Final Council recommendation (Nov 2006)

Funding category: Capital

Recommended budgets: FY07: $1,006,400 | FY08: $1,064,700 | FY09: $1,027,000

Comment: Capital component.

Funding category: Expense

Recommended budgets: FY07: $10,000 | FY08: $10,000 | FY09: $10,000

Comment:

ISRP final recommendation: Fundable

Comment:

This project provides direct, long-term benefits for salmon and other aquatic species. Screening, especially for rare and much reduced species, can be critical to rebuilding populations. It is important that screening technologies be updated and that the best available methods be used to benefit different species and sizes of fish. This drainage is a significant wild fish "control" system in the Columbia Basin. Objectives are straightforward and tasks are identified appropriately. Success in screen projects is highly dependent on the skills of the people implementing them and requirements can be quite site-specific. It is not clear in the proposal exactly how success will be measured, before and after rates of entrainment? Monitoring for effectiveness should be essential. Is this cost effective in terms of fringe and overhead? These costs seem high.

State/province recommendation: Fundable, but at a reduced level

Review group: OSPIT - Plateau

Recommended budgets: FY07: $900,000 | FY08: $900,000 | FY09: $900,000

Comment: OSPIT recognizes the importance of this project to the subbasin. We do recommend slowing the pace of implementation work to $900K, flatlined through the outyears. We also recognize the impact expensing this formerly capital project has had on the John Day projects.