In FY2001, the Pacific Northwest (PN) Region's Native American Program included activities with 27 Tribes in many areas, from cultural resource protection to resource management plans to safety of dams. The Region worked on 16 ongoing activities and 7 completed accomplishments. In addition, the Region has ongoing water rights negotiations with 4 Tribes and water rights implementations with 2 tribes.
Pacific-Northwest Regional and Area Office highlights in 2001:
- Pacific Northwest Regional Office
- Water Rights Negotiation and Implementation
- Safety of Dams Activities
- Snake River Area Office
- Upper Columbia Area Office
- Grand Coulee Power Office
- Lower Columbia Area Office
Pacific Northwest Regional Office
The Pacific Northwest Region faced many complex issues in FY01. Activities benefitting Tribes in the Region included those directly funded by NAAO Technical Assistance and by other programs within the Pacific Northwest that Reclamation funded via operation and maintenance, construction, congressional authority, planning, and Reclamation's Bonneville Power Authority agreements. The Native American Affairs Office Technical Assistance program worked with 16 activities, and 7 of these were successfully completed. The Region is working on water rights negotiations with four Tribes and ongoing water rights implementations with two Tribes.
Other Native American Program activities are funded by other Reclamation programs such as General Investigations (GI/planning), Operation and Maintenance (O&M), Safety of Dams (SOD), and construction funds. Cooperative agreeements with the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA)'s Fish and wildlife program with the National Power Protection Council (NPPC) address fisheries and wildlife issues as well as protecting cultural resources. There are also agreements and cooperative funding with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the National Park Service.
Congress approved three feasibility studies in HR 1937 Feasibility Studies Act for the Tulalip, Makah, and Lower Elwha Tribes–which resulted from the Region's water needs analyses and other activities from the technical assistance program. Several other small Indian water projects could begin in the Pacific Northwest Region in the next few years, should funding and authority become available. All of these projects result from the NAAO Technical Assistance program activities that the Pacific Northwest Region has done for many Tribes from 1997 through 2001.
Water Rights Negotiation and Implementation
In the PN Region, water rights negotiation activities are ongoing with the Shoshone-Paiute (Duck Valley), Nez Perce, Salish-Kootenai (Flathead), and Lummi Tribes. The Shosone-Banock (Fort Hall) settlement has been implemented. Water deliveries and storage at American Falls and Palisades reservoirs are coordinated annually. Reclamation is working with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and the State of Oregon to implement the Warm Springs water rights settlement.
The Pacific Northwest Region has been very active in safety of dams work throughout the region.
Coquille Reservation
Reclamation has completed Conceptual Designs for Safety of Dams modifications for Fourth Creek and Tarheel Dams. The dams are located on the Coquille Indian Reservation in Western Oregon. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has requested Reclamation to prepare Final Designs for the dam modifications. Reclamation also continues to assist with yearly Safety Evaluation of Existing Dams (SEED) examinations of the dams.
Flathead Reservation
Reclamation performed the following safety of dams activities in FY2001 on the Flathead Indian Reservation:
1. Instrumentation data collection and evaluation
2. Completion of the McDonald Dam Modification and second filling monitoring
3. Early Warning System support
4. Preparation of specifications and drawings for Tabor Dam Modification
5. Pablo Dam post-modification verification of performance
Umatilla
Safety of Dams work at McKay Reservoir was part of Phase III of the Umatilla Project Study.
Keechelus
The Yakima Project in Washington provides irrigation water to the Yakama Indians in the Wapato Irrigation Project area. In FY2001, Reclamation performed SOD and NEPA analyses. (Note, in FY2002, the PN Regional Director, J. William McDonald, signed the Record of Decision for the Keechelus Dam Safety of Dams Modification activities to correct safety deficiencies identified at Keechelus.)
In FY2001, the Area Office completed the Duck Valley Reservation study for system management of their reservoirs and water conservation, which began over 5 years ago. The Duck Valley study examined water supplies and water management conservation options and analyzed rehabilitating the irrigation system and Tribal reservoirs. The Shoshone-Paiute Tribe will use the results of this study to determine irrigation practices and deliveries.
