Busy Week Underway. . . .

It's busy as usual around our office.  We have two special Board meetings planned this week. The first is Thursday morning at 9AM. The Board and staff will be reviewing the 2010 financial report and Schedule 22. Schedule 22 is the new Annual Questionnaire for Audit Assessment created by the Conservation Commission and the State Auditor's office.  The second meeting is Friday at 2 PM to review the status of the Cherry Creek project.  The project is moving forward, but has encountered some challenges in the last few weeks.

This week, we are also beginning to wrap up our election season. We've just issued our notice of automatic re-election of Ron Gibb pursuant to WAC 135-110-370. Ron was the incumbent and the only applicant who filed bythe deadline for the position. So, no poll site, absentee balloting, or mail balloting will be performed on March 17, 2011. Notice of the Automatic Re-election will be posted atthe polling sites (Cle Elum Senior Center, County Courthouse, and the KCCD office) and published in the Daily Record and Upper Kittitas County Tribune. March will bring the end of election season, as any applications for appointed position on our Board are due to the Washington Conservation Commission. Applications are available on our website and are due to the Commission by March 31, 2011. For further information, please contact the KCCD at 509-925-8585, ext. 4.

Construction continues both at Cherry Creek and at Keach-Jensen on Manastash Creek.  This week should bring some more testing and start up work at Keach-Jensen and a big push to complete the rock weirs at the lower Cherry Creek diversion site.  Alsok, last week some follow-up work at the MWDA/Consolidated Diversion occurred.  There have been some issues with controls and the low pressure blower over the winter season and a team of technicians and project staff worked on addressing those issues.  While that was happening, WDFW maintenance staff took advantage of the site dewatering to sluice out the built up silt.

Nearly 1,000 feet of 24" pipeline are part the project at Cherry Creek.  As of the end of last week, approximately two thirds of it was completed.

Two concrete manholes are part of the new piping system.  They were set yesterday, and the pipeline connecting them (that goes under Cherry Creek) was installed.

This photo is a great shot of the rock weirs at Keach-Jensen after a bit of snow late last week.

The project engineer, contractor and service technicians for the controls watch as the forebay is filled for the first time.  The fish screen is the inclined panel on the left side of the forebay.

While the MWDA site was dewatered for the work on the low pressure blower, WDFW maintenance staff sluiced out the silt that had built up last year.

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Cherry Creek Project

Work on the Cherry Creek project continues. Last week, the lower section of the creek was dewatered. The associated fish rescue was a long process.  Over 1,800 individual fish were removed and then released below the work site.  In addition to our regular help with fish rescues, the local Washington Conservation Corps crew assisted. 

This week, the contractor is beginning work on the rock weirs and streambed restoration in this 800' reach of Cherry Creek.

The fish rescue began at the lower diversion.  Jennifer Scott with WDFW was operating the electrofisher and the WCC crew (all the yellow hardhats) were netting the fish and placing them in buckets to be identified and counted.

This photo was taken while standing mid stream, looking up toward the concrete diversion structure.  This gives a good impression of the size of the structure and the depth of the creek.

Standing at the diversion and looking downstream.  The fish rescue involved 800' linear feet of stream, which is one of the largest areas we've dewatered for a project.

 

A juvenile rainbow trout captured during the fish rescue.  More than 130 rainbow trout were captured in all.

This is a juvenile coho salmon.  Only two were captured in this stream reach.

This is a brook lamprey.  They are common and especially plentiful in the silty locations.  Over 280 of varying size were captured and released.

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Keach-Jensen

The Keach-Jensen diversion structure and fish screen is nearing the start-up and testing phase.  The WDFW crew from the Yakima Construction Shop has completed most of their work and installed the fish screens, hand rails and grating.  The plumbing and electrical contractors have been working on the air system and the controls.  Some of the testing should begin in about a week.

Plumbing subcontractor has been working on the air burst system delivery lines.

The WDFW Yakima Screen Shop crew installing the handrails.  They also installed the fish screen panels and the louvered trash racks at the headgate.

 

The electrical subcontractors are working on the control system.  This is the main control panel, where the diversion rate is set and the gates are controlled.

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Annual Meeting 2011

Our 2011 Annual Meeting was last Thursday evening.  We had a great turnout and a nice dinner at the Palace Cafe.  As usual there were presentations about our projects and programs and the evening was capped with several awards.  We always like to honor our volunteers.  In 2010, eleven individuals and two groups (WSU Master Gardeners and RSVP) helped with our plant sale and the annual election.  Without their assistance, we'd be lost!
We presented four Conservation Awards for dedication to projects that we've worked on.  The participation and hard work of the landowners and project partners that we recognized last night is what make our projects successful.
Finally, service pins are awarded by our state association.  This year three Board members were presented 5 and 20 year pins for their service on the Board of Supervisors.



Visiting before the meeting started and during the KCCD 2011 Slideshow.

Award Winners!  Left to Right: Volunteers Crystal Kossow and Ken Titus; and Conservation Award Winners Martin Bernal (Hillcrest Farms), Lisa Pelly (Trout Unlimited Washington Water Project, Larry Fugle (Wagon Wheel community), and Jennifer Scott (Dept of Fish & Wildlife).

Board members receiving service pins: Jeff Brunson (5 year pin), Mark Moore (20 year pin) and Ron Gibb (5 year pin).

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