DESCRIPTION
BPA Contract 58733. The Lower Entiat RM 1.9 and 2.3 project was selected for BPA funding through the open solicitation process as part of the Upper Columbia Habitat Project. This project is located within the Lower Entiat which is part of the Intensively Monitored Watershed and construction is scheduled for this area in 2014. This contract will fund Chelan County Natural Resources Department (CCNRD) staff to participate in the development of project design and coordinate project development with landowners and stakeholders. Project partners include Bonneville Power Administration as funder, Cascadia Conservation District, and US Fish and Wildlife Service who will provide engineering design documents. Additional project stakeholders include the Entiat Habitat Subcommittee, Regional Technical Team, utilities, landowners, Yakama Nation, and other entities that will be identified as part of the project development.
In addition to design development, this contract will also fund CCNRD staff time to conduct site assessments to document existing conditions for permit compliance. CCNRD will also assist the project engineer and CCD with development, submittal, and tracking of permits. CCNRD staff will conduct a wetland delineation and assist CCD with their permit documentation for projects in the Lower Entiat RM 0.8 - 2.3.
BPA Contract 58733. The Project Site is located at RM 1.65 in Reach 1B within Valley Segment 1 (RM 0-16.1) on the lower Entiat River. As summarized in the Entiat River Tributary Assessment (USBR 2009a), Reach 1B is one of 6 reaches identified that have the highest opportunities for restoration efforts to achieve beneficial effects. Within Reach 1B the creation of levees are the primary impact to the channel and floodplain which have resulted in reduced side-channel development, increased stream energy in the main channel and reduced stream channel complexity and diversity (USBR 2009a). In this reach, Reclamation has identified floodplain restoration (the removal of levees), riparian revegetation, and in-channel LWD placement as the primary restoration activities that should be undertaken within this reach. This project will increase refuge and rearing habitat in the lower Entiat River.
