Lake Roosevelt News

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The Lake Roosevelt Forum has published the 2020 Draft Human Health Risk Assessment Public Guide for the Lake Roosevelt and Upper Columbia River Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (UCR RI/FS). Click here to view on-line version. Email the Forum at info@lrf.org for a print copy.

The 2020 Public Guide focuses on EPA’s draft Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA). The HHRA estimates the nature and probability of adverse human health effects of concern now or in the future from being exposed to chemical contaminants (primarily metals) at the Upper Columbia River Site. This information will be integrated into the Site’s Remedial Investigation (RI) study of contamination to inform next steps to protect human health and the environment.

This Public Guide also focuses on precautionary measures to protect visitor and resident health where exposure to contaminants may be of concern, and cleanup and other actions that are completed, in process or may be considered.

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The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced additional harvest opportunity for white sturgeon in Lake Roosevelt upstream of the China Bend Boat Ramp. Click here for news release with details.

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This summer the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area has had five wildfires, four of which were human caused. Click here for NPS news release with tips for preventing wildfires and ways to report a fire or suspicious activity.

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The 15th Annual in the Spirit Contemporary Native Arts Exhibition has gone virtual for 2020. Juried by experts, the exhibition celebrates and promotes emerging contemporary Native art in the region. Click here to view 2020 pieces and artist statements.

The Forum congratulates Shawn Brigmam with the Spokane Tribe of Indians, and Ryan Feddersen and Tony Boyd with the Colville Confederated Tribes for being selected for the 2020 exhibition. Said Shawn of his glass sculpted Salishan Sturgeon Nose Canoe Column, “As a Plateau-specific cultural form, the glass canoe forms represent the marriage patterns, food gathering patterns, Indigenous knowledge, and even a fish for perhaps it was the sturgeon that once inspired the shape and design of the ancestral canoe.”

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When on the water, please make sure everyone is wearing a life jacket. Sadly, drowning is the top cause of visitor deaths in national parks.

Click here for safety information and resources.

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Starting June 15, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) opened a harvest fishery for white sturgeon until further notice. 

The daily limit is one sturgeon and the annual limit is two sturgeon. Only sturgeon between 50 and 63 inches fork length (from the tip of the snout to the fork of the tail) can be retained.

Click here for news release with additional regulations that apply. 

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Beginning July 1, 2020, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area will reopen access to: 

  • All National Park Service operated boat-in campgrounds and associated restrooms. Restrooms will not be cleaned on a daily basis and floating restrooms will remain closed. Please bring and use your own hand sanitizer.
  • By reservation only: Spring Canyon, Fort Spokane, and Kettle Falls campgrounds. We have expanded the number of campsites available through the reservation system at these campgrounds. Group campsites will remain closed until further notice in compliance with Washington State Phase 2 gathering restrictions.
  • Reservations through https://www.recreation.gov/camping/gateways/2802 will reopen on June 23, 2020 for these three campgrounds. All campers must have a valid reservation to camp. There will be no first come first served allowed at this time. 
  • As additional campgrounds are added to the reservation system, they will be opened for camping. 

Click here for full news release. 

Details

As of June 1, the following Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area facilities and services are closed and available:

Closed Facilities & Servces:
• All campgrounds and vault and flush restrooms. Bring your own outdoor toilet option (marine sanitation device for your boat or something like a Luggable Loo, Wag Bags, Biffy Bags, etc. for day-use areas) soap, water, hand sanitizer and toilet paper with you.
• Water services
• Fish cleaning stations
• Trash collection. If you pack it in, pack it out. This includes human waste and waste disposal bags, disposable gloves, and masks.
• The Visitor Center
• All public and education programs

Open Facilities:
• Eight day-use areas (Spring Canyon, Keller Ferry, Fort Spokane, Porcupine Bay, Hunters, Bradbury Beach, Kettle Falls, and Evans)
• Nine boat launch docks (Spring Canyon, Keller Ferry, Seven Bays, Fort Spokane, Porcupine Bay, Hunters, Bradbury Beach, Kettle Falls, and Evans)
• Boat launches throughout the lake as the water level rises.
• Shoreline outside of the two Reservation’s boundaries. You must be fully self-contained if you are planning to camp. There are no floating restrooms or backcountry facilities available. If you pack it in, pack it out. This includes human waste and waste disposal bags, disposable gloves, and masks.

Available Services:
• Weekly boat launch fees can be purchased at https://www.pay.gov/public/form/start/656441199. These permits can be purchased before you leave home.
• Annual boat launch permits can be purchased with a credit card either online at https://www.pay.gov/public/form/start/64970644 or in person at select locations around Lake Roosevelt (https://www.nps.gov/laro/planyourvisit/fees.htm). If purchasing on-line, please allow a minimum of seven days to receive your permit in the mail.
• Commercial Guide services with two or fewer people from the same household.
• Marina slip rentals are open when the water rises high enough to support the operations.
• Marina houseboat and watercraft rentals to individuals of the same household.

Details and updates on park operations will continue to be posted on www.nps.gov/laro.

Details

From: EPA
Date: May 26, 2020

EPA is studying contamination in the Columbia River from the U.S./Canada border to the Grand Coulee Dam and surrounding upland areas. Past studies of this part of the river by federal and state agencies have shown increased levels of heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, copper, mercury, and zinc, and other contaminants like dioxins and furans.

An important part of the study is the human health risk assessment. A draft of the human health risk assessment is being released to the public on May 26 and will be available through July 24.

We will hold webinars on June 10 and July 15, at 5:30 PM, to provide information about our work at the site, and invite input from community members. EPA is committed to providing the affected community with information about our work and an opportunity to provide meaningful input on decisions that affect them.

The webinars will provide an overview of:
• Background on the Upper Columbia River study
• What a human health risk assessment is
• How EPA uses them
• Results of the draft Upper Columbia River Study area human health risk assessment.

Each of the webinars will provide the same information. If you would like to attend either of the webinars please register: www.eventbrite.com/e/epa-upper-columbia-river-webinars-tickets-105584696670

The draft Human Health Risk Assessment is available on EPA’s website:
www.epa.gov/columbiariver/upper-columbia-river-remedial-investigation-feasibility-study

EPA will be accepting feedback on the draft Human Health Risk Assessment through July 24. Comments can be submitted: tan.robert@epa.gov

If you have questions about the assessment and cannot attend a webinar please contact Robert Tan at: (206) 553-2580

Details

Grand Coulee Dam

Overview

In late February, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power Administration (co-lead agencies) released a draft Columbia River System Operations Environmental Impact Statement (CRSO EIS) on the long-term system operation and configurations of 14 Federal multiple purpose projects throughout the Columbia River Basin.

Nearly 5,000 pages long, the co-lead agencies characterized this effort as “… responding to the Opinion and Order from the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. The Opinion and Order states the EIS should evaluate how to ensure that the prospective management of the CRS [Columbia River System] is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any endangered or threatened species, or result in the destruction or adverse modification of designated critical habitat.”

The EIS focuses on the effects of flood risk management, water supply, hydropower generation, fish and wildlife, navigation, cultural resources, recreation and other purposes. As effects were considered, six alternatives for operation, maintenance and configuration of the CRS were developed for a 25-year time horizon.

With meeting multiple environmental, economic and cultural objectives desired by sovereigns and stakeholders at play, the co-lead agencies “sought to achieve a reasonable balance.” A preferred alternative was identified that co-lead agencies believe best strike a balance between objectives, competing river resource needs and co-lead agency mission requirements, including complying with environmental laws and regulations.

This article highlights factors, operations and actions called for in the preferred alternative that are specific to Grand Coulee Dam and Lake Roosevelt.

Lake Levels

Modeling suggests changes in streamflow coming into to Lake Roosevelt (inflow) to be small, typically within 1 percent. Some of this is the result of recommendations for changes in operations at Libby and Hungry Horse dams.

Modeling also suggests the timing of inflow will occur earlier in the spring and summer due to earlier melting of snowpack induced by climate change. By the 2030s, the spring freshet peaks could occur one to two weeks earlier. This also leads to projections that inflows in late summer and early fall will be less.

Figure A shows differences in current operations vs. the preferred alternative in dry, average and wet years. In wet years (20% of the time), lake levels would be reduced in January and February. In a median wet year, the lake would be 5 feet lower at the end of February. In May, modeling shows about 2 feet less draft in wet years due to operational changes. And in the September/October time frame, the lake will be about half a foot lower 40% of the years.

LRFnlSpring2020 10 NoActionVSpreferredAction

Operational changes

Operational changes include:

  • Establish a planned draft rate (how much the lake level would be reduced) of 0.8 feet per day. This would reduce the risk of erosion along the shoreline and may reduce spill in some years. This is proposed to support reducing the lake being lowered up to an additional 5 feet by the end of February in wet years. This would not change the limit of reducing lake levels no more than 1.5 feet per day, which typically occurs by April 30th to meet maximum flood risk management needs.
  • Changes to the procedure for determining flood risk management drafts (how much lake levels are reduced to avoid downstream flooding). One objective is to keep lake elevation above 1,222.7 feet for irrigation pump efficiency. Another objective is to be able to flexibly respond to “trapped” storage in an upstream CSR reservoir.
  • Existing lake level reductions to support Odessa Subarea irrigation, improve municipal and industrial water supply and enhance downstream flows for fish are unchanged. Currently, by the end of August this results in the lake being lowered an additional 1.0 foot in non-drought years and up to 1.8 feet in drought years.
  • Timing of water delivery to the Odessa Subarea would be based on demand (when the water is needed) rather than the current September/October delivery schedule. Further, up to 45,000 acre-feet of additional water, based on demand, could be pumped to support the irrigation season (March to October). Reclamation would make the downstream effect of this neutral by releasing up to 0.25 feet of stored water downstream in the spring period.
  • The current Lake Roosevelt minimum refill elevation of 1,283 feet at the end of September would be changed to the end of October. This provides more operational flexibility for power generation and supporting downstream flows for fish. However, this change may negatively impact the spawning success of kokanee, burbot and redband rainbow trout in Lake Roosevelt.

Fish

  • In 2019, Bonneville funded a 3-year study to determine if changing the minimum refill elevation from the end of September to the end of October would impact resident fish access to spawning habitat. If it does, the co-lead agencies would supplement spawning habitat at locations along reservoir and tributaries (up to 100 acres).

  • Changes in hydro operations at Libby Dam may have an adverse downstream effect on the presence of invasive species such as Northern Pike and flowering rush in Lake Roosevelt. The draft EIS indicates an invasive species management plan will be developed to address this issue.

  • Water retention time (how fast water moves through the lake system) will be affected by proposed changes to lake elevations and the timing of inflow. This can lead to changes in entrainment risk (fish passing through Grand Coulee Dam), food source reductions and the timing for release of rainbow trout from net pens. Possible adverse effects in wet years were described as “minor,” and in certain scenarios “beneficial” in dry years.

Facilities and recreation

  • Changes in lake elevations would result in decreased boat ramp accessibility in September and October but increases in accessibility in May and June.

  • The boat ramp at the Gifford-Inchelium Ferry would be extended. This would mitigate the impact of earlier and longer lake level reductions that would otherwise make the ferry unavailable approximately four additional days a year.

Grand Coulee Dam

  • Existing plans and ongoing actions to overhaul the third powerplant, modernize power-generating units in the left and right powerhouses, and modernize the John W. Keys III Pump-Generating Plant are identified and incorporated. The preferred alternative also supports expediting the maintenance schedule for the power plants and spillways.

Water Quality

  • Operational changes are expected to have a minimal effect on water temperature, total dissolved gas, turbidity, or sediment quality.

What wasn’t considered and financing

Reintroduction of salmon above Grand Coulee Dam was not considered. Co-lead agencies pointed to data gaps and a need for a decision-making framework before reintroduction could be included in an EIS. The draft EIS is also distinct from the Columbia River Treaty (CRT) negotiations. For the EIS, 2016 CRT-related operations were applied.

If either reintroduction or CRT results in significant changes to river management, it’s not clear how or whether a finalized EIS would be modified.

Implementation of the preferred alternative is not expected to significantly change costs for operating the Columbia River System. Annual construction costs are estimated to increase by $4 million, capital costs would be the same, and fish and wildlife mitigation costs could decrease by as much as $41 million or increase by $6 million.

Next steps

The public comment period ended April 13th. Co-agencies will integrate comments into the final EIS, which is expected in summer 2020. A record of decision documenting final recommended actions is scheduled for September 2020.

At that time, NOAA will determine in a biological opinion if the preferred alternative for dam operations complies with the Endangered Species Act and adequately protects listed species, including orcas and salmon.

If past is prologue, some combination of state, tribal, fishing and conservation interests will challenge the resulting biological opinion. Past challenges have been based on requirements of the Endangered Species Act to protect salmon. These challenges have previously been successful.

Details

The sound you won’t hear this May are students and teachers exploring the ecological, social and economic complexities of Lake Roosevelt’s watershed. Local resource specialists create and staff zones to provide a variety of experiences.

Postponement is, of course, the result of COVID-19.

“Ever the optimists,” said Forum Executive Director Andy Dunau, “we’re working on Lake Roosevelt Water Festival in September and considering offering limited Student Discovery Days in the fall.”  

Details

Each newsletter carries an update to highlight recent studies and activities that are underway. To learn about the history of the entire RI/FS and what’s been learned, visit our Public Guides at www.lrf.org/environment.

Beyond release and the public comment period for the Human Health Risk Assessment (see cover page), EPA updates include the following:

Mussel and Crayfish Sampling

The purpose of this sampling is to estimate exposure from human consumption and ecological risks of chemicals concentrating in tissues of fresh-water mussel and crayfish. In the spring and fall of 2016, samples were collected at various depths throughout the river/lake system. EPA approved the final data summary report in March 2018 and data has been integrated into the human health risk assessment. In 2019, WDOH used this data to place crayfish in the healthy choice consumption category. Mussels are in the DO NOT EAT category, which is consistent with the state-wide advisory against consuming any freshwater mussels or clams.

Plant Tissue Sampling

The 2014 and 2016 Residential Soil Sampling program, residential yard soil removal actions, and the 2014 Upland Soil Sampling results document elevated levels of metals in soils sampled in these upper Columbia River Valley study areas.

The Tribal Consumption and Resource Use Survey confirmed that residents of the Colville Reservation consume or otherwise utilize plants harvested from areas where metals are elevated.

As a result, EPA determined that data for the concentration of metals in berries, nuts, roots, and leaves from a variety of plants was needed for the Upper Columbia River human health risk assessment. In 2019, samples were analyzed, and results presented in a final data summary report. Data were integrated into the human health risk assessment.

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers April 8th lake level forecast for Lake Roosevelt predicts an end of April flood control elevation of 1,253.9 feet above sea level. Compared to other years, it looks like the 2020 Lake Roosevelt drawdown and refill will be fairly average.

Snowpack in the Canadian Rockies, the dominant source of water flowing into the Columbia, registered above 100 percent of their annual average for much of the winter. However, the April - August water supply forecast is currently at 71% of normal.

As with past years, to meet the requirements of the Biological Opinion, the lake is predicted to refill to above 1,280 feet by the end of June. Go to www.lrf.org/lakelevel to see daily lake levels, boat launch availability and fishing trends.

Lake Roosevelt Water Levels Graph

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National Park Service

Modified Operations Due to COVID-19: Visit www.nps.gov/laro for updates on available facilities and operations. As of this writing, boat launches are open. However, all campgrounds, restrooms, water services, trash collection, the visitor center and education programs are unavailable.

Boater Self-Certification Required: Beginning May 1, 2020, boater Self-Certification will be mandatory for all boaters to defend against aquatic invasive species (AIS), particularly Quagga and Zebra mussels.  More information can be obtained by visiting the park website at www.nps.gov/laro or at all Lake Roosevelt boat launches.

In 2018, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area implemented a voluntary boater Self-Certification program to heighten awareness of this national problem and help boaters take part in keeping the waters of

Lake Roosevelt clean from these unwanted hitchhikers. Remember, the health and protection of Lake Roosevelt is the responsibility of all who recreate there.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Efforts to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species hit a new peak in 2019. WDFW inspected more than 32,000 watercrafts, a 31% increase from 2018. About one third of inspected watercrafts came from known infested waters in other states. WDFW detected 18 vessels carrying invasive mussels and 1,200 vessels that failed to meet the clean – drain – dry requirements.

The state also ramped up its efforts to prepare for a possible invasive mussel infestation with a first-of-its-kind mock exercise involving state, federal and tribal governments. Located on Lake Roosevelt in the Kettle Falls area, the exercise included deploying and testing a containment system, boat inspections, public notifications, a decontamination station, shoreline surveys by trained mussel-sniffing dogs, and in-water monitoring by skilled divers and scientists.

Spokane Tribe of Indians receive compensation for lands flooded by Grand Coulee Dam

After decades of effort, Congress passed legislation that the President signed on December 20th, 2019 to compensate the Spokane Tribe for ancestral lands flooded by the building of Grand Coulee Dam.

The tribe will receive $6 million a year for 10 years, and $8 million a year after that. Funds will come from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), which markets wholesale electrical power from Grand Coulee Dam and 30 other federal hydroelectric projects in the Northwest.

