Protecting Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive Species Through Watershed Management

Seattle City Light’s Native Salmonid Conservation Program was developed to protect threatened fish species, including the establishment of self-sustaining, naturally reproducing populations of Westslope cutthroat trout in the tributaries draining into Boundary Reservoir, an impoundment of the Pend Oreille River located in northeastern Washington state. 

The operation of SCL’s Boundary Dam, which was constructed in the mid-1960s, required an updated application in 2009 to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a new 42-year license. As part of the relicensing settlement, SCL agreed to review related impacts to threatened or endangered species. 

To mitigate identified impacts, SCL implemented the design, construction and operation of a fish propagation facility to produce native salmonids. Supplementation of native salmonids is expected to complement non-native trout suppression and/or stream habitat improvement activities. The initial capacity of the Native Salmonid Conservation Facility will be up to 12,000 Westslope cutthroat trout eggs, fry or fingerling per year and multiple age class broodstock, while optimally maintaining the health and biosecurity of native populations.

In 2013, SCL selected HDR to assist with facility planning, design, engineering, fisheries science, regulatory review and permitting, construction assistance and oversight. The facility and operational program uses genetic ecological and salmonid-specific principles in all aspects to maximise genetic diversity, maintain natural life history strategies and help maximise post-release survival. 

We prepared conceptual and final engineering plans for the facility and successfully completed a complex and lengthy permitting process involving numerous entities, including the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife as a major stakeholder and facility landowner. Our staff assisted SCL in consultations and approvals as required by the FERC Fish and Aquatics Work Group, Hatchery Technical Subcommittee and regulatory agencies, as well as providing the full permitting suite. 

A unique element of the project was the need to minimise impacts on Townsend’s big-eared bat, a state-sensitive species that had taken up residence in one of the buildings proposed for demolition. In collaboration with WDFW, we designed the bat mitigation site which is currently occupied and considered a great success.

The plan is to begin breeding and rearing Westslope cutthroat trout in 2024.