Expiring Positions and Annual Election

The KCCD has two expiring positions on our Board of Supervisors. The Board is made up of 5 Supervisors. Three are elected locally and 2 are appointed by the Washington State Conservation Commission. One expiring position is currently held by Mark Moore and is an elected position. The second is held by Dale Dyk and is an appointed position. Read on to learn how you can be considered for these positions or how you can vote in the KCCD election.

Elected Position


Individuals interested in the elected position must complete a candidate information form and submit it to the KCCD office by 4:30PM on January 11, 2010. If a candidate wishes for their name to be pre-printed on the ballot, they must also submit a nominating petition with signatures from at least 25 registered voters residing within the KCCD boundaries by 4:30PM on January 11, 2010. If a valid candidate information form is submitted, but a nominating petition is not, the candidate will be considered a "declared write-in" and their name will not be pre-printed on the ballots. Both the candidate information form and the nominating petition can be downloaded from the KCCD website at (http://kccd.net/). The links are on the right hand side of the page.


The Board of Supervisors conducts an annual election to fill the elected positions. The 2010 election is scheduled for February 9, 2009. There are two ways that voters can participate. First is to vote in person at one of the two polling stations (Council Chambers at City Hall 119 W First, Cle Elum or KCCD office at 607 E Mountain View in Ellensburg) from 10AM to 2PM on February 9th. The second is to request a mail-in ballot. Ballots must be requested by 4:30 on February 2nd. They will be mailed February 3rd and must be returned to the KCCD office by 4:30PM on February 9th. Please note that postmarking the ballot by the 9th will not be sufficient- the ballot must be received in the office by 4:30PM. Ballot requests can be made by phone (925-8585 ext. 4), by mail (607 e Mountain View Ave, Ellensburg 98926), or by e-mail.

Polling officers counting ballots in the 2009 Election at the Cle Elum polling station.

Appointed Position

Individuals interested in applying for the appointed position need to complete an application form. That form must be submitted directly to the Washington State Conservation Commission by the close of business on March 31, 2010. The application form is available on the KCCD website at http://kccd.net/.



If you have any questions regarding the expiring positions or the 2010 Election, please contact Anna or Sara at 925-8585 ext. 4. For more information on elections see the KCCD webpage at http://kccd.net/Meet_The_People/Board_Elections.html


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Cold Weather

The cold weather is affecting the Manastash Creek projects. At Barnes Road, progress continues. Another wall pour was completed last week. With the cold weather, the contractor worked to cover and heat the concrete so it will cure properly.

Wall No. 3 at Barnes Road was poured last Friday.

The newly poured wall is covered and heated. The exposed walls were poured a few weeks ago. They are the walls for the fish ladder.

At the MWDA/Consolidated diversion, the single digit and sub zero weather caused icing problems, affected the contractors equipment and generally slowed work. For these reasons, and because of delays with temporary power, the project is now 3 weeks behind schedule. The good news is that temporary power is now available making the pumping for dewatering easier. The contractor has proposed an aggressive new concrete pour schedule and will be working hard to make up time in the schedule. We'll all keep our fingers crossed for better weather!

Manastash Creek and the diversion work site has accumulated more ice every day during this cold spell making work difficult for the contractor.

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Barnes Road Progress

The Manastash Creek fish screen projects continue to move forward. The Barnes Road facility involves several pours. So far, the slabs that are the bottom of the structure have been poured, along with two walls forming the lower portion of the fish ladder. We are hopeful that the pours will be complete before the end of the year and the work into January and February will be the installation of the fish screen panels and the screen's air burst cleaning system.

Excavation for the screen facility at the MWDA/Consolidated Diversion has begun. The first pour at that site is not expected for another week or two.

Barnes Road fish screen/passage facility with two major walls completed and the floor slabs completed.

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MWDA Fish Passage

Fish passage is being achieved at the MWDA diversion with the installation of seven rock weirs. The contractor has been working on these weirs since the beginning of November. Yesterday they were completed and the creek was turned back into it's channel!

This is a significant milestone for the project because most of the remaining work, except for modifications the headgate, are out of the Manastash Creek channel. With the weather and stream flow becoming more unpredictable, it was important to complete the weirs and get out of the creek.

This is the MWDA diversion in full operation in April 2008. This fish passage issue is not only the checkboards in the dam, but also the concrete apron below the dam.

This photo is taken from the left bank looking upstream toward the diversion dam after the channel was dewatered, but before any of the weirs were constructed. The creek bypasses the work site by flowing down the MWDA ditch and then in a dug channel back to the creekbed below where the weirs are being constructed.

The rock weirs include large rocks that are carefully selected to fit together in the weir structure. This photo shows one completed weir and work on the next upstream weir.