Said Carol Evans, chairwoman of the Spokane Tribe of Indians, “Financial compensation is a semblance of justice, but we never will be as we were in the past. This will not bring back the salmon lost or lands flooded, however it will help the Spokane People move forward and heal.”

The legislation is similar to the compensation system established for the Colville Confederated Tribes in 1994. The Colville Tribes received a lump-sum payment of $53 million and receive $15.2 million in annual payments from BPA.

WA Department of Health Receives ATSDR Grant

The Washington Department of Health received a cooperative agreement grant from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) entitled APPLETREE (ATSDR’s Partnership to Promote Local Efforts to Reduce Environmental Exposure).

Said Dr. Jennifer Sabel with WDOH, “With this cooperative agreement, we will be able to enhance our efforts to conduct site assessments for potential human health threats and address community health concerns more fully within Washington State. Over the next six months we will be working on hiring needed staff to complement current program staff and initiate the work plan we submitted with our grant application.”

“For our communities, additional resources such as this are nothing but positive,” said Forum Executive Director Andy Dunau. “We were pleased to write a letter of support during the grant process.”

Details

Fishery managers representing the Spokane Tribe, Colville Tribes, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Volunteer Net Pen project presented their 2020-2025 plans to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council on March 3rd. Based on proposals and presentations, the Council makes funding and program recommendations to the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) Fish and Wildlife Program. These presentations, combined with interviews with managers and related materials, are the foundation for the Forum’s 2020 Fishery Report.

2015-2019: A Consistent, Stable Fishery

The overarching goal of the fisheries program is to support tribal subsistence and non-tribal recreational fisheries. Annual angler catch of all species, within Lake Roosevelt ranged from 154,616 in 2015 to 140,249 in 2018. Creel survey results estimating the number of hours anglers spent fishing were between 311,417 hours in 2015 and 293,065 hours in 2018.

Figure A shows the annual catch for rainbow trout, kokanee, walleye and smallmouth bass for 2015-2018. Because walleye and smallmouth bass are non-native species (meaning they were introduced to the lake), they do not receive artificial production support from hatchery and net pen operations.

Changes in abundance from year to year often parallel changes and timing of lake operations. For instance, the timing and depth of drawdowns for flood control and refill can affect when rainbow trout are released from net pens, entrainment (fish being flushed passed Grand Coulee Dam), and lost habitat and food resources. Other factors include hatchery and net pen conditions, and the effect of non-native predators such as northern pike.

The heart of the hatchery and net pen program will remain raising of up to 750,000 triploid rainbow trout. Up to 500,000 of these are initially reared in local hatcheries and then transferred to one of 45 net pens located throughout the lake. Based on conditions, the actual numbers released into the lake varied from about 360,000 to 700,000 annually between 2015 and 2018.

Triploids are used because they are bred with three sets of chromosomes instead of two to make them infertile, thus protecting the gene pool of wild rainbow trout.

Program Change Highlights: Kokanee Production Suspended, Larger Rainbow Trout Released into Spokane Arm

For several years, up to 500,000 kokanee salmon were raised for release into the lake. The minimal target of 5% annual return to creel, however, could not be attained. As such, starting this year the kokanee artificial production program was suspended. Wild kokanee remain in the lake for anglers to seek.

There will be several shifts in rainbow trout production and transfer between the Spokane Tribal Hatchery, Sherman Creek Hatchery, Ford Hatchery and net pens. The net result is that the Spokane Tribal Hatchery will be able to produce up to 53,000 rainbow trout of harvestable size (1-3 lbs) for release at different times of the year.

As part of this change, these larger rainbow trout will also be transferred to a recommissioned fish acclimation facility located below Little Falls Dam that was originally built by Washington Water Power (now Avista) in the 1990s. With BIA funding, the Spokane Tribe renovated this facility in 2019 to provide five raceways for these fish to finish their growth and acclimate to river conditions.

The goal is to provide additional tribal and recreational fishery opportunities in the Spokane Arm, and improve angler opportunities for catching fish at different times

of the year. Said Brent Nichols, the Spokane Tribal Fisheries Division Director, “Before COVID-19 suspended monitoring efforts, the initial results were outstanding with the Spokane Arm trending toward becoming a high use area up near the Little Falls Dam.”

Upper Columbia White Sturgeon

The 2019 fishery season supported state anglers receiving half of the white sturgeon harvestable surplus with the remaining half split equally between the Spokane Tribe of Indians and the Colville Confederated Tribes.

In 2002 biologists representing governments, tribes and First Nations from the U.S. and Canada began working cooperatively by creating the Upper Columbia White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative. Their goal is to arrest and reverse their decline by restoring natural recruitment.

White Sturgeon in our waters started experiencing chronic recruitment failure in the 1960s. While the mechanisms causing recruitment failure are currently unknown, research by biologists show that White Sturgeon are spawning on an annual basis. They believe recruitment failure is happening at some point between the larval/juvenile life stages.

Efforts from both the Canadian and U.S. conservation aquaculture programs have succeeded in rebuilding the natural age class structure and preventing their expiration. Since 2004, their combined efforts have resulted in release of more than 153,000 juvenile White Sturgeon. Both programs take a conservative approach with the goal to protect and preserve the remaining genetic diversity of the population.

Due to higher than expected survival rates of hatchery released White Sturgeon, the fishery was reopened in the spring of 2017 for the first time in over 20 years. Current conservation aquaculture stocking rates are intended to reach adult abundance targets and sustain an annual subsistence and recreational fishery.

State anglers are advised to check the WDFW fishing regulation pamphlet for daily and annual harvest regulations, slot limits and area closures.

Northern Pike: The Fight to Suppress Continues

Flatten the curve can also be used to describe fishery manager efforts to suppress Northern Pike in Lake Roosevelt. This non-native invasive species is a voracious predator that devastates other resident fish populations. As importantly, if they move down the Columbia, they may devastate salmon and steelhead populations.

To meet the challenge, over $1 million is now spent annually to suppress Northern Pike in Lake Roosevelt. Funding comes from BPA, tribes, utilities, and others. Since 2015, over 12,600 pike have been removed from the system.

Northern Pike are still primarily located in the northern part of Lake Roosevelt and spawning in the Kettle River. In 2019, potentially new spawning locations were identified in the Barnaby and Gifford areas, and monitoring showed increased presence in the Spokane Arm and lower lake.

Suppression efforts led by the Spokane Tribe, Colville Tribes and WDFW focus on gillnetting from February through November, and electrofishing and set lines in August through October.

Anglers are encouraged to kill ALL Northern Pike caught. The Colville Tribes also provide a $10 bounty for anglers who remove their heads and drop them off at either the Tribal Trails Noisy Water gas station or the NPS Kettle Falls, Hunters and Fort Spokane fish-cleaning stations.

 

Details

Last spring, the Washington Department of Ecology completed soil sampling and other testing to investigate and evaluate cleanup of smelter-related metals contamination along about 800 feet of waterfront in Northport Park. This area was principally polluted by smelter wastes deposited and dispersed along the shore from the adjacent Le Roi Smelter.

Ecology completed a draft Remedial Investigation (RI) report last October that describes the metals contamination. A focused feasibility study (FFS) to evaluate cleanup options is now underway. Later this year, once the feasibility study is further

along, Ecology’s project team intends to arrange a public meeting in Northport to discuss findings and seek input on cleanup opportunities, including removing or capping the smelter-related wastes. When the FFS

is complete Ecology would like to provide another opportunity for the public to comment on both the RI and FFS reports, in light of the possible cleanup options.

Like EPA’s announcement that it will be returning to cleanup lead contaminated soil at 16 additional sites within the town of Northport, Ecology’s waterfront work to further cleanup the LeRoi smelter legacy is distinct and separate from the on-going EPA RI/FS.

Details

EPA is planning a time critical removal action to clean up soil on 16 properties within Northport town limits. EPA’s decision was based on criteria that classifies these properties as a threat to people’s health from exposure to lead in their soil. EPA will work with property owners who have opted in, the Mayor of Northport, and the Northport Town Council to schedule and conduct removal activities in the next six to twelve months.

Areas for soil removal were identified based on an October 2019 review of 2004 data reports of properties within Northport with lead levels near or above 700 ppm (parts per million). When these sites were first evaluated in 2004, cleanup was not conducted because EPA’s removal action level at the time was 1,000 ppm.

The threshold of 700 ppm is the same level EPA used when working with Teck American to voluntarily clean up 18 residential properties outside of Northport town limits from 2015 – 2018. Use of this lower threshold represents advances in scientific understanding of the adverse developmental effects of lead to young children and babies.

EPA’s October reevaluation documented the condition and layout of each of the properties of interest identified in 2004. This included interviews with each property owner about changes to property use since the 2003/2004 soil sampling. Actions will focus on lawns, gardens and play areas with a high likelihood of exposure to contaminated soil. Based on possible use changes, EPA collected and analyzed additional soil samples to better delineate the contaminated area.

Results of EPA’s reevaluation were documented in a site evaluation completion memo. Review of this memo supported the decision for time critical removal action.

Details

Mindy Smith, M.D. M.S.
CCC Board Secretary

In concert with EPA’s release of the draft Upper Columbia RI/FS Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA), I was asked to work with Citizens for a Clean Columbia (CCC) board members to give our sense of public and CCC perceptions about the document and process of sharing information.

These impressions are based on a fairly recent public meeting and discussions with board members and people from the town of Northport (population about 350 people). We will be interested to see how many of our questions the HHRA addresses, or whether a different forum or report will be required.

One question goes back to 2004, which is when soil removal due to lead contamination on properties within Northport was based on a lead threshold of or exceeding 1000 ppm. Residential soil cleanup voluntarily conducted by Teck between from 2015 – 2018, however, used a threshold of 700 ppm. What does this mean to the future of Northport properties with between 700 – 1000 ppm? EPA is working on this issue separately, and we strongly support this effort to extend cleanup to properties with lead levels at 700 ppm or more.

At the meeting, EPA shared how they estimated the probability of adverse human health effects from lead. However, this information does not address questions about specific human health effects, both past and future. While much of this is outside EPA’s purview, the concerns about remediation and provision of adequate surveillance and monitoring, such as air monitoring, to ensure future protection against adverse health effects from contamination seems relevant. Without knowing which lead level will be selected for remediation, these concerns remain. 

There’s on-going interest in soil amendments to reduce lead exposure in areas that do not meet removal action levels and in expanses of undisturbed land. Citizens are asking whether other cutting-edge technologies are being considered as amendments such as hemp or fungus (bioremediation). And what changes in soil contamination occur as areas are burned or otherwise altered. I, along with others, worry that effective amendments will not be found, and that hand washing will provide insufficient protection.

These and other concerns go to the heart of community questions about past and future health effects, influence on property values, availability of legacy funding, additional sampling, and the perceived need for reinstated and expanded air monitoring.

From my perspective, I am also concerned about whether the HHRA will truly reflect risk as it is difficult to know the cumulative effect of contaminants, and there is no clear way to combine lead and non-lead risks into a single risk assessment. Further, the gravity-flow and pumped creek-impoundment water systems used for irrigation and sometimes drinking, like my own water system, have not been evaluated.

While I have confidence in the good will of most of those involved in this process on both sides of the border and the impressive work done over the past 14 years, I do not have confidence in the current administration and whether sufficient clean-up and monitoring will occur now and in the future.

At the state level, the Washington Department of Ecology Air Monitoring Program disappointed us when they

said they had insufficient manpower to apply for an EPA grant for air monitoring in our area. When we suggested citizen volunteers could be trained in data collection, they disagreed.

This is despite DOE’s 2017 report entitled “Preliminary Review and Evaluation of Available Air Quality Monitoring Data and Consideration of Potential Present-Day Health Risks.”  This report recommended updated air monitoring be conducted in our area to analyze heavy metals known to be emitted from the Trail smelter which “may further contribute to potential human health impacts.” On the other hand, Ecology’s Toxics Cleanup Program has provided invaluable assistance, including current work to consider further cleanup of the Northport Park shoreline area.

It will be interesting to read the draft HHRA. We’re eager and hopeful to see how many community-based questions will be successfully or fully addressed. EPA’s RI/FS Remedial Project Manager has thus far been very responsive to our comments. Further, to ensure that the public is well informed about the HHRA and able to provide input, EPA has agreed to a 60-day public comment period and will be providing two webinars. In that positive vein, CCC remains very committed to supporting the outreach process and, as necessary, helping collate public input with EPA.

 

Details

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expects to release the draft Upper Columbia Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA) in May. This is a critical milestone to completing the Remedial Investigation phase of the on-going Upper Columbia RI/FS (Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study).

Several years in the making, EPA describes the HHRA as “the process to estimate the nature and probability of adverse health effects in humans who may be exposed to chemicals in contaminated environmental media, now or in the future.”

Once finalized, the HHRA will help determine the need for cleanup or other remedial measures to reduce contaminant exposure and protect public health.

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Review and Public Comment

WHEN WILL I KNOW IT IS AVAILABLE?

The Forum will send out an electronic newsletter notice. If you do not currently receive this newsletter, sign-up at www.lrf.org/enews. 

WHERE CAN I REVIEW AND DOWNLOAD?

To check status and availability, go to www.lrf.org/draftHHRA. This link will redirect you to an EPA web site for a status report and, when available, a link to download the draft HHRA.

WILL EPA PROVIDE PUBLIC MEETINGS REVIEWING THE DRAFT HHRA?Yes. Due to COVID-19, public meetings will occur via webinars on June 10

and July 15th from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. EPA will promote webinars and

how to connect via all available options, e.g. – post card mailings, newspaper advertisements and stakeholder groups. The Forum will promote via electronic newsletter notice.

WILL THERE BE A PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD?

Yes. EPA will accept feedback on the draft HHRA from May 18 to July 24. Instructions on how to submit comments will be added to the EPA site webpage: https://www.epa.gov/columbiariver/upper-columbia-river-remedial-investigation-feasibility-study

WILL ANY OTHER INFORMATION BE PROVIDED?

Yes. The Forum is committed to releasing a Draft HHRA Public Guide summarizing information before conclusion of the public comment period.

Details


EPA is planning a time critical removal action to clean up soil on 16 properties within Northport town limits. EPA’s decision was based on criteria that classifies these properties as a threat to people’s health from exposure to lead in their soil. EPA will work with property owners who have opted in, the Mayor of Northport, and the Northport Town Council to schedule and conduct removal activities in the next six to twelve months.

Areas for soil removal were identified based on an October 2019 review of 2004 data reports of properties within Northport with lead levels near or above 700 ppm (parts per million). When these sites were first evaluated in 2004, cleanup was not conducted because EPA’s removal action level at the time was 1,000 ppm.

The threshold of 700 ppm is the same level EPA used when working with Teck American to voluntarily cleanup 18 residential properties outside of Northport town limits from 2015 – 2018. Use of this lower threshold represents advances in scientific understanding of the adverse developmental effects of lead to young children and babies.

EPA’s October reevaluation documented the condition and layout of each of the properties of interest identified in 2004. This included interviews with each property owner about changes to property use since the 2003/2004 soil sampling. Actions will focus on lawns, gardens and play areas with a high likelihood of exposure to contaminated soil. Based on possible use changes, EPA collected and analyzed additional soil samples to better delineate the contaminated area.

Results of EPA’s reevaluation were documented in a site evaluation completion memo. Review of this memo supported the decision for time critical removal action.

Details


Over a decade has passed since EPA reached agreement with Teck in 2006 to conduct an Upper Columbia Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS). EPA intends to complete the Human Health Risk Assessment in early 2020. In contrast, the Ecological Risk Assessment continues to investigate the nature and extent of contamination and assess potential risks to the environment. Risk assessment is one component of the Remedial Investigation (RI). A draft RI Report will follow completion of investigations and risk assessments. A feasibility study to consider potential cleanup alternatives then follows completion of the RI.

Each newsletter carries an update to highlight recent studies and activities that are underway. To learn about the history of the entire RI/FS and what’s been learned, visit our Public Guides at www.lrf.org/environment. Data summaries and other documents referred to below are available on the www.ucr-rifs.com/home/documents-plans/ web page.

Northern Pike Sampling
In response to increased numbers of Northern Pike catch and consumption that’s also being incentivized by a $10 per head bounty to help rid the system of this invasive predator, Lake Roosevelt fisheries co-managers worked with EPA and Teck American Incorporated (TAI) to sample and analyze Northern Pike for mercury and other metals. Sampling was completed in July 2018 and results are presented in a final data summary report. In 2019, WDOH used this data to update the Lake Roosevelt Fish Advisory to include northern pike in the healthy choice category.

Mussel and Crayfish Sampling
The purpose of this sampling is to estimate exposure from human consumption and ecological risks of chemicals concentrating in tissues of fresh-water mussel and crayfish. In the spring and fall of 2016, samples were collected at various depths throughout the river/lake system. The final data summary report was approved by EPA in March 2018 and data are currently being integrated into the human health risk assessment. In 2019, WDOH used this data to place crayfish in the healthy choice consumption category. Mussels are in the DO NOT EAT category, which is consistent with the state-wide advisory against consuming any freshwater mussels or clams.

Plant Tissue Sampling
The 2014 and 2016 Residential Soil Sampling program, residential yard soil removal actions, and the 2014 Upland Soil Sampling results document elevated levels of metals in soils sampled in these upper Columbia River Valley study areas. The Tribal Consumption and Resource Use Survey confirmed that plants may be harvested from areas where metals are elevated. Residents of the Colville Reservation consume, and otherwise utilize plants which may be contaminated with heavy metals.

