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Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Document
ARLIS Uniform Cover Page
Title:
Fish and aquatic resources, Study plan Section 9 Introduction : Final study
plan SuWa 200
Author(s) – Personal:
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Alaska Energy Authority
AEA-identified category, if specified:
Final study plan
AEA-identified series, if specified:
Series (ARLIS-assigned report number):
Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project document number 200
Existing numbers on document:
Published by:
[Anchorage : Alaska Energy Authority, 2013]
Date published:
July 2013
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Date or date range of report:
Volume and/or Part numbers:
Study plan Section 9
Final or Draft status, as indicated:
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Pagination:
5 p.
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Pages added/changed by ARLIS:
Notes:
All reports in the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Document series include an ARLIS-
produced cover page and an ARLIS-assigned number for uniformity and citability. All reports
are posted online at http://www.arlis.org/resources/susitna-watana/
Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project
(FERC No. 14241)
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Study Plan Section 9 Introduction
Final Study Plan
Alaska Energy Authority
July 2013
Final Study Plan Fish and Aquatic Resources Introduction
Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 9-1 July 2013
9 FISH AND AQUATIC RESOURCES
9.1 Introduction
Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project (Project) construction and operation will affect flow, water
depth, surface water elevation, and sediment regimes in the mainstem channel as well as at
tributary confluences, side channels, and sloughs, both in the area of the inundation upstream
from the proposed dam site and downstream in the potential zone of Project hydrologic
influence. Such modifications may have an adverse effect upon the aquatic communities and fish
populations residing in the river; the degree of this effect will ultimately depend on final Project
design and operating characteristics.
The potential effects of the Project on fish and aquatic resources will need to be carefully
evaluated as part of the licensing process. This study plan describes the Susitna-Watana Fish and
Aquatic Resources Study that will be conducted to characterize and evaluate these effects. The
overall objectives of this study are (1) to provide a baseline characterization of existing
resources, and (2) to collect information that will support the evaluation of potential resource
impacts of the proposed Project that were identified during development of the Pre-Application
Document (PAD), public comment, and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
scoping for the License Application. The impact assessments will inform development of any
necessary protection, mitigation, and enhancement measures to be presented in the draft and final
License Applications.
Alaska Energy Authority (AEA) is committed to conducting a thorough evaluation of the aquatic
resources that could be affected by the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project. AEA recognizes
that the Susitna River supports a diverse assemblage of fish and aquatic biota and provided a
detailed description of these resources in the PAD; however, AEA acknowledges that more
information is needed to provide a better understanding of the species interaction with and
dependencies on the river. To this end, AEA has initiated baseline studies on hydrology and fish
resources in the Lower, Middle, and Upper Susitna River in 2012. These 2012 studies will be
carried forward in the formal FERC ILP study program in 2013 and 2014. In addition, AEA is
proposing to implement 15 additional fish and aquatic studies in 2013 and 2014 that will further
document current conditions and provide information that will support the assessment of
potential Project impacts.
The actual assessment of potential impacts will rely on information provided by the fish
resources studies (see Sections 9.5 through 9.17), the instream flow study (surface water flow
routing, habitat suitability criteria, and riparian floodplain vegetation surveys; see Section 8), the
geomorphology study (sediment supply/transport regime and channel morphology; see Section
6), the ice processes study (surface water flow routing during the winter, ice growth and break-
up; see Section 7.6), the groundwater study (surface water/groundwater interactions; see Section
7.5), and the water quality study (see Section 5). These studies will result in development of a
series of flow-sensitive models (e.g., models of selected anadromous and resident fish habitats by
species and life stage, models to assess connectivity and passage conditions provided into side
channel and slough habitats, models to describe invertebrate habitats, temperature model, ice
model, sediment transport model, turbidity model, large woody debris (LWD) recruitment
Final Study Plan Fish and Aquatic Resources Introduction
Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 9-2 July 2013
model) that will be able to translate effects of alternative Project operations on the respective
processes and biological resources. Because alternative Project operational scenarios will likely
affect different habitats and processes differently, both spatially and temporally, the habitat and
process models will be spatially discrete (e.g., by site, segment, and reach) and yet able to be
integrated to allow for a holistic evaluation of each alternative operational scenario. This will
allow for an Integrated Resource Analysis of separate operational scenarios that includes each
resource element, the results of which can serve in a feedback capacity leading to new or
modifications of existing operations scenarios.
