Common use of Entrainment Investigation Clause in Contracts

Entrainment Investigation. ‌ As stated previously in his document, License Article 404 Lake Chelan Fishery Plan of the Lake Chelan license requires Chelan PUD to conduct entrainment sampling “…to determine the potential for entrainment of adult westslope cutthroat trout at the project intakes.” Specific elements for the Entrainment Investigation are described in the Lake Chelan Comprehensive Plan, section 4.6.4 of Chapter 6 Lake Chelan Comprehensive Fishery Management Plan. An excerpt from section 4.6.4 Entrainment is as follows: Chelan PUD shall conduct no more than 140 days of entrainment sampling over four sampling years, using the same methodology used during the 2000 and 2001 field seasons, or another methodology of comparable cost recommended by the LCFF, and approved by WDFW, USFWS, and WDOE. Upon request of WDFW, Chelan PUD shall develop a sampling plan in consultation with USFWS, WDOE, and the LCFF, subject to approval by WDFW. The plan shall specify the sampling years and the allocation of sampling days among such years. The first sampling year shall be not be prior to year seven of the effective date of the New License, and the last sampling year shall be no later than year 35 of the effective date of the New License. The purpose of the sampling is to determine if significant numbers of adult spawnable age/size adfluvial westslope cutthroat trout are entering the power tunnel entrance.

Entrainment Investigation. ‌ As stated previously in his document, License Article 404 Lake Chelan Fishery Plan of the Lake Chelan license requires Chelan PUD to conduct entrainment sampling “…to determine the potential for entrainment of adult westslope cutthroat trout WCT at the project intakes.” Specific elements for the Entrainment Investigation are described in the Lake Chelan Comprehensive Plan, section 4.6.4 of Chapter 6 Lake Chelan Comprehensive Fishery Management Plan. An excerpt from section 4.6.4 Entrainment is as follows: Chelan PUD shall conduct no more than 140 days of entrainment sampling over four 4 sampling years, using the same methodology used during the 2000 and 2001 field seasons, or another methodology of comparable cost recommended by the LCFF, and approved by WDFW, USFWS, and WDOE. Upon request of WDFW, Chelan PUD shall develop a sampling plan in consultation with USFWS, WDOE, and the LCFF, subject to approval by WDFW. The plan shall specify the sampling years and the allocation of sampling days among such years. The first sampling year shall be not be prior to year seven of the effective date of the New License, and the last sampling year shall be no later than year 35 of the effective date of the New License. The purpose of the sampling is to determine if significant numbers of adult spawnable age/size adfluvial westslope cutthroat trout WCT are entering the power tunnel entrance. Article 404 of the license includes a requirement for Chelan PUD to develop and file for approval with FERC within one year of issuance of the license a Lake Chelan Fishery Plan that includes measures to address Tributary Barrier Removal, a Fish Stocking Plan, and an Entrainment Sampling Plan. The Lake Chelan Fishery Plan, developed in consultation with the LCFF, was approved by FERC on December 4, 2007. The Entrainment Sampling plan is section 4.2.5 of the Lake Chelan Fishery Plan. Study methods used to investigate entrainment during relicensing baseline studies (DES 2001) were hook-and-line, Oneida trap, gillnet, and video. These same methods, or other methods recommended by the LCFF will be employed for future entrainment investigations. Stated in Article 404 of the license is the following reporting requirement: Annual results of any entrainment sampling shall be compiled in a final report and filed with the commission no later than March 1 of the subsequent year. The report shall also contain any recommendations for continued sampling, or other studies to evaluate entrainment of cutthroat trout. Year 7 of the effective date of the license was 2013. However, discussions for conducting an Entrainment Investigation have not occurred yet within the LCFF, primarily due to monitoring and evaluation results indicating that actions taken to date, such as altering fishing regulations, changing fish stocking practices, and removing lake tributary barriers to spring spawning fish (see section 2.2), have not demonstrated a significant increase in the WCT abundance in the lake. Likely, the LCFF will continue discussions in 2015 regarding when entrainment sampling may occur and preferred methodologies to be used for the investigation. The LCFF met on December 10, 2015. An item that was not on the agenda but was brought up during the meeting was the entrainment investigation. After some discussion, Forum members agreed to postpone the entrainment investigation until such time as more Westslope cutthroat trout were documented to be present in the area near the penstock intake to provide a more representative investigation. At the meeting, Forum members requested that the entrainment investigation be included on future agendas for further discussion.