Exposure to these metals in plant tissue through consumption or use, however, is unknown. As a result, EPA determined that data for the concentration of metals in berries, nuts, roots, and leaves from a variety of plants was needed for the Upper Columbia River human health risk assessment. Reconnaissance in focused locations of the study area occurred in August 2017 to identify the type and availability of plants for sampling. In 2018, the sampling plan was approved, then three rounds of sampling occurred. Samples were analyzed and results presented in a final data summary report. Data are currently being integrated into the human health risk assessment. Consumption of nuts, berries and leaves are not likely to be a health concern. However, consumption of roots, bulbs, or lichens may be a concern.

Residential Soil Sampling
In addition to sampling and residential soil cleanup activities that took place in 2014-2015, another round of soil sampling occurred in 2016. Sampling occurred at some properties within the original boundary from 2014 and extended through the river valley as far south as China Bend. 144 residential properties were sampled. Results were sent to landowners in April 2017. Data summary reports are available on the UCR web page. A time critical soil removal triggered 4 additional properties being cleaned up, bringing the total number of properties receiving cleanup since 2014 to 17. Cleanup occurred as part of voluntary agreements between EPA and TAI for TAI to fund and conduct cleanup under EPA oversight.

Details

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updated the community on the Upper Columbia River Site Remedial Investigation & Feasibility Study (Upper Columbia RI/FS) in Northport, WA on October 15th.

The big news is that the draft Upper Columbia Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA) is expected to be released by November 11, 2019. The public will have the opportunity to review the draft through the Citizens for a Clean Columbia organization. The Final HHRA is expected by February 2020. “It’s a critical milestone representing years of effort and the collective work of multiple agencies and stakeholders,” said Robert Tan, EPA’s Upper Columbia Remedial Project Manager.

EPA describes the HHRA as “the process to estimate the nature and probability of adverse health effects in humans who may be exposed to chemicals in contaminated environmental media, now or in the future.”

Of particular interest to the upper Columbia River Valley and Northport Community is human exposure to lead. A focal point for the HHRA is children who’s rapidly growing bodies absorb lead more rapidly than adults. Child exposure, for instance, can negatively affect cognitive development and self-control.

At the Northport meeting, EPA previewed how the HHRA will use blood level modeling to characterize human health risks in the Upper Columbia Valley. EPA will share this process at the Lake Roosevelt Forum Conference as well.

Because the science and regulatory environment regarding lead toxicology is still evolving, 3 lead risk evaluation benchmarks will be shown in the HHRA. These protection benchmarks can then be compared to the presence of lead in soils to evaluate human health risk.

Using sites sampled to date, the difference in number of sites exceeding the benchmarks is far higher when using the most protective benchmark. Specifically, 392 sampling units previously tested exceed the most protective benchmark; 88 units exceed the middle benchmark, and 12 units exceed the least protective benchmark. These results will help EPA plan for future potential cleanup actions or assessments and may be considered during the planned Feasibility Study.

As noted in the RI/FS updates, to date 17 residential properties have received soil cleanup via voluntary agreements between EPA and Teck American Incorporated.

The HHRA is expected to be a lengthy document covering findings for river-based exposures such as fish consumption, beaches and surface water; and upland exposures such as plants and contact with soils. Once the draft is released, then finalized after public comment, EPA and project partners will begin the process of assessing interim clean-up or other remedial measures that may need to be taken prior to completion of the Remedial Investigation and conducting a site-wide Feasibility Study.

The HHRA is being completed as part of a 2006 settlement agreement between EPA and Teck American Incorporated.

Details

Six years in the making, two of six turbine units being overhauled in Grand Coulee Dam’s Third Power Plant are now back in operation. The second unit came back online in March. Each of the units overhauled has a generating capacity of 805 megawatts.

The six turbines in the Third Power Plant became operational from 1975 – 1980. Other than general maintenance, they’ve been running continuously until each is opened for overhaul. And just like an aging house being remodeled and modernized, engineers and contactors discovered worn-out parts and other issues that dramatically changed the project schedule. Originally, managers envisioned overhaul of all six turbine units by the end of 2017.

To comprehend the size and importance of these turbines, think about one megawatt of electricity being able to serve the needs of about 650 residential homes. That means one of the units overhauled can meet the needs of over 500,000 residential homes and all six units can meet the needs of over 3,000,000 residential homes. Add in the capacity of the 18 generators from Grand Coulee’s Right and Left Powerhouses that received turbine replacements between 2000 and 2010, and Grand Coulee Dam has the generating capacity to meet the needs of over 4.5 million residential homes. Alone, that’s more than all the housing units in Washington State.

While this overhaul is essential to keeping the lights on in the Northwest, the investment is also very significant. The original cost of Third Power Plant construction was about 700 million dollars (in 1980’s dollar value). Overhauling the first two units cost about 100 million dollars.

A third unit was disassembled this spring. Completing the overhaul of this unit will utilize lessons learned from the first two units with work currently scheduled for completion by the end of 2020. Then it’s on to the next three units.

Details

Communications Water Resource Graph

Karen Trebitz
University of Idaho PhD student

Communications networks are like spider webs of interlinked ties of people and their interactions. The threads are lines of communications, and the intersections, or nodes, represent various organizations, or “actors.” Central actors talk to each other frequently, and likely have a major interest in the system. More distant connections may provide bridges to outside resources, such as information, funding, or even political support.

My PhD studies are focused on the networks of communications for governing fisheries and water quality in five reservoirs of the Columbia River Basin: Lake Chelan, Lake Roosevelt, Lake Pend Oreille, Lake Koocanusa, and člq̓etkʷ (Flathead Lake). A sixth area, the St. Joe/St. Maries River sub-basin of Lake Coeur D’Alene, was a pilot study for the current research. The actors and stakeholders include a diverse array of U.S Tribes and Canadian First Nations; federal, state and local regulatory agencies; non-government organizations, and business and industry.

A robust online survey was developed that is divided into three sections: health indicators for water quality and fisheries, networking opportunities, and attitudes regarding the success/health of networking as it relates to meeting organizational goals. The on-line survey has been completed by 73 organizations. With roughly forty identified actors per basin, this is a 37 percent survey response rate overall. Follow-up calls and emails with survey participants also yielded rich contextual information.

An early take away from implementing the survey is that organizations aren’t social, people are. Representatives from some organizations interacted numerous times to assure they were completing the survey properly, others completed the survey without comment, and some declined to complete the survey with or without comment. Differing protocols within organizations also became apparent with one, for instance, asking their press office to vet the survey first.

Each of the study areas show the same general “core-periphery” pattern of multiple actors being densely connected in the center. As one moves away from this core, actors tend to be connected to the center, but are less and less connected to each other.

Those located at the core tend to be central actors with a major interest in the system, e.g.-- regulatory agencies, Tribes/First Nations, dam owner/operators, and major landowners. Still central, but less prevalent, are the US EPA, lake Research Institutes, Lakes Commissions, and state-level departments of lands or natural resources. Each network has at least one non-profit or collaborative council that is close to, if not, in the core.

Information exchange is a less evident, but perhaps a more important function of the central actors in the networks. In five of the study areas at least one central actor provides an information platform, in the form of regular (usually quarterly) meetings or presentations that are open to the public. Only the Lake Roosevelt network breaks this pattern. The Lake Roosevelt Forum (LRF), a non-profit organization, is barely outside the cluster of the basin’s most central actors. LRF is the only forum platform mentioned by survey respondents in the Lake Roosevelt network, and is even named in another basin. All but one of the respondents who named LRF have either attended or presented at Forum meetings. Multiple information sources are identified in all other basins, mostly hosted by one or more of the central actors.

Collaborations are a matter of communications, and can be blocked or promoted by various factors. Survey respondents were surprisingly candid in their answers: collaboration is hindered by funding limitations, a lack of common goals, poor communication, politics that get in the way, a lack of trust, and the unwillingness of some parties to share data. Interest in collaborating is promoted with an improved willingness by others to engage, share goals and purpose, better communicate, and strongly support sustainable funding.

Statistical correlations of perceived network dynamics reveal similar relations. Data suggest that a network with more of an advisory role (and less binding or regulatory authority) relates positively to higher levels of collaboration, and is more able to identify issues and implement action plans. Neither authority scheme is associated with the ability to develop common goals or strategies, however. The availability of scientific data, more public participation, and higher levels of inclusiveness all correlate with more success in finding common goals and strategies as well as identifying and implementing action.

These findings contribute to understanding Columbia River Treaty governance discussions and on-going federal, state and provincial regulatory processes. Elected officials and policy makers would do well to recognize that achieving goals is greatly affected by not only the standing of sovereigns in the process, but the extent and nature of networking and information exchange present.

Areas with higher degrees of engagement are more likely to find common goals and jointly implement action. Higher degrees of engagement and inclusiveness, however, need additional support and a strong commitment by those with the highest standing and regulatory authority. This requires strong leadership and the presence of social and cultural norms because organizations aren’t social, people are.

Is your organization involved in one of these networks? If you have not yet had a survey filled for your organization, please contact Karen at treb6275@vandals.uidaho.edu.

 

Details

At the Lake Roosevelt Forum Conference, Tim Culbertson will present a hydroelectric pumped storage project being developed by Columbia Basin Hydropower (CBHP). Currently, CBHP manages hydropower generation projects owned by three Irrigation Districts in central Washington. Register Now.

This project may play a role in achieving zero-carbon electricity generation by 2045, a goal set forth in legislation passed by Washington State last spring . If achieved, fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas would no longer be used to generate electricity. California, Nevada and New Mexico passed similar legislation.

Called the Banks Lake Pumped Storage Project, CBHP would use water from Banks Lake and Lake Roosevelt to support a gravity feed system to power three 167 megawatt generating units. Currently, Banks Lake and Lake Roosevelt already operate to support 314 megawatts of pumped storage capacity at the Bureau of Reclamation’s John W. Keys III Pump-Generating Plant.

For proponents of pumped storage, advantages go beyond replacing fossil fuel generation with a renewable energy source. Pumped storage can smooth out demands for electricity when wind or solar plants are idle because the wind isn’t blowing, or the sun isn’t shining. To avoid brown-outs or price spikes, the need is highest when electricity is in most demand. For instance, in the morning when people are getting ready for school or work, or during extreme weather events, e.g.—cold snaps and heat waves.

Bringing a project like this to fruition, however, is a complex task. In addition to the cost to build it, CBHP needs to prove that the project won’t affect current generation and irrigation operations. Further, there are high environmental and regulatory standards that need to be satisfied.

This session will also feature presentations from the Northwest Power and Conservation Council and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. They’ll take a broader look at the tools and generation sources being considered to achieve a carbon-free generation goal.

“The choices being made have broad and deep consequences,” said Forum Executive Director Andy Dunau. “Whether you’re motivated by maximizing the river system’s eco-system function or retaining affordable, reliable and secure power 24/7, there needs to be a meeting of the minds. Whether it’s irony or destiny, our communities again find themselves at the possible center of choices that may cascade down through history.”

Details

Seven Reardan High School FFA (Future Farmers of America) students will bring the plight of the Southern Resident Killer Whales front and center at the conference the morning of November 20th. Register today.

In a fast-paced, 15-minute presentation, students will present the pros and cons of whether and how much to invest in orca recovery, including recommendations set forth by the Southern Resident Killer Whale Task Force appointed by Governor Inslee. Said their teacher Rick Perleberg, “The students have invested hundreds of hours in research and preparation. That includes 16 presentations to community groups, agencies and elected officials.”

And all their work has paid off!! In May they won the Washington State FAA competition. Now they’re off to the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis this October.

“In 2016,” said Forum Executive Director Andy Dunau, “the students went to nationals and then presented at the conference on the subject of Salmon Reintroduction. Frankly, they stole the show. There’s something remarkable and comforting about seeing impeccably prepared and poised teenagers take a deep dive into the science and policies of such a complex and emotionally-charged issue.”

This spring, five orca recovery bills addressing recommendations from the task force became law. They include a focus on protecting orcas from vessel noise and traffic, improving the safety of oil transportation through the Salish Sea, and increasing fish forage habitat and Chinook salmon for the orca’s food source.

As Chinook are one of the species being investigated for reintroduction to the Upper Columbia, Lake Roosevelt once again finds itself at ground zero of a basin-wide debate. “That’s also why the team is strategically placed on the agenda before U.S. and Canadian presentations on the status and development of salmon reintroduction plans,” said Dunau.

Many thanks to the Reardan team for modeling effective balanced dialog in our communities.

Details

Operation of the Columbia River stands at the nexus of attaining goals for a future that supports zero-carbon power, salmon recovery and reintroduction, flood control, and meeting water needs for families, industry and farms. Finding the sweet spot to support these multiple needs and demands would be difficult under the best of circumstances.

The circumstances currently being faced, however, may more accurately be described as an age of uncertainty. Changing climate conditions, for instance, create more uncertainty around snowpack, river flows, water temperatures, water availability and fisheries. Transboundary efforts to build resiliency into the system as a backstop to uncertainty will be major topics at the Forum Conference. Register now.

The conference will also highlight how modernizing the Columbia River power equation is vital to creating the resiliency needed to address climate change and other environmental goals.

This year, Washington State passed legislation committing the state’s electricity supply to be carbon neutral by 2030 and 100 percent carbon-free by 2045. For Washington and other Northwest states that may adopt similar legislation, meeting this goal while meeting other Columbia River economic, cultural and environmental demands will be a challenge.

Part of the challenge is something called load balancing. Wind doesn’t always blow, the sun doesn’t always shine, and severe cold snaps or heat waves happen. In a world with far less or no coal and natural gas power plants, finding the capacity to meet peak demands under adverse circumstances requires modernizing more than just current plants and bringing on new wind and solar energy resources.

Sid Morrison, former U.S. Congressman and current chair of the Executive Board for Energy Northwest, will provide a keynote that peeks at what a modernized Columbia River power equation may look like. He’ll look at options that range from building pumped storage hydropower projects on the Columbia to adding small nuclear modular reactors; and he’ll consider the level of investment needed, impacts from California’s power markets and integration with the environmental landscape. Energy Northwest is a consortium of 27 public utility districts and municipalities across Washington. Included in their services is operation of nuclear, wind, hydro and solar projects.

“Sid’s talk is timely because it’s also happening against a backdrop of Columbia River tensions at the federal level that extend beyond Columbia River Treaty negotiations,” said Forum Executive Director Andy Dunau.

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), the federal agency that markets power from Northwest federal hydroelectric projects and a nuclear plant, has increased rates charged to Northwest utilities by 30% over the past nine years. That’s partly in response to higher hydropower maintenance costs, a situation that will get worse. This year’s maintenance costs are projected to be $130 million. By 2021 it’s projected to be $256 million and by 2023 $300 million. At the same time, BPA projects fish and wildlife mitigation funding being reduced by $30 million dollars for the next fiscal year and recently announced it will not increase average wholesale base power rates for fiscal years 2020 and 2021.

“Obviously, finding ways to deliver clean, reliable, affordable power while meeting environmental goals is getting more difficult,” said Dunau.

“The conference is a place where we’re trying to sort out how various pieces fit together, look at how the future may play out and, most importantly, provide a safe place for varying interests to dialog and hopefully find common ground.”

 

Details

Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
July 16, 2019

With summer in full swing and temperatures rising at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, the National Park Service would like to remind visitors to wear their life jackets when they are in, on, and around the water.

Whether you’re swimming or boating, here are some statistics to keep in mind. The majority of people who drown were not wearing a life jacket. The U.S. Coast Guard statistics show 84.5 percent of drownings that occurred in 2017 may have been preventable if they had been wearing a life jacket. Over half of the drowning victims never intended to be in the water. Most drowning victims knew how to swim. It’s also not good enough to “have it on the boat” when it only takes 20 seconds for a child to drown and 60 seconds for an adult. A life jacket only works if you wear it.

New life jackets are much more comfortable, lightweight and stylish than the bulky orange style most boaters know. There are innovative options, such as inflatable life jackets, allowing mobility and flexibility for activities like boating, fishing, paddling or hunting, and are much cooler in the warmer weather.

Some important reminders about life jackets:

  • Make sure your life jacket is U.S. Coast Guard approved.
  • Take the time to ensure a proper fit.
  • Check your life jacket is in good serviceable condition, with no tears or holes.
  • Double check that your life jacket is appropriate for your favorite water activities.


For more information, please visit https://safeboatingcampaign.com/life-jackets/.

Details


Excerpted from WA Department of Fish and Wildlife Columbia Basin Bulletin News Releases
July 23, 2019


The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced that the Lake Roosevelt white sturgeon fishery season will extend to September 30th. In addition, beginning September 1st anglers will also be able to harvest these fish from the China Bend Boat Ramp upstream to the Canadian Border. See WDFW’s "Fishing in Washington" rules pamphlet for regulations.


Three years ago was the first time in 20 years a white sturgeon fishery in Lake Roosevelt was open to the public. That year more than 17,000 anglers took to the water to bag a prehistoric fish that can grow to more than 12 feet long and weigh hundreds of pounds.


This year is no different. Starting in June, thousands of anglers descended upon the lake to catch sturgeon. The success of the fishery derives from hatchery programs in Washington state and British Columbia.


