HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/06/2022 21.B. Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan August 2022 Quarterly Project Activity Update ..5‘, *..c:40.sv.1....). ;)
BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
YAKIMA, WASHINGTON
AGENDA STATEMENT
Item No. 21 .B.
For Meeting of: September 6, 2022
ITEM TITLE: Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan
August 2022 Quarterly Project Activity Update
SUBMITTED BY: David Brown,Assistant Director of Public Works 509-575-6204
Scott Schafer, Director of Public Works
SUMMARY EXPLANATION:
The August 2022 Quarterly Project Activity Update provides information on technical aspects of
ongoing planning studies for the Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resource Management
Plan (Integrated Plan).
ITEM BUDGETED: NA
STRATEGIC PRIORITY: Partnership Development
APPROVED FOR SUBMITTAL BY THE CITY MANAGER
RECOMMENDATION:
I nformation only
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Upload Date Type
❑ Update 8/11/2022 Omer Memo
Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan
YBIP Project Activity Update
August 2022
Purpose: Update on ongoing technical planning studies and project implementation
activities for the Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan
(Integrated Plan)
Fish Passage Element
Cle Elum Dam Fish Passage Facilities and Reintroduction Project
The juvenile fish passage facility will use an innovative helix design to transport juvenile fish downstream.It will
allow fish to leave the reservoir as the water surface fluctuates over the top 63 feet in elevation. This will provide
downstream passage from April 1 through the beginning of June in most years. The upstream adult fish passage
facility will be a trap-and-haul facility where fish are trapped at the base of the spillway, loaded into a truck,and
then hauled for release into Cle Elum Reservoir or upstream tributaries.
Construction Update: The access road,spillway bridge,the secant pile vault, and tunnel bypass contracts are
complete. The last downstream section of the tunnel will be constructed as part of the Adult Collection Facility
(ACF).Reclamation anticipates awarding the ACF contract in 2023,and it will be the final construction contract
needed to complete the Cle Elum Dam Fish Passage project.
The Intake, Gate, and Helix(IGH) contractor mobilized in April 2019. After completing intake six in the fall of
2020,the contractor continued intake construction in 2021 to complete intake five in the fall. Also installed at that
time was the Obermeyer Weir crest gate for intake six. In 2020,the contractor placed and sealed in concrete the
majority of the precast conduits that provide the connections from the reservoir intakes to the secant vault leaving
40 feet for the fmal connection into the secant. The final 40 feet of conduit boxes will be placed following the
penetration of the secant vault at each level. Last fall and into January 2022,the contractor tunneled through the
last 40 feet to the secant piles, sawed through and removed the cut secant pile sections, and placed the conduits at
levels six and five(reminder that work needs to be complete from the lowest level up). The contractor has also
worked inside the secant,completing the helix/gate chamber separation and access structure walls. Each chamber
will have an access structure to house an elevator and stair system.More recent work inside the secant includes
constructing the floor system within the gate chamber. Levels five through one have been completed. This
includes the placement of the guard gate and downstream steel pipe for each level. These guard gates will control
water flow between the intake conduits and the helix system. Installation of the electrical and mechanical
components used to operate and monitor the facility has also progressed. Spring and summer 2022 work
completed the access shaft for the helix chamber. Construction has started on the structural steel system that will
support the helical concrete flume sections. The steel roof support system for the gate chamber has been
completed and is awaiting concrete placement.Preliminary grading and fill have been completed around the
secant shaft. External electrical and mechanical equipment will be placed within a fenced O&M area around the
secant shaft.
Videos: https://vimeo.com/508632343 (winter 2021)&https://vimeo.com/579619438 (summer 2021)
Sockeye Study Update: In 2018,Reclamation and the Yakama Nation worked with the U.S. Geological Survey to
conduct an adult sockeye tracking test to understand their migration between Roza and Cle Elum dams. The study
found that 20 of the 20 tagged fish migrated successfully to the base of Cle Elum Dam. In 2019, these same
partners and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife(WDFW)began a sockeye tracking study in the
lower Yakima River. The study reach runs from the mouth of the Yakima River up to the Roza Dam.It evaluates
potential passage issues at diversion dams,possible false attraction,microclimate use, and Columbia River
Stranding. Depending on the findings,we expect to conduct this study over three years.
WASHINGTON STATE
- BUREAU OF -
DEPARTMENT OF
1114 RECLAMATION ECOLOGY
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Results from the first year of the study(2019)found very low migration success rates for tagged Sockeye
primarily due to high river temperatures. Findings from 2020 continued to show that high river temperatures limit
access upstream for much of the summer. Sockeye migration can be slowed down at diversion dams,and false
attraction and predation may also impact upstream migration. The final report for 2020's study is complete:
Evaluation of factors affecting migration success of adult sockeye salmon(Oncorhynchus nerka)in the Yakima
River, Washington,2020 (usgs.gov). The study for 2021 was postponed due to extreme air and river temperatures
in the lower Yakima River. Our 2022 tracking study was shut down this year due to low capture rates in the
Columbia River and at the Prosser fish trap. Reclamation, Yakama Nation, WDFW,Ecology,and other partners
will evaluate future study efforts in November.