The Area Office, with the Pacific Regional Laboratory, also completed the water quality analysis for the Nez Perce. These results help measure improvements in water quality from changing water flows and operations. The Nez Perce Tribe will use the results to help make water operation decisions.The Tribe responded positively to Reclamation's laboratory analyses and are examining possibilities for extensions and future work.
The Area Office completed the Yakama water quality analysis in FY2001, and the results as well as delays in sampling led to some additional work in FY2002. The analysis is tied to many other activities for the Yakama Nation, primarily under the congressional authority for the Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Program (YRBWEP) project. The YRBWEP included a P.L. 93-638 contract with the Yakama Nation which will continue for some more years.
The Yakima Project in Washington provides irrigation water to the Yakama Indians in the Wapato Irrigation Project area. In FY2001, Reclamation performed Safety of Dams and National Environmental Policy Act analyses to address safety of dams concerns at Keechelus Dam, part of the Yakima Project. (Note: in FY2002, the PN Regional Director, J. William McDonald, signed the Record of Decision for the Keechelus Dam Safety of Dams Modification activities to correct safety deficiencies identified at Keechelus.)
Highlights for Grand Coulee include the cultural resource issues, analysis protection, inventory and resident fish protection, and recreation assistance with the Colville and Spokane Tribes. This analysis and assistance will continue into the future.
Feasibility
In FY2001, the Lower Columbia Area Office completed several studies which led to requests for feasibility studies:
- A water management study with the Makah Tribe (see news article)
- Geomorphic investigations along the Dungeness, Hoh, and Quinault Rivers (see news article)
- An aquifer study with the Tulalip Tribe
- An water development analysis and other technical analysis with the Lower Elwha Tribe
The Area Office also conducted a water quality analysis, well drilling program, and groundwater study with the Quinault Tribe. This activity will continue through FY2002 to obtain more representative samples for analysis.
Skookum Creek Fish Hatchery Intake
The Lummi Indian Tribe, located near Bellingham, Washington, operates a fish hatchery on the south fork of the Nooksack River. The hatchery depends on an intake structure for water. However, erosion of the creek bed--downcutting--has lowered the water surface of the creek. Reclamation is designing a diversion structure so that the intake structure can still be used. Reclamation is also designing fish screens and other structures to improve fish passage near the diversion structure.
In FY2001, Reclamation completed designs and specifications for an adjustable diversion structure and associated facilities that would reduce annual maintenance efforts, ensure adequate water deliveries to the hatchery, provide protection for the conveyance pipeline, and improve fish passage.
Upper Skagit Indian Tribe Water Supply
The Upper Skagit Indian Reservation is comprises 86 acres located about 75 miles north of Seattle. Reclamation was asked to assess the adequacy of the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe’s existing potable water supply, storage and distribution systems. In addition, Reclamation is providing assistance in developing designs for possible future tie-ins to the water supply and sewer systems of the nearby city of Sedro-Woolley. To date, Reclamation has determined that the existing water supply wells are capable of meeting current and future demands, storage capacity should be increased considerably to meet current and future domestic, fire and related storage component requirements, and the pipeline distribution system needs to be upgraded to meet fire flow standards.
Quinault Beach Resort Water Supply System
The Quinault Indian Nation owns and operates a resort near Ocean Shores, Washington. In response to drought and water supply shortages at the resort during the summer of 2001, the Nation requested Reclamation’s help in developing a supplementary source of potable water. The PN Regional drill crew drilled one deep well and two shallow wells. While the deep well did not produce water of adequate quality, the two shallow wells were able to produce enough water to meet the resort’s needs. In 2002, Reclamation will assess the resort’s water supply and treatment systems to identify problems and recommend repairs or changes to avoid future water supply concerns.
Umatilla Basin Project Phase III
Summary of Pacific Northwest Region Native American Program Highlights in Fiscal Year 2001The Lower Columbia Area Office and the Upper Columbia Area Office are continuing to work with the Umatilla Tribes on the Umatilla Basin Project. This is a water exchange project to pump water from the Columbia River to irrigation districts so that more water can be left in stream in the Umatilla River. Phases I and II are completed. Phase III is authorized, and parties are working together to determine the most effective way to proceed. In 2001, Reclamation worked on Phase III, to further analyze the water supply and the impacts of non-tribal irrigation projects on the Tribe. As part of Phase III, Reclamation is analyzing water supply and safety of dams issues at smaller Native American reservoirs.
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