Funded largely by Bonneville Power Administration ratepayers, the hatcheries began in the early 2000s, stocking up to 12,000 juvenile sturgeon annually. The hatcheries are managed by the Spokane Tribe of Indians, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation and some Canadian entities.


“The hatchery program has been very successful, much better than we ever expected,” says Jason McLellan, research scientist for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation. “However, certain families of sturgeon are surviving better than others, resulting in disparities among the abundances of family groups.”


The fact that just a handful of sturgeon families survived at a higher rate was a good thing in the short-term, but it’s something scientists are trying to address for the long haul. That’s because the genetic pool of Lake Roosevelt’s sturgeon could become too narrow. In response, hatchery managers opened the Lake Roosevelt sturgeon fishery in 2017.


“Before the fish get old enough to reproduce we need to thin them out, get their numbers down,” said Scott Bettin, a BPA fisheries biologist, in a BPA press release. “Some sturgeon could begin to produce at around 18 years of age, and that’s just about where we are right now. We don’t want the genes of just a few families to dominate the future.”


To ensure more families are represented, the program switched from using a limited number of wild adult broodstock to wild caught eggs and larvae for its source of young fish. The wild eggs and larvae are taken to hatcheries where they are reared for approximately one year and then released back into the river.


In Canada, white sturgeon are listed as endangered under the Canadian Species at Risk Act. But in the U.S., says Bettin, successful hatchery programs and the international Upper Columbia White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative have helped avoid an Endangered Species Act listing for Lake Roosevelt. That has saved BPA ratepayers big dollars while still helping the fish to thrive, says the press release.


“The white sturgeon hatcheries and now fishery is definitely a huge success for us,” says Bettin. “Survival of the hatchery fish has been at the high end of what we expected, and that has resulted in a real win for our fish mitigation program.”

Details

The Forum’s online Enjoy Lake Roosevelt User Guide continues to be a top resource for discovering and keeping up to date on recreational opportunities. Click here to see for yourself.

“In 2018,” said Executive Director Andy Dunau, “our recreation pages received over 35,000 pageviews. Making it easy to enjoy Lake Roosevelt while supporting dialogs for protection and enhancement is core to the Forum’s mission.”

The Forum’s recreational pages include campground information, daily lake levels, fishing trends, regulations, and contact information for agencies, tribes and concessions services. Collectively, these interactive features make it easy to plan a safe and enjoyable visit.

Details

Thank you to the 56 community members, elected officials, natural resource managers and others who joined us for a bus tour of the Upper Columbia River on Wednesday, June 19th.

  • 2019 Bus Tour 1
  • 2019 Bus Tour 2
  • 2019 Bus Tour 3
  • 2019 Bus Tour 4
  • 2019 Bus Tour 5
  • 2019 Bus Tour 6
  • 2019 Bus Tour 7
  • 2019 Bus Tour 8
  • 2019 Bus Tour 9
  • 2019 Bus Tour 10
  • 2019 Bus Tour 11

From updates on the Upper Columbia River Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study to wolf management, click here to see the wide range of topics covered during the tour. The Forum is very thankful to the presenters who joined the tour or met the bus at various stops to share their knowledge.

“What you learn over the years,” said Forum Executive Director “is how interrelated all these topics are, and the tremendous effort being put forth to protect and manage our natural resources. There’s no better way to experience the totality of these efforts than being in the field dialoging with experts.”

Said one community participant when asked what struck her the most, “The wonderful partnerships that have formed to manage fish, wildlife and our forest should be mimicked throughout all government."

Another community participant remarked, “We never realized the extent of research being done in all these fields. The professionals who presented were very well informed and excellent speakers.”

With excellent presentations, networking and camaraderie throughout the day, it’s no surprise that participants rated the overall quality of the tour a 4.86 rating out of 5.

Details

News Release
National Park Service
June 4, 2019

Coulee Dam – A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 1,276,723 visitors to Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area in 2018 spent over $56 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 689 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of almost $66 million.

“Lake Roosevelt welcomes visitors from across the country and around the world,” said Superintendent Dan Foster. “We are delighted to share the story of this place and the experiences it provides. We also feature the park as a way to introduce our visitors to this part of the country and all that it offers. National park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy, returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service, and it’s a big factor in our local economy as well. We appreciate the partnership and support of our neighbors and are glad to be able to give back by helping to sustain local communities.”

The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas and Egan Cornachione of the U.S. Geological Survey and Lynne Koontz of the National Park Service. The report shows $20.2 billion of direct spending by more than 318 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 329,000 jobs nationally; 268,000 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $40.1 billion.

Lodging expenses account for the largest share of visitor spending, about $6.8 billion in 2018. Food expenses are the second largest spending area and visitors spent $4 billion in restaurants and bars and another $1.4 billion at grocery and convenience stores.

Visitor spending on lodging supported more than 58,000 jobs and more than 61,000 jobs in restaurants. Visitor spending in the recreation industries supported more than 28,000 jobs and spending in retail supported more than 20,000 jobs.

Report authors also produce an interactive tool that enables users to explore visitor spending, jobs, labor income, value added, and output effects by sector for national, state, and local economies. Users can also view year-by-year trend data. The interactive tool and report are available at the NPS Social Science Program webpage: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm. 

To learn more about national parks in Washington State and how the National Park Service works with communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/Washington.

For more information, contact Denise Bausch, (509) 754-7830

 

Details

News Release: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
June 6, 2019

SPOKANE – The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will open a harvest fishery for white sturgeon in Lake Roosevelt starting June 15.

White Sturgeon, a species native to the Columbia River, are known for their large size, with adults growing in excess of 10 feet and weighing hundreds of pounds.

“This is the third year in a row that anglers have the opportunity to fish for white sturgeon in Lake Roosevelt,” said Chris Donley, Region 1 Fish Program manager. “This is a great opportunity for anglers to get out and pursue one of the greatest native sportfish in Washington.”

White sturgeon hatchery programs started in the early 2000s in British Columbia (B.C.) and Washington State. Between both jurisdictions, stocking ranged from 2,000 to 12,000 juvenile sturgeon per year from 2001 to 2010.

“Survival of hatchery-produced juvenile sturgeon was higher than anticipated,” Donley said. “As a result there is a surplus of hatchery-origin sturgeon available for harvest from Lake Roosevelt.”

Anglers will be able to fish for them from Grand Coulee Dam to the China Bend Boat Ramp (including the Spokane River from the Highway 25 Bridge upstream to 400 feet below Little Falls Dam, Colville River upstream to Meyers Falls, and the Kettle River upstream to Barstow Bridge). The daily limit is one sturgeon and the annual limit is two, although anglers may continue to catch and release fish after reaching daily and annual limits.

Legal size to keep a white sturgeon is between 53 and 63 inches from the tip of the snout to the middle of the fork in the tail. All harvested sturgeon must be recorded on a Catch Record Card (catch code 549).

Anglers are asked to use heavy gear (50-pound test mainline and leader at a minimum) and use 14/0 hooks or smaller to avoid catching or injuring large wild adult sturgeon. Two-pole fishing is allowed but night fishing is not.

The white sturgeon season will be open until further notice.  Season dates, times, slot limits, daily limits and annual limits may be adjusted to ensure that a sustainable population of sturgeon is maintained in Lake Roosevelt.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is the state agency tasked with preserving, protecting and perpetuating fish, wildlife and ecosystems, while providing sustainable fishing and hunting opportunities.

For more information, contact:

District 1 Fisheries Biologist Bill Baker, 509-563-5499
Public Affairs, Staci Lehman, 509-892-7853

Details

Two community meetings are being held to review ongoing work at Midnite Mine. Click here for flyer.

  • May 13: Spokane Tribal Longhouse 5:00pm
  • May 14: Eastern Washington University Riverpoint Campus, Room 122, 6:00pm

Midnite Mine is an inactive former uranium mine located on the reservation of the Spokane Tribe of Indians. The superfund cleanup plan calls for a cap over an area of pits filled with waste during mining, consolidation and engineered containment of remaining waste in the two open pits, removal of water entering the pits, and operation of a treatment system to treat contaminated water from the pits and seeps.

Details

Spokane Tribal Fisheries has tagged 20,000 rainbow trout for a study on 2 different stocks of hatchery fish being released into Lake Roosevelt. Collection of tags is critical to hatchery research needed to keep this vital recreation fishery thriving.

Click here for flyer to report tag information and entry into monthly prize drawing for gift cards.

Details

More in-river sampling is being scheduled for 2019 between the Marcus area and the Canadian Border as a continuation of preliminary work started in 2018 for the third phase of the Sediment Study (Phase 3). EPA first conducted sediment studies in 2005. The purpose of Phase 3 work is to inform the Baseline Ecological Risk Assessment (BERA) that Teck American, Inc. (TAI) continues conducting with oversight from EPA.

The BERA evaluates risk (i.e., the potential for adverse effects) to wildlife on land and in water, including river benthic (i.e., aquatic sediment-dwelling) invertebrate life such as mayflies, mussels, and crayfish. This is a key part of the assessment of metals and other contaminants of concern under the RI/FS.

The Phase 3 Sediment Study includes sediment and porewater sampling in three areas of interest (AOIs) in the northern section of the UCR Site: Deadman’s Eddy, China Bend and a location upstream of Marcus Flats near Evans. The three AOIs were selected based on evaluation of data from sediment sampling conducted in 2005 and 2013. The Phase 3 study features five main components.

Sediment Facies Mapping: The mapping study will collect high-resolution data to identify and map sediment grain size fractions and texture of the UCR sediment bed in the northern section of the UCR Site. Further characterization of sediment bed attributes is needed to inform and support other subsequent Phase 3 efforts.  At varying degrees of measurement resolution detail the following data will be collected in support of the mapping effort:
o    Bathymetry and backscatter using a multibeam echosounder (MBES)
o    Vertical velocity profile measurements via acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP)
o    Underwater imagery using a drop-frame camera equipped with scaling lasers

For this study component, approximately 35 miles of river from Marcus to just north of Deadman’s Eddy were surveyed in 2018. The remaining 5 river miles to the US-Canada border will be surveyed this summer.  The survey is of higher clarity and resolution in the AOIs. The survey data were used to develop “facies maps” to classify areas such as gravel, cobble and sand that would help identify the best sites for sediment sampling in the three AOIs. Less detailed facies maps will also be developed in 2019 for the river surveyed outside of the AOIs.

Sediment Sampling: Samples of river sediment will be collected to measure concentrations of metals and other chemicals of interest that could pose risk to benthic invertebrates and other aquatic organisms in the AOIs.

Porewater Sampling: Porewater refers to the water between the grains of sediment in the river. It’s of interest because metals and other chemicals of interest leach from the sediments into porewater and thus can become available to benthic organisms living in and ingesting this water.  This sampling will assist in better understanding risk to benthic invertebrates due to metals in porewater, and in better understanding the relationship between concentrations of metals in sediments and metals in water.

Bioassays: Contaminated sediment toxicity to aquatic benthic invertebrates can be evaluated with laboratory tests known as bioassays.  Extensive bioassay testing has previously been performed. This additional bioassay testing will be performed in conjunction with other measurements on sediments collected within the three AOIs.  This may help further evaluate risk to organisms coming in contact with site sediment and porewater. If biological effects are observed in sediment bioassays from the sediments sampled, an additional laboratory sediment assessment techniques known as toxicity identification evaluations (TIEs) will be employed on the sediment samples.  TIEs will be conducted to potentially help better describe the substances or conditions cause toxic responses in site sediments.

Benthic Invertebrate Community Survey: Benthic invertebrates are organisms such as mayflies, crayfish, and mussels, that live in or on the bottom sediments. Benthic invertebrates can be adversely affected by sediment contamination, and the types of organisms present in a sediment sample also can provide information about whether contaminants in the sample are having an effect on the benthic community. The survey will provide information on the species composition and diversity of benthic communities in the AOIs to be sampled.

A Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) is currently in development and, if approved, will result in field work beginning in the fall of 2019.

Details

Over a decade has passed since EPA reached agreement with Teck in 2006 to conduct an Upper Columbia Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS).  Thus far, the efforts remain in the investigative phase to identify the nature and extent of contamination and assess potential risks to human health and the environment. A feasibility study to consider potential cleanup alternatives will follow.

Each newsletter carries an update to highlight recent studies and activities that are underway. To learn about the history of the entire RI/FS and what’s been learned, visit our Public Guides at www.lrf.org/environment. A new Public Guide is scheduled to be released this June.

Northern Pike Sampling

In response to increased numbers of Northern Pike catch and consumption that’s also being incentivized by the creation of a bounty to help rid the system of this invasive predator, Lake Roosevelt fisheries co-managers worked with EPA and Teck American Incorporated (TAI) to sample Northern Pike for mercury and other metals. Sampling was completed in July 2018 and results are presented in the draft data summary report provided to EPA in December 2018. EPA provided the data to the Washington Department of Health in December 2018 for evaluation.

Mussel and Crayfish Sampling

The main purpose of this sampling is to estimate exposure from human consumption and ecological risks of chemicals concentrating in tissues of fresh-water mussel and crayfish. In the spring and fall of 2016, samples were collected at various depths throughout the river/lake system. A data summary report was approved by EPA in March 2018 and is posted on the www.ucr-rifs.com web site. EPA will integrate the data summary report into their human health risk assessment. EPA provided the data to Washington Department of Health in 2018 for evaluation to establish safe consumption advisories.

Plant Tissue Sampling

The 2014 and 2016 Residential Soil Sampling program, residential yard soil removal actions, and the 2014 Upland Soil Sampling results further documented elevated levels of metals in soils sampled in these study areas. In addition, the Tribal Consumption and Resource Use Survey established the uses of plants harvested from areas where metals are elevated. Residents of the Colville Reservation consume, and otherwise utilize, upland, wetland and aquatic plants which may be contaminated with heavy metals.

Exposure to these metals in plant tissue through consumption or use, however, is unknown. As a result, EPA determined that data for the concentration of metals in berries, nuts, roots, and leaves from a variety of plants was needed for the Upper Columbia River human health risk assessment. Reconnaissance in focused locations of the study area occurred in August 2017 to identify the type and availability of plants for sampling. In 2018, the sampling plan was approved and three rounds of sampling occurred. Samples were analyzed and the draft data summary report was provided to EPA in January 2019 for review.

Residential Soil Sampling

In addition to sampling and residential soil cleanup activities that took place in 2014-2015, another round of soil sampling occurred in 2016. Sampling occurred at some properties within the original boundary from 2014 and extended through the river valley as far south as China Bend. 144 residential properties were sampled. Results were sent to landowners in April 2017. Using current interim cleanup thresholds, this resulted in 4 additional properties being cleaned up, bringing the total number of properties receiving cleanup since 2014 to 17. Cleanup occurred as part of  voluntary agreements between EPA and TAI for TAI to fund and conduct cleanup under EPA oversight.

Details

The waterfront area in front of Northport City Park and boat launch is expected to have visitors at the end of March and/or beginning of April. Under the oversight of the Washington Department of Ecology, contractors will be taking soil samples, digging test pits, taking direct readings of metals concentrations, and collecting other geotechnical data to investigate and evaluate cleanup of smelter-related metals contamination in this area.

Ecology’s goal is to assess options for protecting people and restoring the environment along about 795 feet of the waterfront. This area was polluted by smelter waste deposited and dispersed along the shore from the Le Roi Smelter. The smelter treated copper ores between 1901 and 1911, and lead ores between 1916 and 1921.

In 2004, EPA initiated cleanup activities of the 30-acre Le Roi Smelter site and several of the more heavily affected residential properties in Northport. In 2014, BNSF Railway excavated and removed arsenic and lead contaminated soil in the area that we know of as the Northport City Park. Although this waterfront effort is independent of these efforts, Ecology’s investigation extends and builds on their work.

As the investigation unfolds and cleanup options are considered, Ecology is planning on receiving extensive input from local governments, businesses and residents. Their goal is to not only hear the community’s concerns but develop a plan that supports the community’s vision for the waterfront. Examples of possible cleanup options include removing or capping the smelter-related wastes.

The rationale for conducting field work this spring is that parts of the shoreline falling under investigation for cleanup are only fully exposed during very limited times of the year. Results of the field work will feed into a Remedial Investigation (RI) report that will take several months to complete and is expected to be made available to the public later this year.

Based on the investigation findings, Ecology will develop options for possible cleanup. Visit www.lrf.org/northport to access Ecology web site with fact sheet and updates about this project.

Details

Up to $301,473 dollars from BPA Fish and Wildlife Program cost savings and other accounts will provide additional funding for Spokane Tribe of Indians, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Colville Confederated Tribe northern pike suppression efforts. Funds will support purchase of additional equipment and other resources needed for suppression. Up to $301,473 dollars from BPA Fish and Wildlife Program cost savings and other accounts will provide additional funding for Spokane Tribe of Indians, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Colville Confederated Tribe northern pike suppression efforts. Funds will support purchase of additional equipment and other resources needed for suppression. 

As reported at the Lake Roosevelt Forum conference and newsletter, Lake Roosevelt fishery managers continue to see a disturbing increase in the presence of northern pike. This non-native invasive species is a voracious predator of other fish that, once established with breeding populations, is known to devastate other resident fish populations. Beginning next year, total fish and wildlife funding for northern pike suppression in Lake Roosevelt will exceed $1.3 million. 

