Agreements & Biological Opinions

Agreements & Biological Opinions | Fish Passage | Hatcheries
Habitat Restoration & Conservation

Grant PUD works cooperatively with state and federal fisheries agencies and tribes to develop programs and agreements to protect and enhance fish populations within the boundaries of the Priest Rapids Project.  The following programs and agreements will guide fish protection and restoration efforts over the coming decades.

Hanford Reach Fall Chinook Protection Program
The Hanford Reach Fall Chinook Protection Program increases protection for Hanford Reach fall Chinook during the rearing period, a time when juvenile fish are preparing to migrate to the ocean.  The Program includes all the elements of the 1988 Vernita Bar Agreement and expands it to incorporate additional flow fluctuation limits, some of which have been provided on a voluntary basis since 1999.  The Hanford Reach Fall Chinook Protection Program was signed by NOAA Fisheries, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Yakama Nation, Chelan County PUD, Douglas County PUD, Bonneville Power Administration and Grant PUD.  In 2004, the Program was submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for review and inclusion into a new license order for the Priest Rapids Project, which is expected in 2008.

Salmon & Steelhead Settlement Agreement
An agreement between Grant PUD, State and Federal Agencies and Indian Tribes initiates a comprehensive and long-term adaptive management program for the protection, mitigation and enhancement of protected species, which may pass or be affected by the Priest Rapids Project. Along with NOAA Fisheries Biological Opinion and the Hanford Reach Fall Chinook Protection Program, the Settlement Agreement is the third and final piece of the Priest Rapids Project Salmon and Steelhead Protection Program.  The Agreement, which was signed by NOAA Fisheries, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Yakama Nation and Grant PUD was submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for review and inclusion into a new license order for the Priest Rapids Project.

Biological Opinions - Upper Columbia River Spring-run Chinook and Steelhead
In 2008, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued a new Biological Opinion on the effects of the proposed action on listed species in accordance with the Endangered Species Act regarding the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s proposed action related to relicensing of the Priest Rapids Project.  In this Biological Opinion, NMFS determined that the proposed action is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of Upper Columbia River spring Chinook salmon and steelhead.

Biological Opinion – Bull Trout
In 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued its Biological Opinion on the effects of the proposed action on threatened species in accordance with the Endangered Species Act related to relicensing of the Priest Rapids Project.  This Biological Opinion describes the effects of the Project on threatened bull trout and its designated critical habitat and includes reasonable and prudent measures necessary to minimize the impacts of take on bull trout.

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