Columbia Basin Water Transactions Program (Water Entity); National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Annual Report 2003.

Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife

United States. Bonneville Power Administration.

关键词: Columbia River;    Marketers;    Columbia River Basin;    Habitat;    Watersheds;   

DOI  :  10.2172/963097
RP-ID  :  DOE/BP-00012453-1
RP-ID  :  15128
RP-ID  :  963097

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

Launched in 2002, the Columbia Basin Water Transactions Program (CBWTP) is anticipated to be a five-year effort to test new strategies for enhancing tributary flows. The premise of the CBWTP is that water can most readily be made available for instream flows not by attempting to regulate senior water users but, instead, by acquiring water rights from willing sellers and transferring those rights to instream flows within the prior appropriation framework ('first in time, first in right'). The primary goals for this water initiative included: (1) To implement Action 151 of the NOAA Fisheries 2000 Biological Opinion on the Operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System. (2) To implement Provision A.8 of the Council's 2000 Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program related to securing water for instream flows. (3) To integrate components of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council's Program and Watershed Assessment process with the NOAA Fisheries 2000 Biological Opinion. (4) To ensure actions taken under the program would be effective, fiscally efficient, and biologically beneficial to fish and wildlife in the region. In the spring of 2002, BPA and a group of water experts selected ten local entities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and western Montana with a demonstrated potential to innovate and implement tributary flow improvements. We also selected the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to serve as the regional entity for this initiative. BPA then set up the funding agreement and scope of work to establish what is now known as the Columbia Basin Water Transactions Program. In FY 2003, BPA provided over $1.5 million in funding to the CBWTP and approved 33 water transactions. In FY 2004, BPA will provide up to $4 million to the project to enhance habitat. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of partners throughout the Basin, the CBWTP is off to a strong start in improving tributary flows in key areas across the region.