Click here for Columbia Basin Bulletin article providing additional information.

Details

The 2018 Lake Roosevelt Conference had record attendance with 294 people participating in one or both days of the conference. Click here to view presentations.

Click here for Northwest Power and Conservation blog summarizing key parts of the conference. Click here for Spokesman Review article on the Columbia River Treaty. Click here for Spokesman Review article on salmon reintroduction above Grand Coulee.

Details

By Eric Weatherman, Columbia Navigation

The current high run off and flooding conditions combined with the current low lake levels on Lake Roosevelt are causing floating wood debris to escape from the established catch boom facilities at China Bar and the mouth of the Kettle River.  Other tributary streams and rivers are contributing to these conditions as well.  This will allow floating debris to enter Lake Roosevelt and flow downstream with the normal river currents.  Boaters are advised to use caution during these conditions especially during times of high wind or wave action which can make floating wood debris hard to see during boat travel. Read More

As the Lake continues to fill it will also refloat once sunken and exposed debris found along the beaches that have dried out and become buoyant once again.  These debris pieces historically float low in the water and will eventually sink once again after being exposed to the rising waters.

Floating wood debris pieces that can be encountered in Lake Roosevelt will range in size from typical bark nuggets to full size tree length stems that may or may not have root systems attached.  Caution should be taken when approaching or passing by any large debris pieces taking special consideration for the possibility of additional length that may be just under the water surface and not immediately visible to passing boaters.

These current conditions and debris exposures could remain a concern and safety consideration until the lake has approached full pool.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Eric Weatherman
EricW1962@gmail.com
509-680-4335

Click here for Lake Level & Boat Launch information.

Details
U.S. Columbia River Treaty Negotiator Jill Smail will lead a Town Hall on April 25, 2018, as the United States prepares to begin negotiations with Canada to modernize the Columbia River Treaty regime. The Town Hall, which is free of charge and open to the public, will take place at the Historic Davenport Hotel’s Isabella Room in Spokane, Washington, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
 
At this event, U.S. government representatives will generally review the upcoming process and plans for engaging the region. The team will also take questions from the public. Feel free to send questions in advance to ColumbiaRiverTreaty@state.gov. If you are unable to attend in person, you can participate via phone by calling 1-866-340-4886 (toll free) and entering the passcode 372778087#.
 
For more information, please visit www.state.gov or email us at ColumbiaRiverTreaty@state.gov. For press inquiries, please email WHAPress@state.gov. To view the Federal Register Notice for the Town Hall, please visit https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/04/02/2018-06612/town-hall-meeting-on-modernizing-the-columbia-river-treaty-regime.
 

Details

Jon Waterhouse directs the Indigenous Peoples Program at the Oregon Health & Science University and Portland State University School of Public Health. Jon is a past member of the National Science Foundation funded Science and Technology Center for Coastal Margin Observation & Prediction.

He will be the opening keynote for Salmon Reintroduction Day on April 25th.

A Native American of S’Klallam, Chippewa-Cree descent, Waterhouse is an internationally known scholar and lecturer providing a view into indigenous thinking in a rapidly changing world. From the Yukon Watershed in Alaska and Canada, the Lena River in Siberia to the Amazonian Basin and Africa, Jon explores the shifting tides and interactions among the natural environment, people, culture and climate challenges.

Said Waterhouse, “Place is vital to human growth and development on this planet. Understanding geography helps us understand other people and cultures, and how their views of the world around them may differ from our own. We can learn so much about historical environmental changes from place-based people.”

Said Forum Executive Director Andy Dunau, “Navigating the environmental, cultural, economic, and policy currents and cross currents of salmon reintroduction is no easy task. What better way to start the day then Jon giving us a glimpse into currents playing out across the globe.”

Details

 

We’re pleased to announce that Francisco Palmieri with the U.S. Department of State and Greg Lemermeyer with Global Affairs Canada will participate in the Columbia River Treaty plenary session.

Mr. Palmeri is the Acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. He will open the conference with a Columbia River Treaty (CRT) keynote, and be introduced by Jill Smail, the Columbia River Treaty Negotiator for the U.S. Department of State.

Mr. Palmeri’s State Department experiences also include diplomatic efforts in Central America, Latin America and the Caribbean, and serving as Director of Embassy Baghdad’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Office. He earned an M.S. in International Strategic Studies from the National War College. He received his A.B. in Politics from Princeton University and attended the University of Texas’ Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs prior to joining the Foreign Service.

Greg Lemermeyer, Global Affairs Canada Deputy Director of U.S. Transboundary Affairs, will participate in the Columbia River Treaty plenary panel.  Global Affairs Canada is the Canadian equivalent to the Department of State and is responsible for Columbia River Treaty negotiations.

Details

Kristine Dunker and Parker Bradley with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) will provide a conference keynote, “Northern Pike: The Unwelcome Invader,” on April 24th.

The message to their friends and peers in the lower 48 is clear: northern pike is a clear and present danger to our ecosystem and recreational economy. Being slow to respond will not only make things worse for Lake Roosevelt, but pose a downstream threat to salmon and other fisheries.

Kristine joined ADFG twelve years ago and currently oversees several efforts to suppress and eradicate northern pike in Southcentral Alaska. What started out as a nuisance caused by illegal stocking dating back to the 1950s was getting out of control by the 1990s. Lakes and streams once supporting healthy numbers of coho salmon, Chinook salmon and rainbow trout were being largely or fully displaced by northern pike.

ADFG has used gillnetting, rotenone (a piscicide that kills all fish in a waterbody), and other methods since the early 2000s to eradicate and suppress northern pike populations and prevent them from spreading to other waters.

Kristine and Parker will share success stories in some areas, and the reality of spreading populations in other areas. Said Kristine, “Once the cat is out of the bag, it becomes exceedingly difficult and far less likely that pike can be eliminated entirely. You need to play the long game. That’s why I’m such a firm believer in prevention and early action.”

In the worst cases, ADFG has been forced to close salmon fisheries. Kristine also notes that problems with northern pike are compounded by habitat and other conditions posing challenges.

A breakout session after the keynote will provide details on regional and local efforts to cope with the spread of northern pike. Said one fishery manager, “When you see pictures of pike eating walleye and rainbow trout whole, you get the point that this is a voracious apex, opportunistic predator.”

Locally, the Kalispell Tribe has done terrific work reducing northern pike in the Pend Oreille River’s Box Canyon Reservoir. And to their credit, they spread the alarm years ago that a basin-wide approach to prevention and containment was needed.

Said Andy Dunau, the Forum’s Executive Director “Lake Roosevelt is now on the frontlines. Alarm bells for basin-wide coordination and funding will continue to sound as pike potentially migrate downstream. Now’s the time to learn from the Alaska experience.”

Details

The Forum is pleased to announce that Jill Smail, Columbia River Treaty Negotiator for the U.S. Department of State, will provide the opening keynote for the Lake Roosevelt Forum Conference.

Ms. Smail’s keynote on April 24th at 10:00 a.m. will kick-off a two-hour plenary session on modernizing the Columbia River Treaty. She joined the State Department’s Office of Canadian Affairs as the Columbia River Treaty Negotiator in October 2017.

Before this assignment, Ms. Smail spent about eight years working with Middle East negotiating teams on water issues related to a final status agreement. This included working with parties to achieve greater cooperation in watershed management, research, desalination, infrastructure development and agriculture. While at the state department since 2001, other assignments include serving on a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan and negotiating small arms and light weapons destruction agreements in post-conflict regions.

After the keynote, CRT opinion leaders from the U.S. and Canada will provide their perspectives. As part of this, the audience will share their perspectives via real time, anonymous polling technology. Click here to view current list of CRT panel participants.

Details

Given the Ides of March are upon us, this is the time to register for the LRF Conference. And don’t forget, the deadline to receive the conference room rate at the Davenport Hotel is March 28th.


Next week we’ll be announcing an all-star cast for the Columbia River Treaty plenary session that opens the conference on April 24th. Said Don Dashiell, Forum President and Stevens County Commissioner, “The conference reputation as a safe space for real conversations has really paid off. We’ve lined up top policy makers, opinion leaders and stakeholders from both the U.S. and Canadian sides of the border. As negotiations to modernize the treaty begin, this is the perfect time to hear their initial thoughts.”


Day two of the conference has a treat of a different sort, a sneak peak of the Phase 1 report dedicated to the feasibility of reintroducing salmon above Grand Coulee Dam. Three years in the making, the full report is expected to be released this spring. The conference will feature researchers and natural resource managers from the Colville Confederated Tribes, Upper Columbia United Tribes (UCUTs), Spokane Tribe of Indians and others giving you the 64,000-foot view of what to expect.


Said Steve Smith, a consultant to the United Columbia Upper Tribes, “At a previous LRF conference I was asked the question if we’d see salmon above Grand Coulee in my life time. My answer was yes, which was and is a bit controversial. The Phase 1 report puts meat on the bones of that discussion.”


The work being presented was funded by the Bonneville Power Administration, the Bureau of Reclamation, UCUTs, the Spokane Tribe of Indians and the Colville Confederated Tribes. Phase 1 findings will be used to determine whether to progress to Phase 2, which would focus on pilot reintroductions and addressing critical uncertainties.


Said Andy Dunau, the Forum’s Executive Director, “We’re also very fortunate to have presentations on similar work being done on the Canadian side of the border. If you want to draw your own conclusions about whether salmon above Grand Coulee is a pipe dream or feasible in our life time, this is the place to be. That’s why we’re also featuring a policy roundtable later in the day.”
Register now.

Details

The Orca Whale is beautiful and distinctive. Up to 32 feet long and an apex predator of the sea, their large black body and white underside gracefully swim off our west coast shores.

On salmon reintroduction day, April 25th, Ben Enticknap with Oceana will provide a keynote focusing on Southern Resident Killer Whales. This endangered species relies on a diet that is 95% salmon, 80% of which is Chinook. Current estimates are that only 76 orcas in this distinct population remain. Increasing the availability of Chinook is vital to moving them off the endangered species list.

In a twist worthy of a Hollywood screenplay, reintroduction of non-listed Chinook salmon above Grand Coulee Dam may help increase the availability of food for these Orcas over 600 miles downstream.

Ben Enticknap is the Pacific Campaign Manager and Senior Scientist for Oceana, an international non-profit organization focused on ocean conservation. Specifically, Oceana’s mission is to make oceans “as rich, healthy, and abundant as they once were.”

Ben’s experience with salmon and marine life dates back 20 years to when he worked with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game researching and monitoring wild salmon runs on the Chilkoot and Chilkat rivers. Since then, he has worked for the Alaska Marine Conservation Council and joined Oceana in 2005.

His experience has led him to see salmon as “incredibly resilient.” Said Ben, “If you give salmon a chance, they’ll take it.” That means giving them the right conditions, including reducing impacts like habitat loss and overfishing.

For Southern Resident Killer Whales, thousands of years of evolution led them to be able to discern and insist on Chinook salmon for their diet. Sometimes known as June Hogs, mature Chinook adults historically weighed up to 100 lbs. Today’s Chinook average about 22 lbs.

In their migratory route from Monterey, CA to the tip of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, the whales feed on various Chinook runs coming from rivers such as the Sacramento and Fraser. One of their stopping points is the mouth of the Columbia River during the winter months.

Now, think Hollywood and imagine a script like this. After years of research and patience, tribes, conservationists and others bring non-listed Chinook salmon above Grand Coulee Dam. They thrive, providing a triple bottom line of social, economic and environmental benefits. Runs of Chinook making the journey to and from the mouth of the Columbia increase. The Southern Resident Killer Whales make the grateful sound of dietary joy.

Register now to hear more.

Details

The 2018 conference is April 24th & 25th at The Historic Davenport Hotel in Spokane, WA. Click here for agenda.

This year’s conference has unique features. On the 24th, opinion leaders from both sides of the border will do a full morning plenary session on Modernizing the Columbia River Treaty. And the second day of the conference is devoted exclusively to Upper Columbia Salmon Reintroduction.

Over the coming weeks, we’re looking forward to sharing with you keynote speakers and other exciting information coming together to make this a great conference. Click here to register.

Details

In 2017, four additional residential properties on Mitchell Road were identified for contaminated soil cleanup. These are properties where soil sampling conducted in 2016 showed lead levels exceeding 600 ppm (parts per million).

In 2014 and 2016, landowners were given the opportunity to receive free soil sampling as part of the Upper Columbia River (UCR) remedial investigation and feasibility study. The goal of sampling was to determine if levels of metals in soils could pose an unacceptable risk to human health, particularly to children who live within the UCR Study Area.

In 2014, 74 properties were sampled and 13 received cleanup and restoration of their properties in 2015. This occurred as part of a voluntary agreement between EPA and Teck American Incorporated (TAI) for TAI to fund and conduct cleanup of the 13 properties under EPA oversight.

In 2016, the area for those eligible for free soil sampling was expanded to include property owners along the river valley living as far south as China Bend. In addition, those who chose not to participate in the 2014 sampling were given another opportunity to receive free sampling.

TAI with EPA oversight contacted 519 property owners. 276 responded, and 142 granted access to their property to receive free soil sampling. Four properties had lead level exceedances of 600 ppm.

In the fall of 2017 one property and part of another was cleaned up. The remaining area of one property and the other two properties are scheduled for clean up in the spring of 2018. As in 2015, TAI is voluntarily working with land owners to fund and conduct cleanup activities under EPA oversight.

Details

After years of development and negotiation, remedial actions to cleanup Midnite Mine are progressing. The former uranium mine, which is located on the Spokane Indian Reservation, operated from 1955 to 1981 and covers over 320 acres. Radioactivity and heavy metals are among the human health and environmental risks being addressed.


The 2016 Midnite Mine Basis of Design Report identifies the project as a multi-year remedial design with construction activities expected to be completed in 2025. Remedial activities include backfilling two open pits with approximately 18 million cubic yards of mine waste rock and other affected materials which are part of the legacy mining operations.


Backfill operations began with the Pit 4 facility in 2016 and will continue this next construction season. Past Pit 4 operations included the implementation of highwall stabilization, dewatering, sediment removal, drain rock crushing, well installation, and drain rock placement. Over the next several years, waste rock and other materials placement in Pit 4 will be completed. The backfilled pit will be capped with clean soil and revegetated. While these activities are completed, remedial actions will be conducted preparing Pit 3 for backfill.


During 2017, EPA completed permitting of a new National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Permit (NPDES) for a new water treatment plant which will discharge treated water to the Spokane Arm of Lake Roosevelt. The plants development schedule calls for design in 2018, construction in 2019, and commissioning in 2020.


To conduct activities safely, many additional measures such as stormwater management, dust suppression, air quality monitoring, and water sampling are part of construction activities.


The project has been advanced from years of development and negotiation. A 2012 agreement makes EPA responsible for oversight of cleanup work in coordination with the Spokane Tribe.

Details

The elevation of Lake Roosevelt is hovering around 1,232.5 feet above sea level The lake level will remain in the 1232 -1235 range until the lake begins to refill. By the end of June, refill generally results in the lake rising to above 1280 feet.

Boaters are advised to check if the boat launch they prefer is available for use, particularly when lake levels are low. Click here, for an easy way to do this. You can click on the boat launch of interest from this Forum web page. A graph will show you if the launch level is above or below the lake level. It’s a handy tool worth bookmarking.  

Beach campers should also be very aware of lake level changes. Rapid refill can unmoor beached boats and inundate camp sites.

Details

The very popular Porcupine Bay Campground located in Lincoln County on the Spokane River arm of Lake Roosevelt is closed, potentially for months. This is due to a landslide at the beginning of April which prevents all vehicle access to the campground and surrounding area. Click here to see drone footage of the landslide, including washing out of the road.


Heavy rain falls have set records throughout eastern Washington, causing landslides and washing out roads and bridges. Travelers are advised to plan and check their routes carefully.

Details

The concessionaire for Kettle Falls Marina accepted a one year contract extension to operate a full suite of marina activities, including fueling and houseboat rentals.

NPS is currently examining alternatives for the best path forward. While many are hopeful, challenges for successful long term operation remain. The Park Service, for instance, has identified aging dock and fueling conditions that need to be addressed.

“Community upset with the current situation is clear and easy to understand,” said Forum Executive Director Andy Dunau. “But the only remedy for the upset is meeting the challenges identified. That means joining hands to define the how and who of investments that make long term operation of the marina viable.”

A public meeting is expected to be scheduled to receive public input.

Details

Over the last couple of years, Lake Roosevelt fishery managers saw a disturbing increase in the presence of Northern Pike. This non-native species is a voracious predator of other fish that, once established with breeding populations, is almost impossible to rid from the system.

In 2016 fishery managers received funding from the Bonneville Power Administration’s Fish and Wildlife program to strike back. Rich Landers with the Spokesman reported on their gillnetting ground game that captured over 360 adult pike this winter. Read More from the Spokesman Review.

Details

In February, the National Park Service (NPS) announced that Kettle Falls Marina would close April 30. That is the date when the National Park Service contract with Lake Roosevelt Vacations, Inc. expires.