Last year a netting system was tested to capture and PIT tag juvenile Sockeye in Cle Elum Reservoir. An initial
test last year showed successful fish capture with this netting system. Between April and May, approximately
3,600 juvenile Sockeye salmon were captured and PIT tagged this year. We are currently recording many of these
fish as they pass over PIT tag antenna arrays in the Yakima and Columbia Rivers on their downstream migration
to the ocean. About 450 tagged fish have been detected in different locations in the Yakima and Columbia Rivers,
with some detections below Bonneville dam. We expect that a percentage of these fish will survive their
downstream and ocean migration and, as they return as adults,will be detected during their upstream migration
and provide valuable data.
Box Canyon Creek Fish Passage
In 2018, WDFW, with input from Reclamation,Ecology, and other passage restoration experts,completed a
conceptual design for the Box Canyon Creek Fish Passage Enhancement Project.Following the completion of the
conceptual design,Reclamation contracted with HDR to prepare a 60%project design.HDR completed the 60%
design and cost estimate in late Fall 2021.
Clear Creek Dam Fish Passage
Reclamation and Ecology completed an appraisal level design for fish passage in September 2018. The design
consists of a traditional pool-and-weir-style fishway with a steel bulkhead at the upstream end that will draw cool
water from deeper into the reservoir. Situated along the left abutment of the dam,fish would enter the fishway in
the stilling basin and exit in the reservoir pool. The bulkhead will be deep enough to maintain suitable water
temperature in the fishway for Bull Trout.
Reclamation is coordinating with Ecology,U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service(USFWS), Yakama Nation,
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife,U.S.Forest Service,National Marine Fisheries Service, and others
to complete the final ladder design. The partners met with basin biologists to define the range of species targeted
for passage and provide input for designers regarding ladder geometry.Reclamation conducted geotechnical
investigations in October 2020 and completed 30%designs on November 2,2020. Comments from the Yakima
Storage Dams Fish Passage Core Team were reviewed on January 21,2021 and have been sent to the technical
workgroup for review and comment. A Value Engineering Study was completed the week of February 8, 2021.
The 60%design was completed in June 2021.Ninety percent design was completed and provided for comment in
December 2021. The 90%design comments were discussed at a technical meeting on February 10, 2022. Final
comments on the 90%design were completed in March 2022 with the release of 100%design documents.
Environmental compliance and permitting are in process and are expected to continue through 2023.
Until passage improvements are accomplished,USFWS,Reclamation,and WDFW will continue capturing Bull
Trout from below Clear Creek Dam and transporting genetically identified North Fork Tieton River fish around
the dam so they can reach spawning habitat in the North Fork Tieton River.Fish capture and transports were
conducted from 2016 through 2022. To date, 111 adult Bull Trout have been transported above the dam.
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Structural and Operational Changes Element ■
Cle Elum Pool Raise
The purpose of the Cle Elum Pool Raise Project is to increase the Cle Elum reservoir's capacity for improved
aquatic resources for fish habitat,rearing, and migration in the Cle Elum and upper Yakima River,thereby
fulfilling the intent of the congressional authorization,Title XII of Public Law 103-434.
Completed: Radial Gate construction was completed in April 2017.Reclamation completed modifications to three
saddle dikes as of 2018. The USFS Cle Elum River Campground recreation area was completed in November
2017. The USFS Speelyi Day Use Area recreation area was completed in May 2019. Shoreline protection along
Salmon La Sac Road was completed in September 2021. The final USFS facility,Wish Poosh Campground&
Boat Launch,was completed in May 2022.Completed: Radial Gate construction was completed in April 2017.
Reclamation completed modifications to three saddle dikes as of 2018. The USFS Cle Elum River Campground
recreation area was completed in November 2017. The USFS Speelyi Day Use Area recreation area was
completed in May 2019. Shoreline protection along Salmon La Sac Road was completed in September 2021. The
final USFS facility,Wish Poosh Campground&Boat Launch,was completed in May 2022.
Construction Update: Reclamation and Ecology are implementing shoreline protection actions for private and
public lands and facilities. The Sandelin Lane shoreline protection area contract was awarded in July 2021.
Construction in the Morgan Creek Shoreline area is anticipated to begin in the spring of 2023. Construction in the
Night Sky Shoreline area is anticipated to start in August 2023. The remaining shoreline protection will be
implemented as funding becomes available. Landowners and the public will be updated periodically on the project
via mail and website postings during project implementation. Reclamation and Ecology continue working with
landowners along the shoreline to acquire easements as appropriate for the project and released a video to inform
our partners and the public about the project.
