat restoration efforts for salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River Estuary below Bonneville Dam.  On September 16, 2009 the Washington Governor and Director of Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) signed the Estuary Habitat Memorandum of Agreement (Estuary MOA) with the Action Agencies.  The Estuary MOA establishes a nine-year funding arrangement for habitat restoration in the lower Columbia River and tidally influenced tributaries – from Bonneville Dam to the mouth of the Columbia River.

This Contract Description is a synopsis of the Washington Estuary Habitat MOA Scoping Project Pisces Statement of Work that describes the work to be performed by WDFW to preliminary scope and develop the estuary habitat restoration projects and the negotiated replacement projects under the WA Estuary MOA.  Additionally, in coordination and agreement with BPA, the work performed by WDFW under the Project 2010-070-00 contract will lead to additional individual site-specific contracts under the umbrella contract that will result in more detailed scoping and restoration alternative development for several individual restoration projects (approximately 5-10 Project Concepts) during the FY2012 performance period, of September 1, 2012 to August 31, 2013.

The level of engineering and biological scoping planned for individual Project Concepts conducted under Project 2010-070-00 under this year’s contract request (CR-218603) will be less than the level of scoping conducted under the previous FY2011 contract #54137 because, as described in the previous paragraph, under this year’s SOW organization, the detailed field engineering surveys and biological assessments will be conducted under individual site-specific contracts under the umbrella of Project 2010-070-00.  This new structure will facilitate the development of more project concepts resulting in the implementation of more on-the-ground restoration projects.

The work WDFW will perform under this contract is in support of the information needed by BPA and the Corps to make informed joint decisions in coordination with WDFW to select projects that will move forward to implementation under the WA Estuary MOA. Tasks under this contract includes:

1. Preliminary scoping of 5-10 project concepts from the GAIL list and other emerging projects identified within this one-year contract.  WDFW and the AAs will evaluate these project concepts and, if warranted, move the project concepts to individual contracts for detailed scoping and restoration alternative selection under the umbrella project.

2. Work with the Action Agencies (BPA and the Corps) to prioritize estuary projects listed in the MOA and subsequent projects brought forward by project developers.

3. Coordinate and work with the Action Agencies (AAs) to decide which potential project concepts will be preliminarily scoped and further developed.

4. WDFW will conduct basic preliminary scoping activities using existing data to develop a scoping report with the basic data and knowledge base to evaluate the project concept with basic AA criteria such as ownership, site elevation range, location, size and fish species present.  As part of this decision making process, O & M and risk management will be discussed between the agencies; including any site-characteristic that could be a “show-stopper”, i.e., factors that would make implementation too costly, technically complex or politically grid locked.

5. WDFW will coordinate and come to a consensus with the AAs to determine whether a scoped and scored project should move forward into the Corps §536 Program or be possibly funded directly by BPA.  

6. WDFW will write the proposal narrative and Pisces SOW for the individual site-specific contract under the umbrella project.

7. Facilitate and participate in coordination meetings with the Action Agencies on a bi-weekly basis (AA’s update conference call and the WDFW-facilitated monthly coordination meeting).

8. Coordinate site visits with Action Agencies, as needed, to gain a more in-depth understanding of specific habitat restoration project concepts.

9. For projects being considered for the Corps §536 Feasibility process, WDFW will send a draft letter of intent to the Corps & BPA for review prior to sending the final letter of intent to the Corps Portland District Engineer with a copy to BPA.

10. Subcontracting with the LCFRB to assist WDFW in scoping and developing projects.