This photo is taken from the right bank looking upstream toward the diversion dam. The rock weirs span the full channel and have low flow notches that resemble stair steps. This photo is looking upstream toward the concrete dam (where the excavator is sitting).

This is looking downstream from the diversion dam after the creek was turned back into it's channel yesterday afternoon. The rock weirs blend nicely into the stream channel.

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Coleman Creek Project

The Coleman Creek project is nearly complete. The project included removing the existing concrete diversion dam and pump vault and replacing them with rock weirs for fish passage, a headgate above the upper weir, a fish screen, and a new pump vault. Work began the last week of October and is expected to be completed by early December.

This is the diversion structure during the '09 irrigation season. It was a barrier to fish passage and was unscreened.

The reach of the creek where the work occurred was dewatered and then a fish salvage occurred. Above are Ryan and Sara from the District and Jen Scott from WDFW with an electrofisher. They work for quite a while to remove all the fish under the existing diversion dam.

The first order of business was to remove the old diversion dam.

The rock weirs were constructed, beginning with the apex rock.

Below each rock weir, a scour pool was excavated.

The new pump vault was set in two pieces by a large crane.

The water was released back into the creek.

The remaining work includes finishing the gates, the fish screen installation and all the automation for the water measuring.

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Manastash Project Construction

The Manastash Creek Restoration Project is finally seeing substantial construction! The Barnes Road diversion fish screen and fish ladder facility has been underway for a couple of weeks. The first of several concrete pours is scheduled for Monday November 2nd.

Construction crew began setting the forms for the concrete pour and preparing the footings this week.

The Menastash Water Ditch Association (MWDA) and Consolidated Diversion construction is starting this week. The contractor worked on access road improvements and preparing to dewater the stream reach where 7 rock weirs will be constructed to accommodate fish passage.

Tomorrow, the entire creek will be diverted into the upper reach of the MWDA Ditch and then routed through an excavated diversion channel back into the creek just below the lowest rock weir. A fish salvage will occur at the same time. Rock weir construction should begin next week.

The contractor began excavation of the bypass channel that will go from MWDA's ditch to back to the creek. On the left is Chris Landreau, an archaeologist on site to monitor excavation for cultural or historic resources.

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Fall Projects

Construction of the Jack and Indian Creek culverts is 99% complete. Remaining work mostly involves the road (striping, etc.). We are now working to replant the riparian areas at each project site.

WCC Planting Crew at Indian Creek

Another component of the Manastash Creek Restoration Project is set to begin next week. A sprinkler conversion project for a landowner in the Menastash Water Ditch Association (MWDA) will result in saved water placed in the Trust Water Rights Program in perpetuity. The trust water associated with this project brings the total water secured for Manastash Creek to 4.7 cubic feet per second (cfs). The intial goal is to reach 6 cfs.

Dan Swan (PSE), Sherry (KCCD), and Bob Gregerich (MWDA) discuss the eletrical service needs for the sprinkler conversion project.

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First Manastash Fish Screen Construction Underway

The Barnes Road Diversion fish screen is now under construction. The screen facility and a fish ladder are being installed by Belsaas & Smith Construction. Barnes Road is closed to all but local traffic to allow for construction. Work is expected to continue through February.

The MWDA/Consolidated fish screen facility and instream rock weirs will also be constructed this fall and winter by Belsaas & Smith Construction Inc. That work is funded by Bonneville Power Administration and contracted by HDR Engineering.

The work area is protected from Manastash Creek by a large coffer dam constructed with bulk bags and plastic sheeting.

The facility will be constructed along the edge of the creek and essentially in the location of the excavator in this photo. The Barnes Road bridge over Manastash Creek is on the right side of the photo.

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Audits and River Function

I haven't posted in a couple of weeks. Here are a few highlights:

Audits

The 3-year audit by the State Auditors office happened this summer. The audit report has been posted at http://www.sao.wa.gov/auditreports/auditreportfiles/ar1002251.pdf. In addition to that audit, we were also subject to a "single federal audit". This audit is triggered when we spend more than $500,000 in federal funds in a calendar year. The report for that audit is posted at http://www.sao.wa.gov/auditreports/auditreportfiles/ar1002252.pdf. We are pleased to have this process complete for the year!

River Function

We are looking into a concept called "flood fencing" to address the impacts of high flow events. This concept has been pioneered by Snohomish County. A few of us made a quick visit to sites on the Skykomish River near Sultan and Goldbar and learned more about the projects from Bob Aldrich (Snohomish County Public Works- Surface Water Division). Last week Bob visited our area, giving a presentation to interested folks and then visiting a site on the Yakima River. Flood fencing can help to protect farmland from debris during a flood. It can also be used more aggressively to help direct flows to protect land, infrastructure and riparian habitat.

