This project involves building a hatchery to produce fish needed to restore an extirpated spring Chinook population in the Walla Walla subbasin. The project is part of the NPCC’s Fish &Wildlife program, and is a component of the Fish Accord between BPA and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR).

BPA is funding the project; the CTUIR will own and operate the hatchery after completion. BPA’s intent is to award one or more contracts for these services based on negotiations with the successful EPC contract team. BPA will administer the contracts according to the terms and conditions of the award and Federal laws and guidelines. The EPC contract team will receive genera linstructions through BPA. A BPA Contracting Officer and Project Manager will be assigned to manage the contractual and technical components of the design build process.

The SFWW project site is currently developed as a spring Chinook adult holding and spawning facility operated by CTUIR. Design and construction of the existing facility was funded by BPA, and the facility began operation in 1996.Existing infrastructure at the site includes a river water intake, water supply piping, adult holding raceways, spawning building, ozone water treatment building, staff housing, effluent pond, and effluent discharge line. The water supply and treatment infrastructure were sized to accommodate an eventual full scale hatchery facility addition. New facilities to be developed include a building for egg incubation and early fish rearing, and a sufficient number of rearing containers for full-term rearing of 500,000 spring Chinook through the smolt stage.  Connections of the facility additions to the existing water supply and effluent discharge systems will also be required. In addition, improvements to adult fish trapping facilities at Nursery Bridge Dam (NBD) and Burlingame Dam.

Under this contract, GBI/TT will perform science related services as required to support NPCC’s 3-Step Review Process and BPA’s EIS process, and all design and construction-related services to complete a working Spring Chinook hatchery at the existing adult holding and spawning facility on the South Fork Walla Walla River, to allow for full production of up to 500,000 spring Chinook juveniles annually. In addition to adult holding and spawning, the improved facility will provide for incubation, rearing, and final rearing/release of up to 500,000 spring Chinook smolts. Improvements will also be made to existing adult holding facilities at the SFWW site, and to two existing adult traps downstream at Nursery Bridge Dam and Burlingame Dam to facilitate broodstock collection.

A Predesign Memorandum (PDM) (30% design) for this project was completed under a separate contract in 2011, and will provide some guidance for the project. The PDM process identified improvements to the existing SFWW adult holding facilities that were to be implemented independently of this hatchery project. Not all of these planned improvements have been implemented. Therefore, an Analysis of Alternatives, including fixes to some of these identified problems, will be completed by GBI/TT prior to commencing the 60% design phase, and will determine the final design concepts for the project. This analysis will identify and evaluate incubation options, water supply options (capability for delivery of design flow rates, filtration, screening, silt and debris removal, treatment), and alternative outdoor rearing methods and infrastructure, including reuse.

BPA has started an EIS for this project and expects to issue a Record of Decision by April of 2015. The NPPC’s Steps 1 and 2 have been combined due to scheduling issues. The option to proceed to construction will occur once BPA issues the ROD, currently expected to be by April, 2015. The contractor (with input from BPA and CTUIR staff) will assist BPA’s efforts to complete Steps 2 and Step 3 for the Walla Walla Hatchery, as well as provide design documents, cost estimates and timelines for transition to construction of the facility. Following completion of the 3-Step Process and final design development, GBI/TT will be responsible for construction of the facility.