This contract is for Phase 3 of the Upper Wenatchee Floodplain Reconnection Project.

During Phase 3, the design package will be advanced to permit-ready (60%); wetland delineation field work and reporting will be completed; cultural resources survey and reporting will be completed; JARPA and HPA permit applications will be prepared and ESA and NEPA consultations will be initiated; and the draft recreation safety plan will be updated as needed.

Completed Work To Date via BPA Funding:

Phase 1 (contract #: 82854), which was vetted by the Regional Technical Team (RTT), completed pre-conceptual work and development of 15% conceptual designs. Phase 2 (contract # 86732), to be completed 12/31/2021, included development of a 30% design package; coordination among key stakeholders (Chelan County Natural Resources Department (CCNRD), BPA, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW), the Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board (UCSRB), and others); an assessment of access feasibility; bedrock profiling using seismic refraction to aid in the determination of siting and structural stability requirements needed for design work; and preparation of a draft recreation safety plan.

Project Background:

The Upper Wenatchee River is a major spawning area for spring Chinook and steelhead. The project area is also likely to provide spawning habitat for summer Chinook and rearing and migration habitat for bull trout. As a result, the RTT identified the Upper Wenatchee Assessment Unit as the #2 priority sub-watershed for restoration actions in the Wenatchee basin prior to initiation of the Phase 1 contract for this project. In its updated prioritization, RTT has ranked the Upper Wenatchee as Tier 1 priority for both spring Chinook and steelhead and as Tier 2 priority for bull trout. Accordingly, focal species for this project are steelhead and spring Chinook.

A variety of actions are expected to be completed between approximately river miles 37.0 and 37.7 as a result of this project. These include installation of deflector engineered log jam (ELJ) and channel excavation to direct mainstem flows onto river left floodplain, construction of  ELJs and boulder placement in the main channel and installation of large wood along river right bank to add in-stream structure.

This contract will contain subcontracts.