Rob Acheson talks (left) with Bob Aldrich (center) and Ryan Roberts (right) about a side channel of the Yakima that borders his property.

Jack Creek Before and After

The Jack Creek culvert replacement project is nearly complete. Yesterday, the project engineer, Shane Phillips, visited the site. It is amazing to see the increase in capacity from the old 6 foot diameter culvert to the new 17 foot wide culvert.

Anna Lael, Mark Crowley and Shane Phillips inspect the new Jack Creek culvert.

The old culvert ( 6' diameter) had an outfall that prevented upstream fish passage.

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Began collecting the Baseline Documentation for the Wild Horse Wind Power Project easement. Currently we are concentrating on setting up photo points for structures, springs, riparian areas and pasture lands. SW

Jack Creek/Indian Creek Update and Fall Construction Projects

The Jack Creek and Indian Creek culvert replacement projects are nearing completion. The Jack Creek culvert is installed and the creek is now running through the culvert. The road portion (paving and guardrail) will not be complete until the end of the month.

The newly shaped streambed inside the Jack Creek culvert

The Indian Creek culvert has been assembled and is being backfilled this week. The streambed gravel is being placed inside the culvert. That work should be complete by the September 22.

Backfilling the Indian Creek culvert this week.

The Coleman Creek Irrigation Modification Project bids were received last week. A construction contract will be executed next week with the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. That project is expected to begin in mid October. It involves removal of the existing dam and installation of rock weirs and a fish screen. The new diversion configuration will include automated gates and telemetry for the water measuring devices.
The Manastash Restoration Project make a significant leap this fall. The Barnes Road Fish Screen project will begin construction on October 5th. That project is contracted by the District and includes a fish ladder, a fish screen and water measuring equipment with telemetry and automated gates. The MWDA/Consolidated diversion fish screen structure will also be constructed this fall. That project is contracted directly by BPA through HDR and includes a fish screen, rock weirs for fish passage, and water measuring equipment with telemetry and automated gates.



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Kittitas County Fair

Be sure to check out our booth at the Fair! SW

Jack Creek Culvert

The Jack Creek culvert is assembled and the process of backfilling around it was completed at the end of last week. The backfill material was installed in 8 inch layers and each layer was compacted as specified in the project design.

The backfill next the new culvert is compacted using a "jumping jack" compactor. The pipe on the right side of the photo conveys the creek water around this section of the creek. It will be removed when the project is complete.

The streambed gravel and habitat features were started inside the culvert. The culvert will be filled with approximately 5 feet of streambed gravel. In the upper portion of that gravel, large boulders will be placed and the streambed re-constructed.

The streambed gravel and boulders inside the Jack Creek culvert.

Work to assemble the Indian Creek culvert will begin early this week. Full project completion is scheduled for late September.

The bedding that will support the Indian Creek culvert was installed land compacted last week in prepartion to assemble the new culvert.

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Pre-Bid Meetings

Manastash Creek Restoration Project

Last Friday we conducted a pre-bid meeting for the Menastash Water Ditch Association (MWDA) and Consolidated Diversion. This project includes a fish screen structure and instream rock weirs for fish passage. Construction will be contracted and administered by HDR Engineering and funded directly by Bonneville Power Administration.

The prospective bidders at the project site.

This was an exciting event for us. We've been working on the Manastash Creek Restoration Project for a number of years and to finally conduct the prebid meeting was a big step forward. This means that in addition to the Barnes Road diversion, construction should also occur at the MWDA/Consolidated diversion this fall and winter. That will mean that two of the three planned facilities will be in operation by the 2010 irrigation season. The third facility is the Keach/Jensen diversion and it should be addressed next year.

Yakima Tributary Access & Habitat Program (YTAHP)

We conducted a pre-bid meeting yesterday for the Coleman Creek Diversion Modification Project. This project addresses an unscreened irrigation diversion and the second fish passage barrier on Coleman Creek. Bids are due next week and the project should go to construction this fall.

Mark Crowley talks with prospective bidders at the Coleman Creek project site

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Small Project Cost Share & Firewise

We are currently accepting applications for our Small Project Cost Share Program and our Fire Protection Cost Share program. The applications are available online (http://kccd.net/Announcements/) and at our office.

The Small Project Cost Share offers 50% reimbursement and up to $3,000 to landowners implementing projects that improve natural resource conditions. An example would be a project to convert from an earthen ditch to a pipeline. If it costs $4,000 to do this project, including equipment, labor, and materials, the landowner would receive $2,000 from the program. The other $2,000 could be landowner cash or contributed by the landowner as "in-kind", meaning that the landowner could use their own backhoe to dig the trench or they could put the pipeline together themselves and count their hours. Important things to remember are that the projects must be designed and installed to meet Natural Resources Conservation Service specifications and that no project costs can be incurred until a cost share agreement has been approved by the KCCD Board of Supervisors and the landowner has been issued a "notice to proceed".