Video:https://youtu.be/9G3-CqBMQsE.
In addition,Reclamation sends out a quarterly update postcard to landowners to continue outreach around Cle
Elum Reservoir.
Chandler Pumping Plant Electrification
Kennewick Irrigation District(KID) continues to evaluate an electrical pumping plant at Chandler. As of August
2022,Reclamation continues to work with KID. KID is preparing updated design drawings and operational
diversion plans of the Chandler Electrical Pumping Plant for review by Reclamation. Reclamation has extended
an existing Memorandum of Agreement through 2022 with KID for this work. Reclamation and KID have regular
meetings to address KID water supply issues.Reclamation is part of the Lower River Leadership team along with
Ecology, Yakama Nation, and KID. The team discusses many options to meet KID's lower river flow needs.KID
may still consider an electrical pumping plant;however,recently,KID has been reviewing other options,
including an onsite storage reservoir.
Lower Yakima River Smolt Survival Study
The Lower Yakima River Smolt Survival Study has been monitoring smolt survival since 2018,with the last full
season of fieldwork in 2022. Efforts are underway to complete data analysis,and modeling of Chinook salmon
and steelhead survival in various river reaches associated with river flow,water temperature, and other important
variables. Preliminary results showed fish survival was higher when river flows were higher and temperatures
were cooler. Fish that were diverted into canals at Wapato, Sunnyside, and Prosser dams had lower survival than
fish remaining in the river. These results were used to help develop the Sunnyside Dam fish guidance boom and
sluice gate project.Preliminary monitoring data indicates the Sunnyside boom and gate combination are effective
at reducing the numbers of fish being diverted into the Sunnyside Canal. Data analysis,modeling, and reporting
on the results of the Lower Yakima River Smolt Survival Study are expected to continue through 2023.
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Surface Water Storage Element
Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant(KDRPP)
The KDRPP is proposed to access 200,000(out of 585,000)acre-feet of inactive storage in the Kachess Reservoir
below the current outlet works for use in severe drought.
On April 26, 2019,Reclamation signed the Record of Decision (ROD),which does not approve the
implementation of any alternatives but carries forward Alternative 4 -KDRPP Floating Pumping Plant(FPP)for
further analysis. Consistent with this decision,the remaining alternatives in the FEIS, including the Kachess to
Keechelus Conveyance, are unlikely to be carried forward. Reclamation and Ecology will use a phased approach
for further site-specific analysis in a Tier 2 NEPA process to narrow the range of feasible alternatives for KDRPP.
In coordination with Reclamation and Ecology, the Project Proponent,the Roza Irrigation District, is currently
developing a new Proposed Action and clarifying the FPP alternative for the KDRPP Tier 2 NEPA process. This
final and complete Proposed Action and Reclamation's subsequent Notice of Intent(NOI)for the Tier 2 EIS are
currently projected for 2022. Roza and possibly other proratable waters users (Kittitas Reclamation District
(KRD),Wapato Irrigation Project(WIP), and Kennewick Irrigation District(KID)would fund,design, construct,
and operate the KDRPP.
Wymer Reservoir
Consideration of site requirements is ongoing.
Bumping Reservoir Enlargement Project
Consideration of site requirements is ongoing.
Groundwater Storage Element
Groundwater Storage
Work got underway on the new projects listed below during the second quarter of 2022. Of note,a small working
group began advising the development of a Central Data Repository/GIS Clearinghouse for groundwater data
and studies in the Yakima Basin. The results of this effort will be an open-access data portal to aid project
implementers and researchers working on groundwater storage in the Yakima Basin. The Subcommittee also
heard results from a CWU study evaluating the effects of large wood installations on groundwater recharge in the
Teanaway and finalized project evaluation criteria for the 2023-2025 biennium project rating.
New investigations/projects: New investigations/projects:
• MAR Evaluation of Basalts in the • MAR Evaluation of Basalts in the Konnawac Pass
Konnawac Pass Area(CWU) Area(CWU)
• Evapotranspiration and Floodplain • Evapotranspiration and Floodplain Aquifer Storage
Aquifer Storage Capacity Study(CWU) Capacity Study(CWU)
• City of Ellensburg Phase 1 ASR • City of Ellensburg Phase 1 ASR Feasibility Study
Feasibility Study • City of Moxee Phase 1 ASR Feasibility Study
• City of Moxee Phase 1 ASR Feasibility • Basalt ASR Assessment(KRD)
Study • Central Data Repository/GIS Clearinghouse(KRD)
• Basalt ASR Assessment(KRD) • Effects of Channel Wood Restoration on Groundwater
• Central Data Repository/GIS Storage and Recharge in the Teanaway River Valley
Clearinghouse(KRD) • Evaluation of the Hydrogeology in the Badger-Coulee
Area(CWU)
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Aquifer Storage and Recovery(ASR)
The City of Yakima is planning a full build-out for its permitted ASR program and intends to drill two ASR
devoted wells:the first is estimated for 2023-2024,and the second is estimated for 2026-2027. The City has
requested funds for future projects from a number of sources.