Entrainment Investigation. ‌ As stated previously in his document, License Article 404 Lake Chelan Fishery Plan of the Lake Chelan license requires Chelan PUD to conduct entrainment sampling “…to determine the potential for entrainment of adult westslope cutthroat trout at the project intakes.” Specific elements for the Entrainment Investigation are described in the Lake Chelan Comprehensive Plan, section 4.6.4 of Chapter 6 Lake Chelan Comprehensive Fishery Management Plan. An excerpt from section 4.6.4 Entrainment is as follows: Chelan PUD shall conduct no more than 140 days of entrainment sampling over four 4 sampling years, using the same methodology used during the 2000 and 2001 field seasons, or another methodology of comparable cost recommended by the LCFF, and approved by WDFW, USFWS, and WDOE. Upon request of WDFW, Chelan PUD shall develop a sampling plan in consultation with USFWS, WDOE, and the LCFF, subject to approval by WDFW. The plan shall specify the sampling years and the allocation of sampling days among such years. The first sampling year shall be not be prior to year seven of the effective date of the New License, and the last sampling year shall be no later than year 35 of the effective date of the New License. The purpose of the sampling is to determine if significant numbers of adult spawnable age/size adfluvial westslope cutthroat trout are entering the power tunnel entrance.

Entrainment Investigation. ‌ As stated previously in his document, License Article 404 Lake Chelan Fishery Plan of the Lake Chelan license requires Chelan PUD to conduct entrainment sampling “…to determine the potential for entrainment of adult westslope cutthroat trout WCT at the project intakes.” Specific elements for the Entrainment Investigation are described in the Lake Chelan Comprehensive Plan, section 4.6.4 of Chapter 6 Lake Chelan Comprehensive Fishery Management Plan. An excerpt from section 4.6.4 Entrainment is as follows: Chelan PUD shall conduct no more than 140 days of entrainment sampling over four 4 sampling years, using the same methodology used during the 2000 and 2001 field seasons, or another methodology of comparable cost recommended by the LCFF, and approved by WDFW, USFWS, and WDOE. Upon request of WDFW, Chelan PUD shall develop a sampling plan in consultation with USFWS, WDOE, and the LCFF, subject to approval by WDFW. The plan shall specify the sampling years and the allocation of sampling days among such years. The first sampling year shall be not be prior to year seven of the effective date of the New License, and the last sampling year shall be no later than year 35 of the effective date of the New License. The purpose of the sampling is to determine if significant numbers of adult spawnable age/size adfluvial westslope cutthroat trout WCT are entering the power tunnel entrance. Article 404 of the license includes a requirement for Chelan PUD to develop and file for approval with FERC within one year of issuance of the license a Lake Chelan Fishery Plan that includes measures to address Tributary Barrier Removal, a Fish Stocking Plan, and an Entrainment Sampling Plan. The Lake Chelan Fishery Plan, developed in consultation with the LCFF, was approved by FERC on December 4, 2007. The Entrainment Sampling plan is section 4.2.5 of the Lake Chelan Fishery Plan. Study methods used to investigate entrainment during relicensing baseline studies (DES 2001) were hook-and-line, Oneida trap, gillnet, and video. These same methods, or other methods recommended by the LCFF will be employed for future entrainment investigations. Stated in Article 404 of the license is the following reporting requirement: Annual results of any entrainment sampling shall be compiled in a final report and filed with the commission no later than March 1 of the subsequent year. The report shall also contain any recommendations for continued sampling, or other studies to evaluate entrainment of cutthroat trout. Year 7 of the effective date of the license was 2013. However, discussions for conducting an Entrainment Investigation have not occurred yet within the LCFF, primarily due to monitoring and evaluation results indicating that actions taken to date, such as altering fishing regulations, changing fish stocking practices, and removing lake tributary barriers to spring spawning fish (see section 2.2), have not demonstrated a significant increase in the WCT abundance in the lake. Likely, the LCFF will continue discussions in 2017 regarding when entrainment sampling may occur and preferred methodologies to be used for the investigation. The LCFF met on December 10, 2015. An item that was not on the agenda but was brought up during the meeting was the entrainment investigation. After some discussion, Forum members agreed to postpone the entrainment investigation until such time as more WCT were documented to be present in the area near the penstock intake to provide a more representative investigation. At the meeting, Forum members requested that the entrainment investigation be included on future agendas for further discussion. The LCFF met on December 15, 2016 to begin developing the 2017 Annual Work Plan (AWP). The entrainment investigation was discussed during that meeting. The LCFF discussed the importance of establishing a timeline regarding the development and implementation of an entrainment study plan. It was noted that a sampling plan would need to be submitted to FERC and receive approval before implementation could occur. Annual results of any entrainment-sampling plan would need to be compiled in a final report and filed with FERC no later than March 1 of the subsequent year. The report would need to contain any recommendations for continued sampling, or other studies to evaluate entrainment of WCT. Snorkel surveys in Reach 1 of the Chelan River have identified some emigration of adult WCT and XXX from Lake Chelan into the upper reaches of the Chelan River, likely during spring spill operations. These trout are large enough (9-20+ inches) to have originated in the lake rather than having been spawned and reared in the Chelan River. No trout fry have been observed in the upper Chelan River during snorkel surveys to date. However, the number of fish observed is still relatively low: less than 120 WCT and XXX, combined, were observed in the entire length of Reach 1 of the Chelan River during the October 2016 snorkel survey. This low number of fish in the river indicates that a low number of trout are likely near the dam during spill operations, which occurred from later February through early July, and, therefore, a low number of fish were likely in the vicinity of the power tunnel intake with the potential to become entrained. Due to the data indicating an apparent low number of WCT in the vicinity of the power tunnel intake, the LCFF did not support conducting an Entrainment Investigation in 2017. However, the LCFF did support developing an Entrainment Investigation Plan to have available when the Forum decided that implementing an investigation would be appropriate.

