2008-104-00 Land & Water works in partnership with irrigation districts and private landowners to enhance instream flows in local tributaries. These efforts are focused on modernizing irrigation infrastructure, improving conveyance efficiency, and optimizing water withdrawal practices. These projects (PVWUA, Fulton Ditch, Casia Lodge) support sustainable water use while maintaining agricultural productivity and improving aquatic habitat conditions for salmonids.

This contract also encompasses preacquisition activities for land and water in Columbia River tributary subbasins upstream of Rock Island dam. Acquiring land and water rights to for instream flow enhancement in these areas will protect habitat for ESA-listed salmonids including upper Columbia River (UCR) spring Chinook, UCR summer steelhead and bull trout. This habitat will also benefit non-listed species including summer Chinook, coho salmon, sockeye salmon, and Pacific lamprey.

Based upon available information, candidate parcels and water right will be prioritized using the Upper Columbia Biological Strategy and the recently released Upper Columbia Regional Technical Team – Habitat Action Prioritization within the Upper Columbia River Basin.  In both Okanogan and Methow River subbasins, Ecosystem Diagnosis and Treatment (EDT) information exists as well and will be used to prioritize areas for habitat protection. Other sources of information such as subbasin plans, limiting factors analysis, and empirical data (i.e. redd distribution, groundwater input, etc.) may also guide selection of properties to acquire. Priority will be given to parcels that contain or are adjacent to watercourses with high quality fish habitat but are at risk of degradation due to development potential, and lands that contain or are adjacent to watercourses that provide opportunity for habitat restoration activities that benefit ESA listed fish. At this time the Colville Tribes do not propose to use funds from Project 2008-104-00 for post-acquisition restoration activities. Rather, appropriate restoration or habitat quality improvement projects shall use other sources of funding, potential sources of which are the state Salmon Recovery Funding Board, Priest Rapids Coordinating Committee Habitat Subcommittee, or Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) Tributary Committee for both Douglas and Chelan County Public Utility Districts, and other BPA funded projects (e.g. Project 2023-001-00).