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Council OKs $1.7 Million in Subbasin Work Plans, Funding by CBB Staff Columbia Basin Bulletin - January 17, 2003

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council on Tuesday approved nearly $1.7 million in contracts to push forward its subbasin planning process.

The approvals of work plans and funding launched seven subbasin planning efforts, most scheduled to culminate with the submittal of plans in May 2004 that could be adopted as amendments to the Council's fish and wildlife program. The Council approvals included funding for technical support for four of the subbasin plans that are to be developed.

The Council has earmarked $15.2 million in program funding over two years for the subbasin planning process, which was launched last year with a request for recommendations to amend the program. When contracting is completed for the latest approvals, work in roughly one-third of the Columbia-Snake River basin's 62 subbasins will be under way, according to Lynn Palensky, the NWPPC's subbasin planning coordinator.

The Council authorized its executive director Steve Crow to negotiate:

• a contract with the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership up to $131,628 to develop a plan for the Oregon side of the Lower Columbia mainstem and Lower Columbia Estuary subbasins.

• contracts for the development of a bi-state Walla Walla subbasin plan. The contracts would be with Walla Walla County for up to $109,138 and with the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Foundation for up to $83,260, as approved by the Snake River Salmon Recovery Board and the Oregon Subbasin Planning Coordination Group, respectively.

• a contract with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation for up to $219,661 to develop a plan for the Umatilla/Willow subbasin as approved by the Oregon Subbasin Planning Coordination Group.

• a contract with the consulting firm Ecovista for up to $118,279 to develop a plan for the Imnaha subbasin as approved by the Oregon Subbasin Planning Coordination Group.

• a contract with the Nez Perce Tribe for up to $11,288 to initiate the first phase of a process to respond to comments received from the Council's review of the Clearwater subbasin plan, anticipating that the contract may later be amended to cover an expanded scope of work with a total budget of not more than $75,000.

• a contract with the Asotin County Conservation District for up to $106,638 to develop a plan for the Asotin subbasin as supported and approved by the Snake River Salmon Recovery Board, the Level II coordinating group for that region in Washington.

• a contract with the Columbia Conservation District for up to $100,388 to develop a plan for the Tucannon subbasin as supported and approved by the Snake River Salmon Recovery Board.

• a contract with the Pomeroy Conservation District for up to $73,334 to develop a plan for the Lower Snake subbasin as supported and approved by the Snake River Salmon Recovery Board.

• four contracts for the technical components of four subbasin plans within the geographic scope of the Snake River Recovery Board -- the Asotin, Lower Snake, Tucannon and Walla Walla. Those contracts are for up to $38,500 to the Nez Perce Tribe, up to $27,000 to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, for up to $227,336 to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and for up to $5,000 to the U.S. Forest Service.

Related Sites:
Northwest Power and Conservation Council: www.nwcouncil.org