Entrainment Investigation. ‌ As stated previously in his document, License Article 404 Lake Chelan Fishery Plan of the Lake Chelan license requires Chelan PUD to conduct entrainment sampling “…to determine the potential for entrainment of adult westslope cutthroat trout WCT at the project intakes.” Specific elements for the Entrainment Investigation are described in the Lake Chelan Comprehensive Plan, section 4.6.4 of Chapter 6 Lake Chelan Comprehensive Fishery Management Plan. An excerpt from section 4.6.4 Entrainment is as follows: Chelan PUD shall conduct no more than 140 days of entrainment sampling over four 4 sampling years, using the same methodology used during the 2000 and 2001 field seasons, or another methodology of comparable cost recommended by the LCFF, and approved by WDFW, USFWS, and WDOE. Upon request of WDFW, Chelan PUD shall develop a sampling plan in consultation with USFWS, WDOE, and the LCFF, subject to approval by WDFW. The plan shall specify the sampling years and the allocation of sampling days among such years. The first sampling year shall be not be prior to year seven of the effective date of the New License, and the last sampling year shall be no later than year 35 of the effective date of the New License. The purpose of the sampling is to determine if significant numbers of adult spawnable age/size adfluvial westslope cutthroat trout WCT are entering the power tunnel entrance. Article 404 of the license includes a requirement for Chelan PUD to develop and file for approval with FERC within one year of issuance of the license a Lake Chelan Fishery Plan that includes measures to address Tributary Barrier Removal, a Fish Stocking Plan, and an Entrainment Sampling Plan. The Lake Chelan Fishery Plan, developed in consultation with the LCFF, was approved by FERC on December 4, 2007. The Entrainment Sampling plan is section 4.2.5 of the Lake Chelan Fishery Plan. Study methods used to investigate entrainment during relicensing baseline studies (DES 2001) were hook-and-line, Oneida trap, gillnet, and video. These same methods, or other methods recommended by the LCFF will be employed for future entrainment investigations. Stated in Article 404 of the license is the following reporting requirement: Annual results of any entrainment sampling shall be compiled in a final report and filed with the commission no later than March 1 of the subsequent year. The report shall also contain any recommendations for continued sampling, or other studies to evaluate entrainment of cutthroat trout. Year 7 of the effective date of the license was 2013. However, discussions for conducting an Entrainment Investigation have not occurred yet within the LCFF, primarily due to monitoring and evaluation results indicating that actions taken to date, such as altering fishing regulations, changing fish stocking practices, and removing lake tributary barriers to spring spawning fish (see section 2.2), have not demonstrated a significant increase in the WCT abundance in the lake. Likely, the LCFF will continue discussions in 2017 regarding when entrainment sampling may occur and preferred methodologies to be used for the investigation. The LCFF met on December 10, 2015. An item that was not on the agenda but was brought up during the meeting was the entrainment investigation. After some discussion, Forum members agreed to postpone the entrainment investigation until such time as more WCT were documented to be present in the area near the penstock intake to provide a more representative investigation. At the meeting, Forum members requested that the entrainment investigation be included on future agendas for further discussion. The LCFF met on December 15, 2016 to begin developing the 2017 Annual Work Plan (AWP). The entrainment investigation was discussed during that meeting. The LCFF discussed the importance of establishing a timeline regarding the development and implementation of an entrainment study plan. It was noted that a sampling plan would need to be submitted to FERC and receive approval before implementation could occur. Annual results of any entrainment-sampling plan would need to be compiled in a final report and filed with FERC no later than March 1 of the subsequent year. The report would need to contain any recommendations for continued sampling, or other studies to evaluate entrainment of WCT. Snorkel surveys in Reach 1 of the Chelan River have identified some emigration of adult WCT and XXX from Lake Chelan into the upper reaches of the Chelan River, likely during spring spill operations. These trout are large enough (9-20+ inches) to have originated in the lake rather than having been spawned and reared in the Chelan River. No trout fry have been observed in the upper Chelan River during snorkel surveys to date. However, the number of fish observed is still relatively low: less than 120 WCT and XXX, combined, were observed in the entire length of Reach 1 of the Chelan River during the October 2016 snorkel survey. This low number of fish in the river indicates that a low number of trout are likely near the dam during spill operations, which occurred from later February through early July, and, therefore, a low number of fish were likely in the vicinity of the power tunnel intake with the potential to become entrained. Due to the data indicating an apparent low number of WCT in the vicinity of the power tunnel intake, the LCFF did not support conducting an Entrainment Investigation in 2017. However, the LCFF did support developing an Entrainment Investigation Plan to have available when the Forum decided that implementing an investigation would be appropriate.