Habitat Protection and Enhancement Element A
Targeted Watershed Protection and Enhancement
The Watershed Lands Conservation Subcommittee continued working on implementing the Phase 2 acquisitions
and designations elements of the Lands Plan. Discussions centered on parameters around Central Cascade Forest's
Cle Elum Ridge parcels,which are identified as potential acquisition targets, and the need to fund O&M and loan
repayment for the Teanaway Community Forest. The Subcommittee will continue to provide a forum for these
discussions in the coming months and is scheduled to brief the Executive Committee in August.
Mainstem Floodplain and Tributaries Fish Habitat Enhancement Program
The Habitat Subcommittee is monitoring the implementation of projects funded in the 2021-2023 biennial Habitat
budget. The Subcommittee finalized the proposed 2023—2025 biennial budget and the 10-year plan at its July
2022 meeting. The plan was revised to reflect shifting priorities based on new information derived over the initial
implementation period. The 10-year plan identifies capital projects by priority river reach.
Enhanced Water Conservation Element
Upon passage of the Dingell Act in March 2019,Reclamation,Ecology, Yakama Nation, and YRBWEP
Workgroup Partners have a goal to conserve 85,000 acre-feet of water by 2029. The overall conservation savings
goal upon full Integrated Plan implementation is 170,000 acre-feet.Reclamation and Ecology are conducting an
inventory of water conservation accomplishments associated with the Integrated Plan.Projects that county
towards this goal must adhere to three parameters:
• Begin in 2013 or later
• Be an agricultural or municipal improvement project resulting in conserved water, and
• Not be part of the Title XII, Section 1203 Basin Conservation Plan.
To date, there have been 125 conservation projects implemented(completed or in progress). Approximately$119
million invested will result in approximately 59,000 acre-feet of conserved water($2,000 per acre-foot). A
technical memorandum explaining the history, accounting, and future framework planning for the Enhanced
Water Conservation Element projects was released to the Water Use Subcommittee in April 2021. Within this
memorandum,Reclamation and Ecology have developed a proposal for achieving the remaining portion of the
initial development phase goal.In May 2022,the Water Use Subcommittee received eight project proposals under
review for funding in the'23-'25 biennium. These proposals add up to approximately$6.5 million and would have
a cumulative conservation benefit of about 3,700 acre-feet.
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Market Reallocation Element
The Kittitas Reclamation District and Trout Unlimited continued water market research and development as part
of the Market Reallocation element of YBIP. The project team completed the draft Technical Report that includes
a draft Market Strategy. The Technical Report compiles the technical memoranda that describe the work
undertaken to evaluate different areas of the Yakima Basin water market. The information and findings from these
technical memoranda and the literature review and outreach efforts inform the draft Market Strategy. The project
partners presented the Market Strategy results to the YBIP Workgroup and other stakeholders in late May and
early June. These presentations provided an opportunity to gather feedback on the initial draft Market Strategy.
Outreach continued with COVID-19 restrictions in place.
More information about the project can be found at https://www.yakimabasinwatermarketing.orgl.
Proposed Projects for Consideration
During the implementation of the Integrated Plan, an adaptive approach is being used periodically to assess
progress towards meeting the identified instream flow objectives,the 70 percent proratable supply goal for
irrigation, and goals for other out-of-stream needs. The need for additional water supply enhancements would
depend on the effectiveness of projects implemented as part of the Integrated Plan, how the Yakima basin
economy develops over time, and the timing of and manner in which climate changes affect water supply
availability. New projects may be identified(and proposed)from time to time for consideration under the
Integrated Plan.Reclamation,Ecology,Yakama Nation, and the Executive Committee have developed a
formalized process to consider new projects. In December 2021,Reclamation,Ecology,Yakama Nation agreed to
include YTID's proposal for change in point of diversion to Wapatox and removal of the Tieton Diversion Dam as
part of the Integrated Plan. In addition,Upper Yakima System Storage was also included as part of the Integrated
Plan.
Contacts for Information on the Integrated Plan:
Wendy Christensen, U.S. Department of the Interior,Bureau of Reclamation, Columbia-Cascades Area Office,
(509) 573-8050
Thomas Tebb,Washington State Department of Ecology,Office of Columbia River, (509) 574-3989
Project website: http://www.usbr.gov/pn/programs/yrbwep/index.html
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