One of the key benefits to this approach is that AEA will be able to evaluate the potential effects
of Project operations under different hydrologic conditions (e.g., wet, normal, and dry year) and
for varying time steps (e.g., hourly, daily, monthly etc.). This will allow for assessments of a
wide range of operational characteristics including load following, base load operations, and
others. These types of analysis can be extended over variable time intervals that can be used to
assess Project effects over a life cycle of a given species. For example, Project operational
effects could be evaluated over 5-year (or other specified interval) increments of time as a means
to estimate how Chinook salmon (or other species) habitats might vary over that period (taking
into consideration all of the flow-sensitive parameters noted above). These types of analyses
could be done both retrospectively as a means to consider influences of existing and historic flow
conditions, as well as prospectively as a means to evaluate effects of future project operations.
The information that will be collected and the models developed will be relied upon by FERC for
completing a thorough environmental impact assessment and for establishing appropriate
protection, mitigation, and enhancement measures for inclusion in the Project license necessary
for avoiding, reducing, or mitigating for Project effects.
AEA has carefully considered the importance of the Susitna River and its resources, and while
working diligently with licensing participants and technical consultants, has identified and
designed the studies presented herein the Final Study Plan (FSP). All of the studies are planned
to be completed in a timely fashion to support the license application, and AEA is confident the
information generated will provide FERC with sufficient information to complete its analysis.
AEA’s confidence in this matter is strengthened substantially owing to the extensive amounts of
data and information that were collected on the Susitna River during the 1980s that formed much
of the basis for the PAD. AEA has acquired the majority of the data and information collected
during those studies and in 2012 has sanctioned the technical review and compilation of the
information so it will be available for use during the 2013–2014 studies and for impact analysis.
The results of the 2 years of intensive study as described in this FSP, coupled with the extensive
amount of pre-existing, relevant information collected during the 1980s and ongoing efforts in
2012 will provide FERC the information and analysis needed to complete a sound, scientific
assessment of the baseline conditions and potential Project.
9.2 Nexus Between Project Construction / Existence / Operations
and Effects on Resources to be Studied
As described above, the construction and operational strategy of the Project will create a
reservoir; modify the flow, thermal, gravel recruitment, and sediment regimes; and may alter
connectivity of aquatic habitats in the Susitna River basin. These potential ecosystem changes
Final Study Plan Fish and Aquatic Resources Introduction
Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 9-3 July 2013
will alter the composition and distribution of fish habitat and may have effects on fish and
aquatic productivity. The proposed hydropower operations for the Project may influence the
abundance and distribution of one or more of the resident and anadromous fish populations. The
degree of impact will vary depending on the magnitude, frequency, duration, and timing of flows
as well as on potential Project-related changes in temperature and turbidity. Baseline information
on existing conditions will be needed to predict the likely extent and nature of potential changes
that will occur due to Project construction and operations.
9.3 Agency and Alaska Native Entities Resource Management
Goals and Objectives
Aquatic resources including fish and their habitats are generally protected by a variety of state
and federal mandates. In addition, various land management agencies, local jurisdictions, and
non-governmental interest groups have specific goals related to their land management
responsibilities or special interests. These goals are expressed in various statutes, plans, and
directives, as described below.
Alaska Statute 41.14.170 provides the authority for state regulations to protect the spawning,
rearing, or migration of anadromous fish. Alaska Statute 41.14.840 addresses the construction of
fishways and dams. State regulations relating to fish resources are generally administered by the
Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G). ADF&G is responsible for the management,
protection, maintenance, and improvement of Alaska’s fish and game resources in the interest of
the economy and general well-being of the state (AS 16.05.020). ADF&G monitors fish
populations and manages subsistence, sport, and commercial uses of fish through regulations set
by the Board of Fisheries (AS 16.05.221). The Policy for Management of Sustainable Salmon
Fisheries (SSFP; 5 AAC 39.222) sets guidelines for ADF&G’s management of state salmon
resources. The statewide Policy for the Management of Sustainable Wild Trout Fisheries
(PMSWTF; 5 AAC 75.222) currently guides wild rainbow trout regulatory changes. Cook Inlet
Rainbow Trout/Steelhead Management Policy (CIRTMP; ADF&G 1987) provides further
guidelines specific to rainbow trout in the Northern Cook Inlet Management Area (NCIMA).
