State issues certification for Priest Rapids

EPHRATA — The Department of Ecology issued a 401 certification for Grant County Public Utility District's Priest Rapids Hydroelectric Project on the Columbia River.

The 401 certification, referring to section 401 of the federal Clean Water Act, includes ways for the PUD to comply with state water-quality standards and other relevant state regulations protecting the environment, according to Ecology.

In consultation with fish agencies, tribes and the public, the PUD identified activities designed to avoid, minimize or compensate for the effects of the dams' operation on water quality and aquatic resources, the agency reported.

"We're glad we have (the certification)," PUD spokeswoman Sarah Morford said today. "It's another step in the relicensing process."

The PUD's original, 50-year license to own and operate the Priest Rapids Project expired in October 2005. The PUD submitted an application in 2003, to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, for a second long-term license. PUD officials say they expect the new license sometime in 2007.

"We're committed to protecting the resources of the waterway that runs through our project," Morford said. "We've taken proactive steps to meet water quality standards. We support the importance of maintaining water quality."

Impounding rivers and changing flows can alter fish habitat and elevate water temperature. Spilling water over dams can produce increased levels of "total dissolved gas," causing "gas bubble trauma" in fish.

"This draft certification represents four years of work, and we feel it gives us reasonable assurance that these facilities will meet our water-quality standards," said Jim Bellatty, manager of ecology's water quality office in Spokane.

Four years of deliberations took place between the PUD, the American Rivers organization, the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, the Umatilla and Yakama tribes, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Bonneville Power Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Ecology twice solicited stakeholder review and comments, using the responses to improve the document.

A key component of the certification is the use of compliance schedules, giving the PUD up to 10 years to implement a water-quality attainment plan and fulfill conditions and requirements in the certification, ecology reported.

This compliance program focuses on implementing control measures for total dissolved gas and evaluating impacts of flow fluctuations on the Hanford Reach. It includes plans to monitor, evaluate, report and implement conditions aimed to show dam compliance with Washington's water-quality standards.

The certification requires the PUD to install advanced-design turbines and construct downstream fish-bypass facilities, to improve water quality and fishery resources, ecology reported. And the PUD must begin programs protecting and enhancing migrant and resident fish, along with wildlife.

"The dollars that Grant PUD puts into freshwater fisheries in Grant County is an investment in our local economy," said Dennis Beich, manager of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife office in Ephrata. "Freshwater recreational fishing contributes about $190 million annually in the north central region of Washington, including Grant County."

The public may appeal the certification to the Pollution Control Hearings Board, during the next 30 days.

Stephen Brown, the PUD's director of natural resources, said they are committed to protecting the resources of the river and preserving the capability of the project to produce clean, renewable, emission-free hydropower that is vital to the state and region.