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Public Invited to Discuss White River and Nason Creek Spring Chinook Recovery
Dialogue Sought on Program Implementation
November 23, 2009

EPHRATA, WA – Grant PUD will share revised plans to protect endangered spring Chinook salmon populations in the White River and Nason Creek at a public meeting Wednesday, December 2, 2009. Those interested in salmon recovery planning are encouraged to join utility staff at 6:30 p.m. in the Tumwater Room of the Best Western Icicle Inn located at 505 Highway 2 in Leavenworth.

As part of the meeting, staff will share several newly developed conceptual design options for an acclimation facility on Grant PUD property near the White River. Public input is essential to the process of designing facilities, as local support for the final project is a priority. Following early concerns of local residents, plans for a full hatchery facility at the White River site were eliminated in favor of the current acclimation facility proposal. Current design options for this location emphasize minimal impacts to the view and the flood plain.

White River and Nason Creek spring Chinook salmon are at extreme risk of extinction. A 2008 biological opinion (BiOp) issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the federal license for the Priest Rapids Project require Grant PUD to develop and implement artificial propagation programs for both species. The objective of both Grant PUD programs is to increase the number of White River and Nason Creek spring Chinook salmon that spawn in the Wenatchee River Basin’s natural environment and, in time, restore healthy migratory runs to both waterways.

 “Natural resource protection challenges us with complex circumstances,” shared Gerry O’Keefe, director of natural resources. “Grant PUD is committed to working collaboratively with local community members while implementing programs that are consistent with regional work to restore endangered fish populations.”

The White River and Nason Creek spring Chinook salmon protection plans are described in Hatchery Genetic Management Plans (HGMP) required of Grant PUD under a new federal license to operate the Priest Rapids Project. HGMPs are program-planning documents meant to establish scientifically based fish reproduction strategies for targeted species; in this case, White River and Nason Creek spring Chinook salmon, both of which are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The draft HGMPs will be available soon for public review and comment on the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Web site: http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Salmon-Harvest-Hatcheries/Hatcheries/HGMPs-under-Review.cfm.  

Under the Priest Rapids Project license, Grant PUD works with several agencies and tribes to identify and implement optimal salmon recovery efforts for a number of species, including several that spawn far upstream of the project like the White River and Nason Creek spring Chinook salmon.

For more information on the Nason Creek and White River programs, information on other fish protection programs supported by Grant PUD or to get involved with the process, please visit http://www.gcpud.org/resources/index.htm, email fishandwildlife@gcpud.org or call (509) 793-1522.

Meeting Details:
What:              Public Meeting on White River & Nason Creek Programs
Where:            Best Western Icicle Inn
                        505 Highway 2, Leavenworth
When:             Wednesday, December 2, 6:30 p.m.

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Grant County Public Utility District is a Washington state municipal corporation that began electric service in 1942.  Owned by the people it serves, Grant PUD generates and sells electricity to Grant County residents and millions of customers throughout Central Washington and the Pacific Northwest.  The Priest Rapids Project, comprised of Priest Rapids and Wanapum Dams, produces nearly 2,000 megawatts of clean, renewable and reliable electricity – enough to supply a city the size of Seattle.  A leader in science based technology; Grant PUD is committed to finding effective measures for the protection, mitigation and enhancement of salmon, steelhead and other natural and cultural resources.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Dorothy Harris
(509) 793-1516 / dharris@gcpud.org

A juvenile spring Chinook takes advantage of winter stream coverage before migrating downstream to the Pacific Ocean in the spring.

A hatchery and acclimation facility is under consideration for Grant PUD property (above) along Nason Creek, while ponds to acclimate juvenile spring Chinook salmon are planned near the White River.