Buried pipeline project funded by the Small Project Cost Share Program

The Fire Protection Cost Share Program provides cost share to landowners working to reduce fuels and fire danger on their property. This program doesn't have a specific reimbursement or cost-share rate, however landowners who provide part of the project cost are more likely to be funded. In the past, projects have received between $1,200 and $10,000 in funding from the program.

Landowners trim trees along access roads to reduce fire danger

In conjunction with the Fire Protection Cost Share Program, we have a consulting forester who assists with fire protection assessments. Thembi Borras accompanies our staff (usually Suzanne) to properties, conducts an assessment and provides recommendations to the landowners.

Thembi Borras inspecting a stand of pine trees.

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Jack Creek and Indian Creek

Work continues on the Jack Creek and Indian Creek culvert replacement projects in the Teanaway. The new Jack Creek culvert is partially assembled. The culvert has 4,000 bolts that must be hand torqued. The Indian Creek culvert replacement is next in the project sequence. The old culvert was removed this week and excavation for the new one started.

We now have another project out to bid, the Coleman Creek Irrigation Diversion Modifications project to install rock weirs, a fish screen and configure a pump sump. The bid package is available on our website at http://kccd.net/Announcements/Announcements.htm

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Jack Creek Fish Salvage

The Jack Creek and Indian Creek culvert replacement projects in the Teanaway are moving right along. The fish salvage in the reach below the Jack Creek culvert was conducted on Monday morning. Jen Scott with WDFW used an electroshocker and the rest of the crew (KCCD's Brent Dixon and D.J. Shook and Peter from USFWS) captured the fish in nets. They started in the pool immediately downstream of the existing culvert.

The fish found in the pool included eastern brook trout, rainbow trout (in the photo below), and sculpin.There were lots of crayfish too. They were pretty fiesty!

By Tuesday, the old culvert had been removed to make way for the new one. That's the same pool in the foreground of the photo below. The contractor is expecting to pour footings for the 3-sided box culvert early next week!

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Crop mapping is nearly complete for 2009! Here is a map that displays (in orange) what has been mapped. The green indicates what still needs to be completed. SW

PAM for Erosion Control

Polyacrylamide (PAM) has been used in Kittitas County for more than a dozen years. PAM is a flocculant that is added to irrigation water before or as it is applied to a field. PAM causes the soil particles to bind together causing them to fall out of the water column and remain in the field. PAM decreases erosion by 50% to 85% in furrow irrigation fields. In Kittitas County, PAM is commonly applied to sweet corn, potatoes, wheat, oats, sudan grass (see photo below), and new seeding timothy hay fields.
PAM is applied as either a powder or solid (tablets or blocks). The powder is metered into a head ditch or applied in a strip along the upper end of a furrow, before irrigation water is applied. The tablets are also placed in furrows at the upper end and sometimes further down the furrows depending on the soil and the slope of the field. The blocks are placed in netted bags in head ditches as well. PAM is also beneficial to sprinkler irrigation systems. The blocks can be hung on center pivot sprinkler systems to help prevent erosion in the wheel tracks (see below).

The KCCD cost shares with irrigators, providing 50% reimbursement for purchases, up to $2,000 (an irrigator can receive no more than $1,000 per year). This cost share program has been in place for 10 years and impacts an average of 2,000 acres and 15 to 20 irrigators per year. On average, 8,000 tons of soil per year are saved from irrigation induced erosion. To sign up for cost share, contact the KCCD office at 925-8585.

PAM should always be purchased from reputable dealers to ensure quality ingredients. In Kittitas County it is sold by Midstate Co-Op, Kern Company, and Smith-Kem Ellensburg Inc. More information about PAM is available at http://www.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/research/PAM/primer

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Jack Creek and Indian Creek

Construction work is beginning on the Indian Creek and Jack Creek culvert replacement projects. These projects are on the North Fork Teanaway Road near mileposts 11 and 13. Both culverts are undersized and are barriers to fish passage.

Jack Creek culvert outfall (6' diameter CMP culvert)

The contractor is currently constructing temporary diversion roads around each site.

Construction will kick into high gear this week and next, as the instream work window starts this Wednesday. Watch the blog for project updates through rest of the summer.

The project is funded by a combination of the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, Bonneville Power Administration and Western Federal Lands Hwy Division grants, as well as funding from Kittitas County Public Works.

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The Quarterly newsletter has gone to print and should be out by next week. SW