Through this Sugar Implementation Support contract, MSRF will expand upon the work initiated/completed in previous BPA contracts #88617 and #91008, as well as ongoing/concurrent contract #93263 to implement discreet habitat improvement actions at the Sugar Right (also known as Sugar Levee) and Sugar Left project areas.

Under this contract, MSRF will coordinate with the project design team to advertise, bid, and select the project construction contractor(s); coordinate with Okanogan County, the Town of Twisp, and FEMA to complete the CLOMR process; and coordinate with local, state, regional, and federal authorities to secure all necessary permits and clearances with the goal of initiating construction in summer 2025. Construction is expected to continue into fall 2025, past the current end date of this contract.

Implementation metrics:
Work planned under this contract includes completing FEMA floodplain permitting and other permits required for construction, procuring materials for and constructing 67 engineered log jams and structures with 15 associated pools, removing a 300 ft. section of the Sugar Levee, improving side channel and floodplain connectivity in Sugar Right and Sugar Left through connecting, enhancing, and creating 9,200 ft of Methow River perennial and seasonal side channels, connecting 30 acres of floodplain, and planting 12 acres of native riparian vegetation.

Engineering:
MSRF will continue to work with the Wolf Water Resources, the previously selected design engineer, in coordination with BPA, BOR, Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office-Salmon Recovery Funding Board (RCO-SRFB), and Washington State Department of Ecology-Floodplains by Design (Ecy-FbD) to coordinate with Okanogan County, the Town of Twisp, and FEMA (and the FEMA contractor) to complete the necessary floodplain permitting through the CLOMR process for the Sugar project to allow for project construction in summer 2025. Final design and CLOMR tasks began in contract 93263; this contract includes budget and scope to continue this ongoing effort. The final LOMR process will be completed once project construction is completed; this work will extend past the end date of this contract.
The design engineer will also provide technical support for construction management, including contractor selection and engineering oversight during construction to ensure that project construction meets design intent.

Cost Share:
MSRF has secured cost share funding awards for engineering and implementation through RCO-SRFB and Ecy-FbD, which are cost-share for this contract. Cost share funding award timelines extend past the end date of this contract.

Habitat Prioritization:
The Sugar project is located along the Methow River north of Twisp, WA, in Reach 1 of the Methow-River-Thompson Creek Assessment Unit (AU), which was included within the Middle Methow Reach Assessment (BOR 2010). This area is considered to be a major spawning area for steelhead, and critical rearing habitat for both steelhead and spring Chinook. The UCSRB/RTT Prioritization Framework identifies this as an important reach for restoration for Upper Columbia River (UCR) spring Chinook (#11/51), due to high intrinsic capacity, and low habitat quality. This reach is considered to be a priority for restoration (ranked #6/14) by the Revised Upper Columbia Biological Strategy (2017) and current prioritization framework, and is also highly ranked in the Methow EDT (restoration priority rank of #2/49 for UCR steelhead and #4/49 for UCR spring Chinook). Current flood and infrastructure protection measures have resulted in loss of side channel habitats, lateral habitat connectivity, in-stream habitat conditions, and riparian conditions. The UCSRB/RTT Prioritization Framework is very responsive to changes in habitat quality in this reach. The EDT indicates restoration in this reach has high potential to increase productivity, abundance and capacity and recommends projects that target riparian and floodplain conditions as well as cover and complexity. BPA support will allow MSRF to expedite design and implementation of priority actions to increase habitat capacity, particularly for juvenile rearing for the target species.

Completed habitat assessments for this segment of the Methow River identified opportunities to enhance floodplain connectivity on portions of nearly 90 acres of currently isolated or partially isolated floodplain, wetland and side channel habitat areas where protections have previously been secured through land acquisitions using a combination of HCP Tributary Committees, PRCC, state, and federal funds. Implementing these actions would result in increased connectivity specifically during the periods beneficial to steelhead and Spring Chinook.

MSRF Contract Manager and staff will all cooperate, coordinate, collaborate, and maintain effective communication with BPA PM/COR, EC Lead, and Hydraulic Engineer during the entire length of this contract with regards to project design.  MSRF and its subcontractors will address BPA comments and concerns, and the two entities will arrive at a mutual beneficial consensus.