After further consideration, NPS is offering Lake Roosevelt Vacations a one-year contract extension to operate the marina through April 30, 2018. The Forum will keep the community apprised as to whether this offer is accepted, and additional work NPS is doing to engage the public in developing a long-term strategy for visitor services at Kettle Falls.

Click here for NPS news release.

Click here for FAQs on Kettle Fall Marina Contract Extension Offer.

Details

Click here to see the Bureau of Reclamation 2017 winter/spring lake level forecast for Lake Roosevelt. This forecast shows the lake levels being reduced to the mid-1250’ above sea level range by the end of April. Compared to other years, this would not be a deep draw down. This early forecast, however, often changes substantially based on actual snowpack and timing of snowmelt in the Canadian Rockies.

Details

Park Service News Release

Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area will be hosting a public scoping meeting in Spokane, WA at the Center for Clinical Research and Simulation building (CCRS) court, 412 E. Spokane Falls Blvd, on February 6th at 6:00 pm.

The focus of this scoping meeting is to discuss the expansion of a variety of proposed outdoor recreational opportunities. Preliminary recreational options include: development of a disc golf course, installation of a traditional and 3-D archery ranges, mountain bike course, expansion of the Park’s trail system, and the development of a Kettle River Water Trail for non-motorized watercraft.

Please join us in discussing these preliminary ideas. Public input in the planning process is greatly appreciated. 

Details

256 people attended one or both days of the 2016 conference. They represented a dynamic cross section of area tribes, natural resource managers, agency folks from throughout the Northwest, elected officials, conservation interests, teachers and students, and the general public. Click here to download the Winter 2017 Issue

Also in this Issue

  • Recreation Economy Takes Center Stage
  • Lincoln County Opens New Vistas for Promoting Lake
  • National Park Service Updates
  • WDFW Redband Trout Fishing Rule Changes
  • EPA Remedial Investigation Updates
  • Invasive Mussel Scare Prompts Calls for Heightened Vigilance
  • Students & Teachers Enjoy Lake Roosevelt Water Festival

Details

It’s been almost 20 years since the federal action agencies (the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, and the Bonneville Power Administration) analyzed the socio-economic and environmental effects of operating 14 multi-purpose federal dams in the Columbia River Basin.

This fall, the action agencies begin a five-year process to prepare an environmental
impact statement (EIS) on the system operation and maintenance of these dams.
The Action Agencies will use this EIS process to assess and update their approach for
long-term system operations and configuration, effectively guiding environmental and human relationships with the Columbia River System for another generation. Information can be found at www.crso.info.

On Monday, November 14th the action agencies are sponsoring an open house from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the historic Davenport Hotel in Spokane, WA to receive public input that will “… help define the issues, concerns, and the scope of alternatives to be addressed in the EIS.”
At the Lake Roosevelt Forum Conference that begins on November 15th, a plenary session will also help the public understand the historical context, related issues, and how to be engaged.


The importance of this effort cannot be understated. It strikes at the heart of analyzing the socio-economic and environmental effects of operating 14 dams on the Columbia River System, then determining an array of alternatives that will directly impact the operation of these projects and measures to minimize their impacts. Whether one is concerned with salmon, the cost of power, irrigation, cultural resources, recreation, flood control and more, the very character of the Northwest ends up being on the table for discussion.


Updating the EIS was spurred by a U.S. District Court decision from Judge Simon. Noted Judge Simon, updating the EIS can ignite consideration of innovative solutions and public officials ability to better “… evaluate the costs and benefits of various alternatives.”


In the agencies notice of intent to prepare the EIS and conduct public scoping sessions for input, action agencies sited examples of high profile alternatives that may be explored. On the operational side, these include dam breaching, altering operations for affecting river flows, and structural modifications to improve fish passage. Examples of non-operational options include improving habitat conditions, altering the hatchery operations, and managing terns and other species that prey on endangered species.  


There is no cost to attend the open house, with participants being able to come in at any time during the three hours to engage with action agencies. Click here to register for the conference.

Details


The Bureau of Reclamation’s Columbia River Basin Climate Impact Assessment and Washington State’s 2016 Columbia River Basin Long-Term Water Supply and Demand Forecast will be featured at the conference on November 15th.


These studies are part of a growing body of research and planning assessing the impact of climate change on meeting power, irrigation, flood control, fisheries, recreation and other demands. The consensus is that, on average, the basin will see more precipitation in winter and less during the summer. By extension, runoff and river flows are expected to increase in the winter and decrease in the summer.


Said Andy Dunau, the Forum’s Executive Director, “People are pretty much moving beyond whether climate change exists, who to blame or what to blame. This session takes us into the conversations of what to expect, who it effects and management options.”


Often, this means revisiting what’s included in and accounted for in the regulatory environment, e.g.-- recovery plans for endangered species and environmental impact statements. For instance, the process to update the Columbia River EIS was spurred by a U.S. District Court decision from Judge Simon. The judge noted a lot has changed in twenty years, including the need to account for climate change and new alternatives to protect ESA listed steelhead and salmon.


Reclamation’s assessment compiles research from a wide range of sources to consider possible impacts across eight water resource categories: water and power infrastructure, reservoir conditions and water delivery, flood control operations, water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, endangered species, ecological resiliency, and recreation.


At the conference, Bureau of Reclamation Resource Services Manager Bryan Horsburgh will provide a high-level view of the assessment’s analysis across these water resource categories.


Said Horsburgh, “The assessment was done internally to provide a reconnaissance level view of potential changes to things like precipitation and river flows. We can then look at whether we have the infrastructure in place to handle possible operational changes. The assessment isn’t decisional in any way. It just helps prepare us for participating in any number of regulatory and operational discussions.”


On a parallel path, the Washington Department of Ecology collaborated with the Washington State University Water Research Center on a Columbia Basin water supply and demand forecast. “The forecast gives regional and local pictures of how the water supply and demand is expected to change,” said Johathan Yoder, director of the State Water Research Center.


For instance, between 2000 and 2035 water demand is expected to increase by 9 percent across the state. At the same time, climate change impacts show water supply being less available when demands are highest.


Please join us at the conference to learn more.

Details

In a first of its kind report, the total economic value of the National Park system and programs to the American public is pegged at $92 billion. Released in June of this year, the report was done for the National Parks Foundation by Colorado State University and the Harvard Kennedy School.

Researchers looked beyond the typical economic impact metrics measuring the direct and indirect effect of spending visitation dollars in the park system, and instead estimated the value of the National Park Service to the public, including the “intrinsic value” of preserving National Parks, whether they use them or not.

Michelle Haefele, a Research Associate at Colorado State University who co-authored the report, will share insights at the Lake Roosevelt Forum Conference on November 16th. Said Haefele, "The value of a public good is never valued by a marketplace. To do that you need to know the intrinsic value of a good. In this case, asking what's the value of knowing National Park Service assets are protected for current and future generations."

To do this, a national survey of households was conducted. Researchers found that 94.8% of the public want National Parks preserved for current and future generations. This cuts across political leanings or whether they visited a park. They also found that the total economic value calculated by researchers is 30 times the annual federal budget to support national parks.

At the conference Haefele will review these and other findings. For example, researchers used the survey to conduct a “choice experiment.” People were given choices between paying more federal income tax, selling public lands and other options to preserve sites and properties in the current system.  “It’s clear that the public places a large value on the irreplaceable lands, waters and historic sites managed by the National Park Service for the American people,” said Haefele.

Building on this opening session, lunch will feature Jon Snyder, Washington State’s first Outdoor Recreation Economic Policy Advisor, discussing economic development and opportunity that’s tied to the outdoors. Then Steve Pozzanghera with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will share results of “listening forums,” social media and other public engagement to gather perspectives on the priorities that should drive WDFW investments and services. And lastly, Kittitas county commissioner Paul Jewell will give local elected perspectives on managing lands for recreation and conservation.

Said Dunau, “To set priorities at all levels of government you need to talk about the value of things, direct and intrinsic. And it’s not a straight forward conversation because there is no right answer other than what’s in each person’s heart. Our speakers are giving us insights to help us along with the conversation.”

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Two Lake Roosevelt Forum Conference sessions will address the common question “so where are we with reintroduction of salmon into the Upper Columbia?” The answer, in simple terms, is that the phased, science-based approach called for in the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s 2014 Fish and Wildlife Program is well underway. At the same time, Canadian natural resource managers and researchers are engaged in similar efforts.

Presentations will explain two important story lines. First, literature searches and studies are being undertaken to investigate the habitat potential, donor stocks, and reintroduction risks. A life cycle model is under development that will inform probabilities and opportunities for success.

Said Stephen Smith, salmon reintroduction consultant to area tribes, “These efforts address the key issues you need to consider before initiating pilot reintroductions. Anyone can plant a fish, we’re interested in long term survival and sustainability.”

Some of the investigations like life cycle modeling are just being completed. The conference is an opportunity to learn what’s being discovered, time lines for completion, discussions regarding how the work will be stitched together, and prospects for the future.

Second, participants will see how the Spokane Tribe of Indians, Colville Confederated Tribes, Upper Columbia United Tribes and the Canadian Columbia River Intertribal Fisheries Commission are leveraging funding sources and distributing efforts across organizations. Said Dr. Brent Nichols, fisheries manager for the Spokane Tribe, “We’re in this for the long haul, understanding our joint and mutual efforts are continuously needed.”

Said Andy Dunau, the Forum’s Executive Director, “It’s an exciting time. Climate change, system operations, the biologic opinion and the treaty are coming down the conveyor belt. Reintroduction is a challenging question by itself. How it fits with these and other variables is something people will be puzzling over for the foreseeable future. My two cents is to get engaged early and often if you want a voice in what the Upper Columbia looks like down the road.”

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Join us at the LRF Conference to learn more about regional defenses and successful practices to prevent and deter aquatic invasive species in our waters. Register Now.


Aquatic invasive species, particularly zebra and quagga mussels, continue to be of great concern in the Northwest. One need only look to Lake Mead, the Great Lakes or the Mississippi River to see their horrific effect on dams, irrigation pumps, boats and the general environment. Besides being unsightly, the costs of mitigation and lost economic development runs into the millions of dollars annually.


The Northwest and British Columbia has, thus far, largely been spared. That’s partly good fortune, and partly the result of agencies across sixteen states and two Canadian provinces working collaboratively to leverage resources and forces to set up effective defenses. Lisa DeBruyckere, who has been working with and co-facilitating the Building Consensus consortium, sums up the effort this way, “The work the western states and Canadian provinces have done during the past five years to coordinate and collaborate is a model for how regions can work together to prevent the spread of invasive species.”


We are very fortunate to have consortium members presenting at the conference. They will get participants up to speed on what’s being done and what you can do to support these efforts. Here’s a taste of what’s on tap with presentations:


At www.westernais.org, three types of databases and mapping tools are available. One of the databases shows where watercraft inspection stations are located and associated technical information. Another provides contact information for AIS coordinators, so that if you’re moving a boat, you can contact someone familiar with the AIS rules and regulations at the destination location. At the same time, the USGS waterbody monitoring data base is being moved to this site, enabling you to find where various sampling is occurring. In addition, the site currently contains a data sheet showing all of the quagga/zebra mussel sampling methods used by western organizations as well as a listing of all quagga/zebra mussel field and laboratory protocols used.


There are also new education and outreach materials, such as boat hauler notification sheets describing the regulations and requirements from state to state. On another front, and with the assistance and direction of National Sea Grant and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, they are developing a “model legal framework” so that states, provinces and others can be as consistent as possible in regulating transportation and other variables designed to prevent the spread of invasives.


The net result is a successful effort to put on the ground best practices to prevent introduction. That said, the consortium is also keenly aware of the need for swift response when invasives are identified. Toward this end, they’ll also share the rapid response exercise developed to train people across agencies in how to collaboratively attack the problem if it does materialize.


It’s an all-star cast of knowledge that will help anyone interested in learning more and wanting to access resources that can easily be adapted and put on the ground in your local area. Register Now.

Details

From Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area:

The Hart Road Fire, started on August 21, 2016, burned approximately 585 acres of federal land along the Spokane River within Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area (LRNRA).  Beginning at 12:01 am September 9, 2016, and remaining until further notice, the Superintendent has closed all federal land located within the fire footprint under the authority granted by 36 CFR §1.5(a) (1) due to significant safety concerns within the burned area.  This closure includes all vehicle, horse, and foot traffic, as well as all shoreline access encompassing all federal land burned in the Hart Road Fire from the park boundary to the waterline.  An exception exists for those landowners holding a valid road easement through the park to their property.

A burned landscape presents a number of safety hazards that either did not exist prior to the fire or are increased by the effects of the fire.  In some cases these hazardous conditions may continue for several years after a fire.  Be very aware of your surroundings, follow warning signs, and pay particular attention to potential safety hazards such as unstable terrain, falling or rolling debris, displaced wildlife, burned stump holes and root chambers, dead and hazard trees, and debris flows. Hotspots and root chambers can burn underground for months with no sign above ground and falling trees can happen with little to no warning.

Park visitors are also reminded that all motor vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles, may only be operated on authorized park roads within LRNRA.  Off-roading is not allowed anywhere at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. Those found to be driving off road may receive a federal violation notice, have their vehicle confiscated and be held liable for all costs relating to the response, assessment and restoration of the area of their damage.

At this time there will be increased agency presence in the area of the Hart Road Fire while staff assess and manage the effects of the fire.

Details

From Stevens County, District 12:

Stevens county emergency response volunteers and firefighters have worked for years to develop a marine fire and rescue program that can respond to the unexpected water emergency. The entire western border of our county is waterfront, containing miles of hard to reach, remote access along Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Areas shoreline, and extending into the Columbia and Kettle rivers in the northern part of the county. The diverse outdoor recreation available along our waterfront attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to vacation and visit during the summer months. These guests bring economic prosperity to the area, but also this rise in population brings the potential for a proportional increase in the amount of unfamiliar emergency, or water rescue situations.


Washington state has experienced more fires in the last few years, motivating and reminding us to be prepared for the unexpected emergency. The District 12 volunteers have worked for over 10 years to produce a  marine fire rescue boat to assist and access the Stevens County western border. The retired 24-foot Coast Guard “Sea Arc” was purchased from federal surplus equipment lists and then transported from Sitka, Alaska to Seattle by ferry. District 12 volunteers picked up the boat from the Seattle ferry terminal and delivered it to its new home at the Rice fire department.  


The local firefighters have worked for hundreds of hours to repair the boat and trailer. This time was also used to improve training opportunities for our volunteers, prepare SOP’s for the county EMS, and develop a program to work with cooperating agencies. After almost a year of preparation the District 12 fire boat is available now for limited response to a variety of fire and water/ rescue emergencies by just calling 911.

Capabilities will include:

  • Firefighting on shore and on water
  • Water rescue and emergency response
  • Transfer of fire fighters, and medical response teams
  • Fill fire trucks and drop tanks from lake
  • Hazmat and/or chemical spill support
  • Law enforcement support
  • Border Patrol Support
  • Support Public Ferry at Gifford, which crosses Lake Roosevelt 60 times a day for 51 weeks a year
  • Support Colville and Spokane Reservations
  • United States Coast Guard
  • Department of Natural Resources
  • FEMA and Homeland Security
  • Support National Park Service
  • Support U.S. Forest Service
  • Sheriff and tri-county dive teams
  • Support county and state wide EMS


The waters of northeast Washington bring together, and join many diverse cultures and communities. The fire / rescue boat may serve this multitude of agencies and work across many jurisdictions.


Over the next few years we will continue to modify the boat with specialized equipment and new technologies that will assure an effective and capable addition to our fire preparation.  We will continue to develop a comprehensive marine safety program that includes all cooperating agencies. We will continue to provide new training opportunities, and practice to improve the skills and capabilities of our volunteers. This will assure that we effectively meet the needs of our communities and partners in marine safety for many years to come.


The Fire boat cost, and marine program expenses are currently supported entirely by Stevens County District 12 and its volunteers and their families. The Rice fire house, boat budget is starting to wear thin after the completion of our first year. We will continue to pursue grants and accept donations to complete our first “Fire Engine on the Water”


We want to express our appreciation to the District 12 fire commissioners, our volunteer fire fighters, and the community that supports us. We also want to mention the local fire districts, Stevens County EMS, and the many cooperating agencies for their time, input, and encouragement to continue and make this project a success.  A special mention goes out to Jim Darley at Darley fire pumps, and Dave Hewes along with the entire staff a Hewes Craft for truly inspirational help and timely support.

E-MAIL:        scfpd12@gmail.com
Follow the fireboat project on Facebook:   facebook.com/stevenscountyfiredistrict12

 

Details

A three judge panel from the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that aerial deposition from the Teck smelter in Trail, Canada does not constitute "disposal." As such, Teck cannot be held liable for hazardous substances such as lead, arsenic and mercury emitted from Trail smoke stacks that traveled through the atmosphere and then deposited in the Upper Columbia Valley. Washington State and the Colville Confederated Tribes brought the case to hold Teck liable for cleanup costs and natural resource damages under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, or CERCLA (also known as superfund).

The court relied heavily on two precedents that parse the meaning of "disposal of waste" under CERCLA. In one of the precedents, the ninth circuit ruled that BNSF Railway emitting diesel particulate matter into the air that resettled onto the land and water did not constitute disposal of waste and thus not subject to liability under CERCLA.

