Walla Walla Basin Spring Chinook Hatchery Program
The following comments were submitted in response to the open comment period described below.
Comments are numbered consecutively as they are received. Breaks in the number sequence result when comments are deleted because they
were submitted in error or have inappropriate content (such as SPAM). If you do not see your comment two business days after
you submit it, please contact (800) 622-4519.
Bonneville Power Administration is proposing to fund the construction and operation of a hatchery at the site of the South Fork Walla Walla Adult Holding and Spawning Facility, which is owned and operated by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The expanded facility located near Milton-Freewater, Oregon would increase the number of fish available for harvest and aid in establishing a naturally spawning spring Chinook population in the Walla Walla River basin. Additional program operations would include the collection of adult spring Chinook for broodstock at Nursery Bridge Dam downstream of the proposed hatchery, incubation and rearing of juvenile spring Chinook, and release of smolts and adults in tributaries to the Walla Walla River in both Oregon and Washington.
To understand the potential environmental impacts of this proposal, BPA will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement as required under the National Environmental Policy Act. We would like to hear from you about what should be included in this analysis. What questions do you have? What resources and potential impacts should we analyze? Do you have information or concerns about specific areas? We have scheduled two public EIS scoping meetings to hear your input and accept comments.
To learn more about the project go to www.bpa.gov/goto/WallaWallaHatchery or contact Brenda Aguirre at baguirre@bpa.gov or call 503-230-5928, or Jay Marcotte at jgmarcotte@bpa.gov or call503-230-7646. You may also call toll free 800-622-4519, please mention Walla Walla Basin Spring Chinook Hatchery Program.
Public Meetings:
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Milton-Freewater Community Building
109 N.E. 5th
Milton-Freewater, Oregon 97862
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Dayton Elementary School
302 E. Park
Dayton, Washington 99328
BPA has extended the comment period to May 15, 2013.
For More Information:
http://www.bpa.gov/goto/WallaWallaHatchery
Close of comment: 5/15/2013
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None given
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CassidyI was just wondering what good it would do to spend extra money for a hatchery when it isn't going to do sportsman like me any good at all. I steelhead fish the Walla Walla river on the Oregon side, and have considerable less success there than I do on numerous other Northeast rivers. The major success problem is that there are almost no holes to fish because the Walla Walla river is so fast moving. This didn't use to be a problem back in the 80's and up until about 1996 when the Walla Walla river received a tremendous volume of water that completely filled in every existing hole with small rocks. I have tried to convince ODFW to remedy this problem by simply dropping in a few big boulders in the river to create a fishing hole, to no avail! When you go upstream where it slows down, you are then on private property, and from my past experience, they won't let people fish. I personally think that the North Fork John Day river could use a salmon hatchery that could benefit both the confederated tribes and also open up sport fishing for salmon, which is getting more and more difficult to find in northeast Oregon. I enjoy eating salmon far more than steelhead.
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SchirmanI did attend the Dayton meeting but on return home realized that in the discussion there was no reference as to what interaction there would be (if any) with the other specie that are already present in the watersheds where smolts would be released. Is there adequate habitat to support an additional numbers of the introduced specie? Are there predator issues? Thanks for your efforts. Roland
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Kuttel, Jr./WA Dept. of EcologyThe Washington State Department of Ecology is working with residents on the Washington side of the Walla Walla Watershed to implement water quality improvement projects (total maximum daily loads – TMDLs). Landowners have made significant progress implementing best management practices (BMPs), but water quality problems remain. Problems include high summer water temperatures, low dissolved oxygen levels, high pH, high levels of fecal coliform bacteria, and pollution by chlorinated pesticides and PCBs. The proposed SF Walla Walla River hatchery may cause water quality impacts downstream in Washington. Please evaluate the following potential impacts from a hatchery discharge to the river: 1. Water temperature changes. 2. Nutrient inputs that could cause problems with dissolved oxygen and pH. 3. PCBs contamination in fish food and possible introduction of PCBs to the river in effluent and hatchery fish tissue. Thank you
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Castleview attachment
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Miller/CTUIR CRPPView attachment
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Eskildsen/ResidentI support any effort to increase the fishing opportunities for residents of the Walla Walla Basin. My initial comments are as follows: 1. I support and request that the purpose of this action continue to be focused on increasing fishing opportunities for residents of the Walla Walla Basin -- and not a primary focus on improving gillnet fishing opportunities in the Columbia River. With the closing of Mill Creek (and other tributary restrictions), WW basin residents have assumed more than their fair share of improving Columbia River fishing opportunities. 2. I request that BPA condition funding of this $12M project on a clear understanding with WDFW and ODFW that this Chinook reintroduction project will not IN ANY WAY reduce or eliminate the fishing opportunities that WW basin residents currently enjoy on the WW River, Mill Creek (upper reach), or the Touchet River. A desire to see this reintroduction effort succeed should not provide a basis to further restrict current fishing opportunities -- under any circumstances. A response to public comments by WDFW in 2012 to this action (reintroduction of Chinnook in the Touchet River) stated they could not guarantee restrictions would not be imposed. I can provide that email if desired. Again, I request that BPA funding be conditioned on no additional restrictions on WW basin residents current fishing opportunities. Thank You and I look forward to reviewing the draft EIS. Robert Eskildsen Walla Walla Resident Dayton, WA Homeowner Dedicated and longtime fisher of the Walla Walla, Mill Creek and Touchet.
