SSHB 2879: Fish Passage Barrier Removal Grant Program Report

Salmon need access to spawning and rearing habitat. Physical barriers interrupt adult and juvenile salmonid migrations in many parts of the state. Loss of access to habitat reduces the overall salmonid productivity and results in loss of salmonid populations. Man-made barriers include culverts, diversion dams, debris jams, dikes, lake outlet screens and other man-made stream changes. By far the most common fish passage barriers are at road crossings.

There are approximately 170,000 miles of public and private roads in the state of Washington. Only a fraction of these roads have been inventoried for fish passage barriers. Over 100 years of road building, development, and hydrologic changes have resulted in an estimated minimum 2,400 to 4,000 human-made barriers. This number is extrapolated from surveys of less than 10% of the roadways of the state. An estimated 10% of the barriers are on state roads, 40% on county and municipal roads, and the remainder are on non-public roads. These structures block fish access to an estimated 3,000 to 4,500 linear miles of freshwater spawning and rearing habitat.

Acting on recommendations from the Fish Passage Task Force Report to the Legislature, 1997 (SSSB 5886), the Legislature passed SSHB 2879 during the 1998 session. SSHB 2879 empowered the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to create the Fish Passage Barrier Removal Grant Program. The intent of this program is to provide funding oppo1tunities to local governments, tribes, conservation districts and non-governmental entities to identify and remove barriers to salmonid migration.

WDFW received $5.75 million from the Supplemental Capital Budget for fish passage correction; $2.078 million was utilized by WDFW for priority and proprietary projects and $3.672 million was transferred to WSDOT for administration and funding for the Grant program. WSDOT and WDFW entered into a cooperative agreement for program implementation through a Memorandum of Agreement (Appendix H). The grant program requires a 25% match from the project sponsor. Matches include: funds, volunteer labor and in-kind services.

Program goals included:

• Promote barrier corrections through the direct involvement of citizens that live and work within watersheds.
• Enlist volunteer labor to stretch state dollars.
• Encourage "In- kind" matches.
• Fix as many high priority (high habitat gain) barriers in the summer of 1998 as possible.
• Identify and prioritize barriers for future correction.
• Develop a comprehensive statewide fish passage barrier database.
• Coordinate barrier corrections with other restoration efforts.
• Expand expertise for barrier design and inventory techniques to local governments, tribes and non-governmental entities.

Under cooperative agreement, WDFW evaluates the technical aspects of project proposals, such as need, feasibility and design and provides technical assistance to project proponents. WSDOT provides all aspects of program administration including call for projects, contract management and oversight, invoice approval and payment, and final project close out.

The Grant program very successfully executed a very aggressive timeline. Project money was on-the-ground three months after the bill was signed. Eight hundred fifty project applications were mailed on April 6, 1998. Application workshops were held the second week of April and applications were due on May 26. One hundred and sixty five applications were received requesting $15.6 million. Fifty-three projects were funded for a total of $3.5 million. Award letters were mailed on June 30. All applications were evaluated using scientific criteria approved by the Fish Passage Task Force. These criteria are designed to determine the projects that will provide the best habitat gain.

Four types of projects were funded: 1998 Design and Construction, 1999 Design and Construction, 1999 Design Only and Field Survey and Data Analysis.

The 53 Grant Awards were distributed for:

• 1998 Design & Construction (26)
• 1999 Design & Construction (09)
• 1999 Design Only (09)
• Field Survey & Data Analysis (09)

Additional Program Benefits:

• WDFW is providing technical training and assistance on barrier desig11 and inventory protocols to all successful applicants.
• Approximately 100 additional barriers have been identified for correction.
• Program refinement and plans for continuation are underway.
• Networks of local partnerships and well-informed, active constituencies have formed under the Fish Passage Barrier Removal Grant Program.

It is estimated that 50% of the fish barriers in the state are on non-government roads and additionally that less than 80% of the state has been inventoried. The Fish Passage Barrier Removal Grant Program is the only state grant program that involves tribes, volunteer groups and private landowners. It is imperative that these groups continue to be included in statewide salmon recovery efforts. The Fish Passage Barrier Removal Grant Program restored access to 180 linear miles of stream habitat with 15 projects that were completed this summer. That is an average of 12 linear miles of prime habitat opened up per project, at an average cost of $78,541 per project or $6545 per linear mile.