News reports indicate plaintiffs will petition for a new hearing before the full 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Potentially, the case could be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Under terms of a 2006 settlement agreement between EPA and Teck, Teck has funded soil sampling and remediation related to atmospheric deposition in the Upper Columbia Valley. In 2014, EPA sampled 74 residential properties which led to cleanup on 14 properties. This year, 142 property owners granted access for soil sampling that begins this month.


Click here for a National Law Review article reviewing the case and its implications.

Details

Northern Pike (Esox lucius) are a Prohibited Species in Washington State. Anglers are encouraged to kill ALL Northern Pike caught. Harvested Northern Pike must be dead before anglers leave the water where they are caught.

No minimum size or possession limit.

Northern Pike are now present in Lake Roosevelt. This fish species is known to have negative impacts on native fish populations and popular sport fisheries. In addition, further spread of Northern Pike into downstream portions of the Columbia River poses a severe threat to Salmon and Steelhead recovery efforts.

It is illegal to transport or release live fish without a WDFW permit.

Penalty includes up to $5,000 in Fines and A Year in Prison (RCW 77.15.250) and a person found guilty can also be ordered to pay all costs of capturing, controlling or killing those fish or their progeny (in excess of $100,000).

If you see someone transporting or releasing live fish, please call the Washington State Patrol. They will contact the nearest WDFW officer.

  • Spokane County WSP Dispatch: 509-456-4101
  • Stevens County WSP Dispatch: 509-684-7431

 

Details

Congratulations to the Reardan High School Ag Leadership class for winning the Washington state National FFA Organization’s Agricultural Issues Forum competition. In May, they staged a debate highlighting the pros and cons of the topic “Should salmon be reintroduced to the upper Columbia River watershed?”

Rick Perleberg, who teaches the class, commented “This really opened their eyes to what’s going on in their own backyard. This topic more than any other ignited their passions and they ended up seeing themselves as being effectors of change.”

Click here to see the presentation as given to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council in March.

Now it’s on to Indianapolis in October to compete nationally with winning teams from over 40 other states. If you’re interested in helping the team with travel expenses (a little over $7,500 for student travel and related expenses), please mail checks to Reardan FFA Ag Issues Team c/o Reardan High School – 215 E. Spokane Ave, Reardan, WA 99029.

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After another successful winter sport fishery on Lake Roosevelt, fishery managers and volunteers are in the process of releasing 600,000 triploid rainbow trout into Lake Roosevelt. Funded by the Bonneville Power Administration Fish and Wildlife program, these fish are a mainstay of a recreational fishery that is enjoyed by thousands of anglers each year.  When released they are about 9 inches long and can eventually grow to five plus pounds. Net pet conditions resulted in the release being about two weeks earlier than usual this year.

The Spokane Tribe of Indians, Colville Confederated Tribes, WA Department of Fish and Wildlife and Net Pen Volunteers co-manage the program. Rich Landers from the Spokesman Review reports.

Details

Outreach for the Lake Roosevelt Forum Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) and related issues will be significantly affected by Public Participation Grants being zeroed out in the Washington State supplemental budget approved at the end of March. The purpose of these grants is to support community outreach related to toxic-waste cleanups and pollution prevention. Receiving PPG funding has been instrumental to the Forum keeping communities informed and engaged in the multi-year RI/FS process.

Said Don Dashiell, Lake Roosevelt Forum Board President and Stevens County Commissioner, "This type of lapse in funding undermines the many years of productive collaboration that has yielded benefits to the ecosystem, wildlife and human components which overlay Lake Roosevelt."

The Lake Roosevelt Forum used PPG funds to support popular activities such as the RI/FS Public Outreach Guide, conference, tours and newsletters. “Concerns about receiving funding,” said Forum Executive Director Andy Dunau, “started last fall. We were put in the awkward position of being told you may eventually receive some, all or none of the funding request. We moved forward on some priority items like the newsletter and outreach to the Northport community to support residential soil sampling outreach. Other items we put on hold on as we waited to hear our fate.”

For the Forum and other small non-profits across the state, going from July 1 (when funding was scheduled to begin) to April to find out no funding will occur is incredibly difficult. As reported in Investigate West, “The state’s biggest toxic-waste cleanups are affected, including those at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, Seattle’s Duwamish River and Tacoma’s Commencement Bay. Lake Roosevelt, Puget Sound, the Columbia River – all are also affected, and in some cases the public-participation programs will be crippled, the community groups say.”

The genesis of the problem is the state needing to fill a $65 million deficit in funding for Ecology programs supported through the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA), including PPG. Said Ecology regarding MTCA funding, "The main source of revenues are Hazardous Substance Tax collections. But those are heavily dependent on petroleum prices, which are in a period of high volatility. The enacted 2015-17 capital budget was based on revenue forecasts made when petroleum prices were higher. Since then, prices continued to drop. As a result, MTCA revenue collections have declined significantly below forecasts used to build the enacted capital budget.”

Said Dunau, “The Forum board wants to assure folks that the next Lake Roosevelt Forum conference will be held as scheduled November 15-16 at the Davenport Hotel. We’ll be meeting soon to update our budget to balance out reduction or elimination of certain activities with searching for opportunities to find replacement funding.”

Said Ecology in a statement released to the Forum and others, “We want to emphasize that this is a onetime reduction and Ecology will be asking to restore the appropriation for PPG in the 2017-2019 biennial budget process. Ecology believes in the value of the PPG program and we want to support the work your organizations do for Washington’s communities.”

Said Dunau, “Without leadership from the statehouse and legislature, I’m not personally confident this is a onetime reduction. What I do know is we’re very fortunate to have strong community support and the board has maintained a rainy day reserve, so we can be flexible and innovative as we pursue a path forward.”

Details

Lake levels, which are currently at about 1,265’ above sea level, will decrease to 1,255’ from March 14th to May 14th to accommodate drum gate maintenance at Grand Coulee Dam. The lake may be drawn down further to meet flood control needs, with the next flood control forecast expected the second week of March.


Click here for more information from the Bureau of Reclamation.

Details

Northern Pike are a non-native and highly invasive predator that are considered a serious threat to native fish species. They have long been a minor presence in Lake Roosevelt.

Last year, surveying by the Lake Roosevelt Fisheries Evaluation Program showed a disturbing increase in their Lake Roosevelt presence. Surveying completed this February showed an even more significant increase in numbers, and most likely age populations.

This heightens fishery manager concerns that pike are starting to establish breeding populations in the lake. This would pose a serious threat to management efforts to support native fish like red band trout and the non-native recreational fishery that includes walleye, both of which are on the menu that pike like to prey on. Creating a foothold in Lake Roosevelt is also a significant regional concern due to their potential to spread downstream and into Canada.

Through the Bonneville Power Administration’s Fish and Wildlife program, funding to support pike suppression in 2016 was approved pending favorable Independent Scientific Review Panel (ISRP) review of the proposed plan.

Click here for additional information reported in the Spokesman Review.

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Based on results from residential soil sampling conducted by EPA in 2014, 13 residential properties and 1 tribal allotment qualified for and agreed to cleanup activities that began this summer and were completed in early November. Property owners agreeing to cleanup activities did so voluntarily and incurred no cost for actions taken. 

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Since 1999, the Lake Roosevelt Water Festival has offered area students an interactive day on Lake Roosevelt. Onion Creek School students shared what they learned and their thanks to Water Festival volunteers with photos and handwritten notes (see pic above).

Teachers also commented: "This is such a high quality field trip, I really appreciate being able to bring my kids every year. Thanks so much!" and "All of my students and their adults had a wonderful day of learning...Thank You!"

Similar comments were received from agency volunteers: "Gold stars (5’s) for the entire day! The entire event was very enjoyable and the kids were great."

Sounds like everyone had a great day at this year's Lake Roosevelt Water Festival! See you all in 2016!

 

Details

Now that Coleman Smith has been Power Manager at Grand Coulee Dam for a year, the Forum decided to stop by and see how things are going.


“Just great,” said Coleman. “The area fits with the rural lifestyle that reminds of where I grew up, which was Alabama.” Not a surprise, then, that the Auburn Tigers, his alma mater, is clearly on display in his office.


And how does a gentleman from the south find his way to eastern Washington? “I got a degree in electrical engineering from Auburn, then went to work for the air force for 12 years and the navy for seven years. The last eight years has been with the Bureau of Reclamation.”


With his wife Lauren, who he met and married while at Auburn, the journey has taken them to Virginia, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming and Washington. “All of these places have been good to us as we raised our family.”


“Now we’re empty nesters enjoying hiking, camping, backpacking and the occasional fishing trip. Washington has all of that and then some, so it’s a great fit.”


The job of power manager of the largest dam in North America keeps Coleman very busy. The Grand Coulee Dam Third Power Plant Overhaul Project is about two years into a 10 – 15 year effort. When done, the turbine and generators of six units will be modernized. At an estimated cost of about $650 million dollars, it’s a big job.


“Right now,” said Coleman, “we’re finishing up unit 24. With the lessons learned, we expect to be able to apply better processes that will make overhauling the next ones faster. It’s a bit like remodeling your kitchen, until you tear into it you don’t necessarily know what you’ll find.”


In addition to the need to replace aging infrastructure, big benefits of the overhaul include increased generating capacity and efficiency. The three units that currently have an electrical generating capacity of 600 MW each have their turbines replaced to increase their generating capacity to 770 MW each. Further, there is the increased efficiency of the units. These efficiency gains translate into increasing power output by as much as 2 percent. In practical terms, that’s about 84 additional megawatts of electricity, or enough to power about 63,000 homes.


Looking forward, Coleman sees efficiency gains at hydropower projects and implementation of smart grid technologies as being central to meeting the Northwest’s future energy needs. When combined with renewable resources such as wind and continued gains in conservation, he sees a bright future for those interested in maintaining the Northwest’s clean air, low cost electricity, and low carbon footprint status.
The other critical variable that Coleman believes needs to be addressed is the aging workforce. “There’s a big bow wave of retirements working through the system. We need to get new, qualified workers in before the corporate knowledge leaves.”


That’s easier said than done. Although these are excellent wage jobs, the numbers of people graduating from programs with the right credentials is very limited. In addition, although Coleman is comfortable and attracted to the rural scene, others are not. “So it’s both a recruitment and retention problem,” said Coleman.


In an innovative effort to “grow our own,” Grand Coulee Dam is partnering with a Lake Roosevelt High School to allow students to volunteer at the dam as part of taking an engineering class. Students come in once a week to work on projects with engineers, operators, machinists and others to get practical hands on experience. Thinking long term, the hope is some of these students will be part of the next generation operating Grand Coulee Dam.


“We’re making progress on a lot of fronts,” concludes Coleman. “Support and partnerships with the community is very much part of what we value.”

Details

On October 1st, EPA is hosting a meeting in Northport to discuss residential soil clean up that began in late August, results of residential and upland soil sampling to date, and opportunities for residents in the area to participate in additional sampling.

 

Location: Northport School Cafeteria, 404 10th Street, Northport, WA 99157

Date:Thursday, October 1

Time: 6:30 pm

 

Click here for additional information provided by EPA.

Details

Since 1999, the Lake Roosevelt Water Festival has rung in the school year for upper elementary students in the Upper Columbia. Taking place at Kettle Falls swim beach and Sherman Creek fish hatchery, this was a particularly poignant year for the ten schools and 376 students that participated.

 

With the devastating fires of this summer, there was something special about students coming out to learn about the environment from the National Park Service, US Forest Service, WA Department of Fish & Wildlife, Avista, Stevens & Ferry County conservation districts, Spokane Tribe of Indians, and the Colville Confederated Tribes.

 

There’s a lot of healing and growth going on up here. The slideshow below includes photos of kids teaching us as much as we’re teaching them.

 

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This picture taken by Forum member Foster Fanning, who is also Fire Chief at Ferry / Okanogan Fire Protection District #14 and Washington State Department of Natural Resources at WA DNR. Visit his facebook page for a lot of very good information. Foster does more than chronicle the sorrows and horrors being faced, he provides poignant seeds of hope and thanks that remind us all what makes our communities great.

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The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Bureau of Reclamation are teaming up to enforce federal laws on Reclamation lands within the exterior boundary of the Colville Reservation to certified Tribal police officers. The net result will be to increase and strengthen law enforcement in these area. Click here to read news release.

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The Tri-County Economic Development Board (Tri-County) voted to support Upper Columbia United Tribe (UCUT) efforts to conduct a feasibility study to reintroduce salmon above Grand Coulee Dam. Tri-County is a federally-recognized Economic Development District representing Ferry, Pend Oreille, and Stevens County in the Upper Columbia Basin.

Their support includes a goal“… to establish a common understanding and consensus amongst the regional stakeholders before continuing to the next phase.” Click here to read their letter of support.

Details

Click here to view the summer, 2015 LRF Newsletter.

Stories feature community perspectives on residential soil sampling and proposed contaminated yard removal actions in an area along the Columbia River Valley upstream of Northport extending to the Canadian border, and the opportunity to study the feasibility of salmon once again migrating passed Grand Coulee Dam. There’s also important information about the fight to reduce aquatic invasive species and drought conditions.

Details

Click here to view the web version of the 2015 Lake Roosevelt Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study Public Guide. The online address is www.lrf.org/publicguide2015. The print version of the guide was distributed in late June. Contact us for additional copies.

“The guide,” said the Forum’s Executive Director Andy Dunau, “shares with you what is currently known and progress being made on the Upper Columbia River Site RI/FS investigation.” The investigation follows U.S. Superfund law and has been on-going for a number of years. Noted Dunau, “One of the big benefits of the on-line version is web links to a number of primary and secondary resources. For interested citizens, managers and researchers, it makes getting up to speed on the history of this complex and lengthy investigation much easier.”

The web version also marks the Forum introducing a new web tool that allows the guide to be displayed in an easy to read magazine format with user friendly navigation and other tools. In addition, the 2011 public guide remains available online as it provides additional background information that people may find useful.

To stay up to date on new activities and results, click here to subscribe to the Forum’s electronic newsletter and click here to subscribe to out print newsletter. From the guide and the links area of our web site, there are also links to community and agency resources to help keep you up to date.

Details

Rich Landers with the Spokesman Review reports on efforts to suppress the spike in northern pike being found in Lake Roosevelt this year. Says Landers, “Northern pike have bared their teeth in Lake Roosevelt this year, bringing to mind the early 2000s, when the non-native predators first showed up in significant numbers in the Pend Oreille River.” Read More

Details

The National Park Service (NPS) is joining the fight against aquatic invasive species (AIS) in a big way.

As reported at the conference by managers throughout the region, invasive zebra and quagga mussels pose the greatest threat to Northwest waterways. An infestation could cost hundreds of millions of dollars annually to infrastructure and personal property if not dealt with effectively.

Fortunately, Lake Roosevelt is currently free of these mussels. Other AIS species in our midst, however, include Asian clams, northern pike, Eurasian milfoil, and crayfish.

NPS has secured funding for a new staff person and seasonal work crew, purchase of 6 hot water decontamination units, and public outreach materials. On point is Meghan Lyons, who joins NPS staff after 10 years working in fisheries in the Colville National Forest. Said Lyons, “The biggest thing people can do is clean, drain and dry their boat every time they go in and out of a waterbody.”

A high visibility piece is putting into service 6 hot water decontamination units purchased earlier this year by NPS. “Three of these units will be used by NPS staff, and three will go to our partners: the Spokane Tribe of Indians, Colville Confederated Tribes, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW),” said Lyons.

This year NPS will, on randomly selected days, conduct inspections and place decontamination units at various boat launches. Said Lyons, “Starting in mid-June we’ll pick popular, frequently used boat launches.” Here’s what to expect if you arrive at a boat launch with inspection activities:

  • A seasonal crew will ask you where you’re boat’s been the last thirty days. If it’s local waters and the boat is clean and dry, inspection could be done in 5 to 10 minutes.
  • If your boat has come from Lake Mead or other waters known to be infested, the inspection could take 15 – 30 minutes. Even if nothing is found a hot water decontamination may be suggested because the presence of AIS can be very hard to detect.

Those doing inspections will also provide brochures and other information to educate and inform the public, including teaching boaters how to do their own inspections. Signage advising people of WA State AIS regulations will be posted at boat launches. And NPS is providing a phone number (509-754-7869) to encourage people to reach out for assistance, including scheduling a time for hot water decontamination.

“Really,” said Lyons, “the best thing for folks coming from infested areas is to have your boat out of the water, clean and dry for a week or longer. The next best thing is to call us and ask questions. We’re here to help.” Two excellent web resources are from WDFW (wdfw.wa.gov/ais), and the 100th Meridian Initiative (100thmeridian.org).

With 22 boat launches operated by NPS and additional ones operated by tribes, it’s certainly possible to avoid inspection. “This only works,” said Andy Dunau, the Forum’s Executive Director, “if people see this as doing their part to protect Lake Roosevelt and protect property. The benefits of finding and addressing problems before they get in the lake are enormous.”

WDFW will operate their decontamination unit out of their Spokane Office. Those trailering boats from other areas can call ahead for inspection and assistance. In addition, those stopped at Idaho or other inspection stations can be escorted to WDFW’s Spokane Office to address matters of concern.

The Spokane Tribe of Indians and Colville Confederated Tribes are determining how to integrate decontamination units into existing staff time and resources.