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Various
Comments submitted at a public scoping meeting held on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 in Milton-Freewater, Oregon
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Various
Comments submitted at a public scoping meeting held on Wednesday, April 17, 2013 in Dayton, Washington
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Tribal meeting comments
Comments submitted at a Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Tribal council meeting held on Thursday, April 18, 2013 in Mission, WA
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Kytr/Salmon For AllMay 1, 2013 BPA Public Affairs Office DKE-7 P.O. Box 14428 Portland, OR 97293-4428 Dear Sirs: The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation are doing God’s work in restoring Spring Chinook to the Walla Walla Basin. We fully support them in this endeavor. Respectfully, Hobe Kytr, Administrator Salmon For All
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Peterson/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 10view attached documents
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None given
"I think that the money spent on salmon restoration and mitigation is ridiculous, and this hatchery is part of the problem"
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MurphyMr. Murphy called on 5/13/13 at 9:30 am and stated he is very supporting of the hatchery on the alla Walla river, but he would like it to be contingent upon manditory fin clipping.
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None givenPhone call on 5/13/13 at 9:00 am. The gentleman stated that the Umatilla tribe can eat all the fish, but it would be nice if they would share a few fish with the sportsmen.
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JohnsonMy comment pertains to leaving more water in the Walla Walla river. The irrigation district takes too much out. Which lowers water levels, raises temperature and concentrates pollution. They think little of overflows or loss through leakage of canals, saying "it recharges ground water". Which is unnecessary and a self serving reason. Surface water is a priority. Thank you.
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Heller/USACE Walla Walla DistrictThank you for the opportunity to provide comments for the proposal by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) for Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to fund construction and operation of a hatchery for spring Chinook salmon near Milton-Freewater, Oregon. I noted that as part of the proposed hatchery, BPA proposes to collect adults on the Walla Walla River at the Nursery Bridge fish ladder. As you are probably aware, the fish facility and fish ladder at the bridge were constructed as a joint project between the Corps of Engineers and the Milton-Freewater Water Control District (MFWCD). The Corps has been working with the MFWCD to resolve some issues downstream of the fish ladder and are available to share this information with BPA. Please contact me if you would like to discuss the Corps project at this location.
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ReserTo: BPA Comments on Walla Walla Basin Spring Chinook Hatchery Program Historically the Walla Walla River came out of Blue Mountains in Oregon and naturally branched into two streams. The easterly most one was known in Oregon as the Tumalum Branch ( years later changed to Walla Walla River) and the westerly most one known as the Little Walla Walla River . The town of Milton , Oregon developed near this Oregon branching point. The Little Walla Walla River in turn branches into numerous streams. Of these streams entering Washington, one is known is known as the West Little Walla Walla River and another is known as the East Little Walla Walla River. Both of these streams return to the Walla Wallla River in Washington. (It should be noted that other streams from this system enter Washington including the main Walla Walla River.) The proposed hatchery is upstream of the branching point in Oregon . The assertion at the public meeting was that this spring run Chinook hatchery and fish run would all be done without “damage to ag.” As a matter of fact the West Little Walla Walla River has been intermittently dried up in Washington in recent years by the manipulation of the diversion at the branching point thus “damaging ag” by denial of Washington irrigation rights in the West Little Walla River. Some hydrologists are of the opinion that this drying up is associated with lower base flows in the main Walla Walla River and higher temperatures in the main Walla Walla River. It is respectfully suggested that some of the water quality and volume problems in the section of the Walla Walla River in Oregon from the Stateline to Nursery Bridge for fish could be avoided by collecting the adult spring Chinook for brood stock a few miles downstream of Nursery Bridge at the Gardena Irrigation District dam. That area of the Walla Walla River is colder than it is upstream in Oregon to Nursery Bridge section , being immediately below the mouth of a Washington tributary of the Walla Walla River, known as the East Little Walla Walla River, which flows about 6-8 c. f. s. of cold water and also below the mouth Yellowhawk another WA tributary. The typical solution for any water volume, quality problems in Oregon has been to reduce the flow (dry up in Washington) of the Little Walla Walla River. Oregon decided to treat this natural River as a “ditch” when it was decided to divert more water down the main Walla Walla River at the branching point. The map handed out at the BPA scoping meeting in Milton Freewater did not have the name “Little Walla Walla River” on it. Finally two questions: Are you planning to place fish barriers at the mouth of any Washington tributary of the Walla Walla River to prevent any specie of fish from going into the stream? Are you planning to enhance the flow at Nursery Bridge by requiring more by pass at Nursery Bridge than exists now at any time of year? Respectfully submitted, Yancey Reser
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Mendel/Washington Department of Fish and WildlifeView attached document
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Demarisview attached document
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Widner
Does the electric utility have adequate power to energize all of the new equipment?
Will there be funding to increase, if necessary?
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Dollisview attached document
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Butcher/Oregon Department of Environmental Qualityview attached document
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Fairchildview attached document
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Peterson/EPA
Attached letter included.
Scoping comments recorded by Environmental Protection Specialist:
Would WWH be Mitchell Act funded? It would be funded by BPA.
Is WWH an Accord project for CTUIR, like Klickitat hatchery project is an Accord project for the YN? WWH is an Accord project. Klickitat project was started before Accords and I’m not sure if it is also an Accord project for the YN.
Erik mentioned he understood EPA commented on the Klickitat project and EPA pointed out deficiencies in the analysis, which also apparently did not get addressed. He wasn’t sure what actually happened or what the issues were because he wasn’t involved and the info he had was second hand. He went on to ask me about WWH EIS and if we would be addressing ~ typical or common components such as 404 permit, climate change, and green design.
Erik identified issues under EPA Authority that he would be commenting on for WWH such as effects of hatchery operations on water quality, and whether a NPDES permit might be needed for the hatchery.
Erik also identified that his office would like to know if funding this hatchery fits into a larger plan i.e. is this a part of an integrated management program.
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