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Trinity River

Restoration Program

Program Administration

 

 

Accomplishments

Many dedicated people — federal and state employees, local residents, Tribal governments, resource professionals from other agencies, and other interested groups — have devoted the past 30 years to restoring the salmon and steelhead fisheries of the Trinity River.

Although restoration is not complete, and not all issues are entirely resolved, the Trinity River Restoration Program is an evolving success story, and a good example of communication, consultation, and cooperation, all in the service of conservation.

FY2009

Construction of the fourth group of channel rehabilitation sites will be completed in 2009, bringing the total to 24 (and completion of Phase 1). Construction of the Phase 2 sites (23) will begin in 2010. Construction contracts for continuing placement of up to 25,000 cubic yards of coarse sediment in the upper Trinity River will be awarded and implemented. The completed IAP will be used to prioritize monitoring and studies in the science part of the program.

FY2008

Construction will be completed in 2008 for the third group of channel rehabilitation sites, bringing the total to 16. Planning, design, and environmental compliance work for Phase 2 sites (an additional 23) will be completed in the form of a programmatic environmental analysis (EA). Contracts for placement of up to 25,000 tons of coarse sediment in the upper Trinity River will be awarded and implemented. The final version of the IAP, including both Phase 1 and 2, should be approved by the TMC during 2008.

FY2007

All remaining floodplain infrastructure modifications will be completed, thus allowing unconstrained future peak releases up to 11,000 cfs in the event of an extremely wet year. Because of 2007 being classified as a dry water year, peak releases only reached 4,500 cfs, and monitoring efforts focused on achieving critical temperature targets.

Contracts awarded in 2007 will allow construction of the next group of three channel rehabilitation sites, bringing the total to eight. Planning, design, and environmental compliance work for the remaining Phase 1 sites will be completed by fall 2007 and allow for completion of all (24) Phase 1 sites by 2009 (based on projected funding). Contracts for placement of up to 10,000 tons of coarse sediment in the upper Trinity River will be awarded and implemented.

Phase 1 of the Integrated Assessment Plan (IAP), which establishes the overall science framework for the Program, will be completed and used to set monitoring priorities. A draft of Phase 2, which will describe the monitoring methods and procedures in detail, should be completed later in the year.

1st Annual TRRP Science Symposium - In February 2007, the Program convened the first annual Science Symposium for program partners, stakeholders, and the public. Over 40 presentations covering a wide range of fishery restoration topics were heard by more than 120 registered attendees. The purpose of the Symposium was to share information, research findings, accomplishments, and to facilitate cross-disciplinary dialog.

Indian Creek Channel Rehabilitation Project - The Program successfully completed this highly visible and complex channel restoration project on schedule. At a total cost of $1.2 million, these three sites span nearly three river miles adjacent to State Highway 299 in Douglas City. The completion of this project brings the total number of sites completed by the Program up to eight.

Trinity River Hatchery Gravel Augmentation Project - Using 6,500 tons of gravel processed at another restoration site, the Program completed this highly visible and sensitive project located in a stretch of "blue ribbon fly-fishing water" in partnership with the United States Forest Service. An additional 3,500 tons of gravel has been stockpiled at two other locations for injection during peak spring fishery restoration flows.

Browns Mountain Road Culvert Repair Grant and Construction - The Program successfully awarded a $550,000 grant to Trinity County for design and construction of a replacement approach road and culvert, once again allowing release of maximum fishery flows of 11,000 cfs into the Trinity River.

FY2006

Most remaining floodplain infrastructure modifications (outbuildings, domestic water supplies) were largely completed, thus allowing future peak releases of at least 8,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) in the event of a wet year. This gave Program staff and technical representatives of the Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG) and Trinity Management Council (TMC) the opportunity to develop a nearly unconstrained flow schedule for what was classified as an extremely wet water year (815,000 acre feet) that reached a peak of 10,200 cfs in May 2006 (largest fishery restoration flow since construction of the dams in 1964). Four channel rehabilitation sites encompassing over five river miles were completed in 2006. Planning, design, and environmental compliance work continued for the next 16 channel rehabilitation projects. Approximately 2,500 tons of coarse sediment were placed in-river to improve the quantity and quality of spawning and rearing habitat.

FY2005

Key components of the science program were reviewed at two workshops in October and March, where national experts worked with local scientists and the SAB to fully develop conceptual and quantitative models for key resources, leading to a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation plan that will guide future research. All four bridges over the Trinity River were completed and open to traffic in December. Planning, design, environmental compliance, and implementation of other floodplain infrastructure modifications (houses, roads, etc.) will continue, setting the stage for unimpeded ROD flow releases in the spring of 2006. Construction contracts will be awarded for five channel rehabilitation sites covering about 12 miles of river, with at least one site completed by late summer and four others underway.

FY2004

The Trinity Management Council (TMC) initiated a Program evaluation in October 2003 and received a final report in April 2004, which has been used to guide improvements in the Program. Continued progress was made in planning, design, and environmental compliance for the first channel rehabilitation project at Hocker Flat. In April 2004, Program staff and technical representatives of the Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG) and TMC developed wet water year recommendations for a spring flow schedule (still limited by existing bridges) that included peak releases of 6,000 for 10 days, achieving important geomorphic and biological objectives. Extensive landowner negotiations and realty actions resulted in construction easements at all four bridge locations. Bridge contracts totaling about $6 million were advertised and awarded in the spring (at or under engineer’s estimate), and construction started at all bridge sites by mid-summer. Cost-share funds of $2 million were acquired from the State to assist with these projects. The five members of the Science Advisory Board (SAB) were appointed and began to participate in Program activities. Along with TMC and TAMWG members, Program staff developed a late summer/fall fishery protection flow schedule to reduce the risk of a salmon die-off in the Lower Klamath River.

FY2003

One year after the Executive Director was hired (October 2001), construction of the Weaverville field office of the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) was completed and staffed with its first eight employees. The charter for the Program’s federal advisory committee, the Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG), was signed by the Secretary of the Interior in October 2002 and appointed members began meeting on a regular basis in February 2003. In April, Program staff and technical representatives of the TAMWG and Trinity Management Council (TMC) developed recommendations for a spring flow release schedule that for the first time began to implement the scientific objectives of the December 2000 Record of Decision (ROD). The Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for construction of four bridges needed to accommodate higher fishery restoration flows was completed and signed in July, and construction contract actions were initiated. An action plan and EA/FONSI for release of fall fishery protection flows, which helped prevent a recurrence of the 2002 Chinook salmon die-off in the Lower Klamath River, was completed in August by Program staff in cooperation with TMC representatives. In September, the first gravel introduction project of the new program was completed (2,000 cubic yards), with almost immediate use by spawning fall run salmon.