On the monitoring and inventory side of the equation, this summer NPS will be focusing on locating and mapping AIS like Eurasian milfoil and crayfish. As for suppression, they’re encouraging catch and permanent removal of northern pike and non-native crayfish.

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As an outcome of the conference, Bob Valen started a Facebook page “Communities of Lake Roosevelt.” Click here to share ideas, events and items of interest to Lake Roosevelt communities. Bob is Vice President the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce.

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320 people attended one or both days of the 2015 Lake Roosevelt Forum Conference. Said Foster Fanning with the Rickey Point Sailing Club, “I’ve spent 50 days a year on this lake for 20 years and learned more details in two days than I thought possible. It was great and will have ramifications for a long time to come.”

Click here for presentations.

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The latest forecast from the Northwest River Forecast Center predicts water supply for the Columbia River will be 71% of average from April through August. This forecast triggers operational changes to the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) to protect fish migration.

Click here for BPA press release on what’s being done.

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As the National Park Service (NPS) approaches its 100 year anniversary, it's launching a multifaceted Centennial campaign. One of the key campaign features focuses on developing a new generation of stewards that connect to these iconic, beautiful and historic places, and care for them in the future.

"Therein lies a great opportunity for the Lake Roosevelt community," said Andy Dunau, Executive Director of the Lake Roosevelt Forum. "This is also the 70th anniversary of NPS management of Lake Roosevelt as a National Recreation Area. What does the future hold for stewardship, recreation, visitation and protection of cultural resources?"

Statistically, the national parks counted 292 million visitors in 2014; of these, about 1.3 million came to Lake Roosevelt. The profile of those visitors tends to be older and whiter than the U.S. population overall. Said Dunau, "That's a nice way of saying millennials, who now outnumber boomers, need to be coaxed into the park system. The 50s campaign 'See the USA in your Chevrolet' isn't going to work."

Beginning with a plenary session on Wednesday, NPS will share the highlights of their Centennial campaign, and opportunities to leverage the campaign from both an economic and stewardship perspectives. Said Dan Foster, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area Superintendent, "One of the greatest challenges we face is developing stewards who have an appreciation for our national treasures and see the tangible and intangible benefits for their protection, now and into the future."

During the plenary and following sessions, local leaders will give their impressions of what's desirable as we look forward. In one session, historian Jack Nesbitt and NPS will take a look at where we've come from, while others will look at where we may be headed. In another session, leaders will describe development of an Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail and brainstorm what it may mean to the area and region.

Throughout, the dialog will consider ways for people to "connect to their parks" with marketing opportunities that build off of the natural resources and history unique to the area. "The trick," said Dunau "is how you protect and enhance the resource while allowing a new generation to experience its wonders."

Making the challenge more complicated is a national $11 billion backlog of unfunded maintenance. As a result, conversations will also consider the types of investments that need to be made and options for raising the dollars to make them.

Join us and join the conversation.

Complete program agenda with speakers to be released next week, stay tuned!!

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Even though this winter brought above average precipitation to much of the region, our warm winter means poor snowpack in many watersheds, leading Governor Inslee to declare a drought emergency across three regions in Washington. Click here for map of drought areas and further information.

The Bureau of Reclamation and National Weather Service will be presenting the latest information and potential effects throughout the region at the Lake Roosevelt Conference on April 21st.

Lake Roosevelt is not the focal point of concern. Said Lynne Brougher, a Public Affairs Officer for the Bureau of Reclamation at Grand Coulee Dam, "Elevations in the Canadian Rockies are high enough that what was rain down here was snow up there. If you look at what's called the snow water equivalent, we're at 82% of normal."

Lake Roosevelt is at 1,255 feet above sea level and is predicted to remain in the 1253 - 1255 range until May 10th. "That's so we can perform drum gate maintenance, otherwise the lake would be higher this year," said Brougher. Click here for more Lake Roosevelt lake level information and forecasts.

Other basins are not fairing nearly as well. The snow water equivalent in the Olympics is 8 percent of median; 40 percent of normal in the Spokane / Coeur d'Alene basin, 10 to 30 percent in the Yakima, and 27 percent in Walla Walla. Click here for basin reports throughout Washington.

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Sounding as much like a basketball coach as natural resource manager, Jim Ruff wants Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) stopped at the border. Jim, a fish and wildlife manager with the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, is part of a team of U.S. and Canadian agencies setting up a "perimeter defense system."

Join us at the Lake Roosevelt Conference to learn about strategies and resources being employed at both regional and local levels to hold the line against invasives. There will be presentations from WA Department of Fish and Wildlife, Ecology, BC Ministry of the Environment, the Kalispel Tribe of Indians, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area and Creative Resource Strategies.

Invasive zebra and quagga mussels still pose the greatest threat to Northwest waterways. Said Ruff, "An infestation of these invasive mussels into our region could cost hundreds of millions of dollars annually to protect everything from irrigation pumps and hydropower facilities to fish and wildlife."

Smaller than your thumb nail, a mussel can filter a liter of water a day. And what they are filtering out is phytoplankton, which creates a domino effect that can take out the base of the food chain. And the speed at which they breed is like a bad sci-fi movie, with mussel colonies forming rock-hard mats of shells that can clog water intake and delivery pipes, infest hydropower infrastructures, adhere to boats and pilings, foul recreational beaches, compete with native mussels, and disrupt food webs and the biological functioning of aquatic habitats.

Currently, infestations are centered in the Great Lakes in the Midwest, and Lakes Mead, Powell, Havasu and Pleasant in the Southwest. What the southwest lakes have in common is connectivity to the lower Colorado River. Invasive mussels are now being found in neighboring western states. Recently juvenile quagga mussels were found in Deer Creek Reservoir in north-central Utah, very close to the Columbia Basin.

"Given the failure to contain invasives at the source, we're trying to set up a perimeter defense in the Northwest, which includes our neighbors in Canada," said Ruff. "We can show you maps with inspection stations located on highways coming into the region. And we know from these stations that contaminated watercraft are coming in from trailered watercraft and commercial haulers bringing in yachts and sail boats."

Northwest states are spending about 2.4 million dollars a year on boat inspection stations, monitoring and outreach. "That's not enough," said Ruff. "We're working to get more funding from Washington D.C. to increase the number of inspection stations, plus the length of time stations are operational and the number of people to operate them. Right now you can come through in the winter and stations are closed. Or you can come through in the wee hours of the morning during the summer and stations are closed. That creates holes in our perimeter defense."

Working with Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER), the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, the NW states and others, regional players are both developing the perimeter defense strategy and seeking additional funding. The Council is collaborating with interested parties in the Northwest and Canada to share information and develop strategies for 2015 including:

  • Developing a common understanding of the issues and potential problems
  • Merging, updating, and sharing all existing anti-mussel action plans
  • Obtaining consensus on regional recommendations for prevention, early detection, control, and management of invasive mussels
  • Supporting legislation, planning for visits with legislators
  • Securing funding for mussel-prevention efforts
  • Strategies for stopping the spread of invasive mussels at the source
  • Strategies for public information

As bad as zebra and quagga mussels are, there are also plenty of other invasive species causing trouble. The Kalispel's are gillnetting Northern pike by the thousands on the Pend Oreille; yet they are being seen in increasing numbers in Lake Roosevelt. "If those Pike head downstream or farther west, that's big trouble for salmon and steelhead," said Ruff. Further, Eurasian milfoil and other aquatic weeds continue to migrate into various systems.

Preventing a Northwest infestation is a key measure in the Council's 2014 Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program. The program calls for:

  • Reducing threats from invasive species
  • Preventing the establishment of aquatic invasive species
  • Monitoring and managing various introduction pathways into the Columbia River Basin
  • Developing strategies and outreach tools to educate the public

Ultimately, said Ruff, "Everyone is going to need to get involved. The conference is a great opportunity to show what we're doing and find new players to add to our regional defense."

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Click here to read Rich Landers Spokesman Review article recognizing the extraordinary importance of Professor Al Scholz to fisheries in eastern Washington and beyond. The Forum will be recognizing Dr. Scholz and his work at the Forum Conference on April 22nd.

Dr. Scholz's proudest legacy is his students who are now the professionals we rely on.

"When Dr. Scholz arrived on the scene 35 years ago, Lake Roosevelt was considered a sterile lake by the State of Washington," said Andy Dunau, the Forum's Executive Director. "Not only did he not except that verdict, he took students from area tribes and other locations and led the way to bring Lake Roosevelt and other fisheries back."

The timing of recognizing Dr. Scholz could not be better. 35 years later we're now broaching the conversation of reintroducing salmon above Chief Joe and Grand Coulee. And the Kalispel Tribe is taking the lead on the vision to pass resident fish past six dams stretching from Pend Oreille, WA to Clark Fork, MT. These and other fishery topics on both sides of the border are featured at the conference.

Please join his students and an all-star cast of fishery researchers and managers as we both recognize Dr. Scholz and look toward the future.

Register now

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The Lake Roosevelt Forum 2015 conference will provide an opportunity for people in the U.S. and Canada to follow up on commitments and dialog from the Columbia River Basin Transboundary Conference held last October in Spokane, which was attended by more than 300 people from both nations. The theme of that conference was, "learning from our past to shape our future." Click here for conference report.

Co-sponsored by the Columbia Basin Trust and the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, the conference covered a wide range of transboundary Columbia River issues, from energy to ecosystem management. Participants encouraged follow-up, and so at the Lake Roosevelt Forum conference we are planning three sessions to highlight transboundary projects. These include environmental work in the Arrow Lakes and Lake Koocanusa, and studies that are being planned to assess the feasibility of reintroducing salmon and steelhead into the Columbia River above Grand Coulee Dam, which has blocked their passage since the late 1930s. On the American side of the border we will learn about habitat improvements and transboundary white sturgeon recovery in the upper Columbia mainstem, and the American perspective on reintroducing salmon and steelhead above Grand Coulee.

"We'll pick up where the October conference left off," said Jennifer Anders, a Montana member of the Power Council and chair of its public affairs committee. "Presentations about efforts on both sides of the border will not only showcase the work that is going on and the people involved, but also the potential for better communication among those who are engaged in similar work."

Anders said the Forum 2015 conference provides an opportunity to explore the idea put forward at the Transboundary Conference in October to develop a more formalized mechanism or structure with international membership to enhance cross-border dialogue on a range of important topics. At the October conference in Spokane delegates recognized that one possible way to address transboundary challenges would be to simply increase the dialogue and understanding on both sides of the border of the issues at hand. This could be done by having existing entities states, tribes, first nations, federal and provincial agencies, non-profits, electric and water utilities working together in a more structured process to explore these issues. The group would have no formal decision-making authority. Rather, it would be chartered by its participants to pursue tasks that could include transboundary information-sharing and a platform for basin wide dialogue on key issues.

Kindy Gosal, Director of Special Initiatives for the Columbia Basin Trust, said "Participants wanted the October conference to be more than a point in time dialog of common interests and concerns. Working with the Lake Roosevelt Forum conference this April gives us a timely way to learn more from each other and follow through on the recommendation to create a collaborative entity to provide vision and guidance to decision-makers on both sides of the international border."

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Time to register for the 2015 Lake Roosevelt Forum Conference, April 21—22 at the Davenport Hotel. Click here for agenda and conference information. As with past conferences, this is the meeting place for elected officials, tribes, agencies, interest groups and citizens to network and learn from each other.

“We’re very thankful to the many people and groups who developed the conference agenda,” said Andy Dunau, the Forum’s Executive Director. “A lot of sessions really lean into future possibilities that were considered unlikely or impossible in our lifetime.”

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Same URL, www.lrf.org, brand new web site. Check it out.

“There are a lot of interactive pages in this site people are going to really like,” said Forum Board Member and Lincoln County Commissioner Scott Hutsell.

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Click here to view a fact sheet EPA released in November. This publication updates the public on EPA's Upper Columbia River Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study, which extends from the U.S./Canadian border to Grand Coulee Dam. The fact sheet summarizes the status of the most recent studies being done to develop both human health and ecological risk assessments.
 
As you'll read, some studies are complete while others are in progress. No time line is given regarding when either a draft human health or ecological risk assessment will be available for public comment. Once all assessments and related work are done as part of these Remedial Investigation studies, which thus far have been underway since 2005, EPA will eventually evaluate various cleanup options and propose (to the degree necessary) a plan to address pollution. This would then lead to design and implementation of cleanup actions.

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Residents, property owners and land managers in areas around the Northport community and up to the Canadian border have been getting a lot of attention in 2014 because of two soil sampling studies being conducted as part of the Upper Columbia River (UCR) remedial investigation and feasibility study (RI/FS).

A residential soil study is being conducted by EPA to generate analytical data for soil samples that will be used to refine exposure estimates for residents in the northernmost reaches of the UCR Study Area. This data will support the human health risk assessment (HHRA).

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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NEWS RELEASE

The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act allows federal land management agencies to utilize recreation fee funds to provide quality recreation experiences for hundreds of millions of visitors every year to some of America’s most scenic, iconic, awe-inspiring, historical, and culturally rich lands and resources. Participating agencies use and leverage recreation fees to implement thousands of projects to enhance public safety, maintain recreation sites, provide eye-opening educational experiences, build informational wayside exhibits, fund interpretive programs, and offer a wide range of recreational and cultural opportunities.

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Much of the Northwest’s natural DNA traces back to the end of the last Ice Age, some 12,000 to 17,000 years ago. Our landscapes still bear the markings of cataclysmic floods released from Glacial Lake Missoula, a body of water as large as some of the USA’s Great Lakes.

As waters broke through a lobe of the Canadian ice sheet, a debris field covering 16,000 square miles was left in parts of Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. To the naked eye, you can see high water lines, dunes, massive boulders in the middle of farm fields, giant coulees, dry falls, gravel bars, scablands, and more. For those meandering through these landscapes, “What’s that?” is a common phrase.

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Enhancements at Kettle Falls and Keller Ferry marinas are making Lake Roosevelt recreational opportunities that much easier and better.

At Kettle Falls Marina, an expanded parking area will accommodate an additional 50 boat trailer rigs. And either this fall or next spring, a mast staging area for sailboats will be added. Said Jim Brown, the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area Facility Manager, “These projects will help relieve congestion. In addition, we’re adding some additional vault toilets.”

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For millions of people, the iconic laser light show that graces the front of Grand Coulee Dam is a fond and endearing memory of the “time we visited Grand Coulee.”

After 25 years, the Bureau of Reclamation introduced a new laser light show, “One River, Many Voices” in May of 2014. At a cost of $2.3 million, the new show is a great leap forward in both technology and content. The old show used four colors and 4 large ion gas lasers for projection. The new show comes with 14 colors projected from 4 smaller lasers that each emits multiple beams. The sound system was also replaced. Said Lynne Brougher, Grand Coulee Dam Public Affairs Officer, “The images projected are more intense and much clearer and the sound is much better with the new show.”

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Surface Water: After three rounds of sampling (completed in 2009 and 2010) the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) show Lake Roosevelt and the Upper Columbia general water quality safe for swimming. Further, surface water concentrations for all metals (e.g., arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, selenium, and zinc); and organics (e.g., PCBs, dioxins/furans and pesticides) are within limits protective of aquatic life. The RI/FS only looked at contaminants, not at bacteria; therefore, it is good practice not to drink water from the Columbia River without treating it first, as it may contain Giardia (which causes beaver fever).

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Do you have fond memories of school field trips? Each year agency and community volunteers create these lifelong memories for children living around the Lake Roosevelt area.

Each May the Forum offers Student Discovery Week. Each Discovery Zone is staffed by local resource specialists. 355 students attended this year. This exciting event is an opportunity for elementary and middle school students and teachers to explore the ecological, social and economic complexities of Lake Roosevelt’s watershed.

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The Forum celebrated the beginning of October by taking 43 people on a bus tour of the upper Columbia. Starting at a student run fish hatchery in Colville that is a unique partnership between Stevens County, the school district and the WA Department of Fish and Wildlife, participants traveled as far north as Black Sand Beach above Northport.

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The Northwest Power and Conservation Council has taken a very significant step toward the vision of reintroducing salmon and steelhead above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams. October adoption of their 2014 Fish and Wildlife Program, which directs more than $250 million per year to mitigate the impacts of hydropower dams on fish and wildlife in the Columbia River Basin, calls for studies to investigate passage and reintroduction of these fish that previously traveled to and from the Pacific before these two dams were built.

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One of the most remarkable outcomes in discussions to modernize the Columbia River Treaty is whether to embrace and support anadromous salmon and other fish once again migrating the Columbia past Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams and into Canada.

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The Grand Coulee Dam web site, www.usbr.gov/pn/grandcoulee, now includes a couple of videos taking you to the future and past.

A three minute video, “Revitalizing and Managing the Nation’s Powerhouse,” includes time lapse video of generators undergoing a $118 million upgrade to help preserve power benefits for another generation.

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The Columbia River Basin 2014 Conference, Learning From Our Past to Shape Our Future, took place in Spokane, Washington on October 21—23. Hosted by the Columbia Basin Trust and the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, over 300 people representing diverse Canadian, American and tribal interests participated.

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For anyone who has visited Lake Roosevelt, they know that spotty cell service is the norm. As over 90 percent of U.S. adults have cell phones, making it the most quickly adopted consumer technology ever, that introduces both inconvenience and safety concerns.

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