ADF&G’s authority for protection of fish resources and habitat is further established through the
Anadromous Fish Act (AS 16.05.871 – 901) and the Fishway Act (AS 16.05.841).
In addition to the state statutes, the following resource management plans and directives provide
guidance and direction for protection of fish resources and aquatic habitats on lands within or
adjacent to the Project area:
• Title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) passed in
1980 set forth a subsistence use priority for the taking of fish and wildlife on public
lands.
• The Federal Subsistence Board, which is comprised of representatives of the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of
Indian Affairs, and U.S. Forest Service, oversees the Federal Subsistence Management
Program (57 FR 22940; 36 CFR Parts 242.1–28; 50 CFR Parts 100.1–28), with
responsibility for managing subsistence resources on federal public lands for rural
residents.
Final Study Plan Fish and Aquatic Resources Introduction
Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 9-4 July 2013
• The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (PL 104-267)
provides federal protection for Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) defined as “those waters and
substrate necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity.”
NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is responsible for designating EFH.
In the case of anadromous fish streams (principally salmon), NOAA Fisheries has
designated the Anadromous Waters Catalog (AWC) prepared by ADF&G (Johnson and
Klein 2009) as the definition of EFH within freshwater habitats.
• Aquatic Resources Implementation Plan for Alaska’s Comprehensive Wildlife
Conservation Strategy, September 2006. Prepared by ADF&G, Division of Sport Fish.
• Our Wealth Maintained: A Strategy for Conserving Alaska’s Diverse Wildlife and Fish
Resources. Prepared by ADF&G, Juneau, Alaska. xviii+824 pp.
Management and land use plans relevant to the Fish and Aquatic Resources Study components
include the following:
• The role of state land use plans, generally administered by Alaska Department of Natural
Resources (ADNR), was established by state statute (AS 38.04.005). The Susitna-
Matanuska Area Plan (SMAP) and the Southeast Susitna Area Plan (SSAP) direct how
the ADNR will manage general state uplands and shorelands within the planning
boundaries.
• The Susitna Basin Recreation Rivers Management Plan describes how the ADNR will
manage state land and water along six rivers including: the Little Susitna River, Deshka
River, Talkeetna River, Lake Creek, Talachulitna River, and Alexander Creek. The plan
determines how these six rivers will be managed over the long term including providing
management intent for each river segment, new regulations for recreation and
commercial use, and guidelines for leases and permits on state land.
• The Susitna Flats Game Refuge Management Plan provides ADF&G guidance to manage
the refuge to protect fish and wildlife populations, including salmon spawning and
rearing habitats.
• Chickaloon Native Village is an Ahtna Athabascan Indian Tribe and is a federally
recognized Alaska Native tribe. The Chickaloon Village Traditional Council strives to
increase traditional Ahtna Dene’ practices for the betterment of all residents in the area.
The Tribe envisions a future with functioning ecosystems, flourishing fish and wildlife
populations, and a healthy, prosperous community.
9.4 Summary of Consultation with Agencies, Alaska Native Entities
and Other Licensing Participants Regarding Revised Study
Plan Development
Input regarding the issues to be addressed in the Fish and Aquatic Resources Study has been
provided by licensing participants during workgroup meetings commencing in late 2011. During
2012, workgroup meetings were held in January, February, April, June, August, September,
October, and November, during which resource issues were identified and discussed and
objectives were defined. Various agencies (USFWS, NMFS, ADF&G, etc.) provided written
Final Study Plan Fish and Aquatic Resources Introduction
Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 9-5 July 2013
comments specific to fish and aquatic studies, which have been considered and will be addressed
as part of these study plans.
Summary tables of comments and responses from formal comment letters filed with FERC
through November 14, 2012, were provided in Revised Study Plan (RSP) Appendix 1 filed
December 14, 2012. Copies of the formal FERC-filed comment letters were included in RSP
Appendix 2. In addition, a single comprehensive summary table of comments and responses
from consultation, dated from Proposed Study Plan (PSP) filing (July 16, 2012) through release
of Interim Draft RSPs, was provided in RSP Appendix 3. Copies of meeting summaries from
release of the PSP through the interim draft RSP were included in RSP Appendix 4, organized
chronologically.
Consultation subsequent to the filing of the RSP is described within each Final Study Plan (FSP).