Phase 2 Pilot Implementation of the Columbia River Mainstem Fish Tissue and Water Quality Monitoring Program

This project supported the assessment of the status and trends of contaminants in fish (salmon and resident), water, sediments and invertebrates within the Columbia River mainstem focused on recovery of culturally and economically important species including Columbia River Basin ESA listed and tribal treaty important species: Chinook salmon, coho salmon, chum salmon, sockeye salmon, steelhead trout, bull trout, white sturgeon, Pacific lamprey, as well as resident fish and the aquatic habitat.



In 2020, Yakama Nation secured funding through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Columbia River Basin Restoration Program (CRBRP) to begin Phase 1 of a multi-phased project to develop a Fish Tissue and Water Quality Monitoring Program (Monitoring Program) along the approximately 600-mile length of the Columbia River mainstem to assess and track status and trends of contaminants in fish, water, sediments and invertebrates from the Canadian Border to Bonneville Dam. Yakama Nation partnered with the Columbia River Intertribal Fisheries Commission (CRITFC), Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology), Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Phase 1 work included engaging stakeholders, developing a Monitoring Framework to inform development of the overall Monitoring Program, and developing and conducting community engagement and outreach.



In 2022, Yakama Nation secured additional EPA CRBRP funding for Phase 2 Grant A. Grant A addresses the Planning, Outreach and QAPP development for the Monitoring Program (Bonneville Dam to Canadian Border) while also supporting implementation of a Pilot Study for fish tissue and sediment sampling in the mainstem Columbia River Bonneville Reservoir.



This additional PCSRF funding leveraged the EPA Phase 1 and Phase 2 Grant A by supporting Phase 2 Grant B Pilot Study: Phase 2 Grant B: Field Data Collection, Analytical, and Reporting.



Phase 2 Grant B (this project) included a pilot study for fish tissue and sediment sampling on an approximately 50 mile stretch of the mainstem Columbia River (Bonneville Dam to The Dalles Dam) using the products developed in Grant A: QAPPs for fish, water, sediment and invertebrates, SOPs, HASP, ISSPP and permits, all of which were informed by Phase 1. Core analytes included mercury; DDT and its metabolites DDD and DDE; PCBs; PBDES; and PAHs. Products of Grant B included reviewed and approved data tables in a public repository, a report that outlines the protocols implemented with recommendations for improvements, and a high-level data summary. Grant B also continued the implementation of the Outreach Messaging Framework and efforts to identify a lead agency, program strategy, data management system and hosts of data. This Pilot Study provides information needed to conduct aquatic monitoring in a large river like the Columbia by providing field information to refine media specific QAPPs, SOPs, HASP, ISSPP, laboratory contracting, budgets, performance plan and data review, and other plans and permits required to fully implement the Monitoring Program.



Worksite #1 accomplishments:



Fish tissue samples were collected and analyzed from sample locations in the Bonneville Reservoir.



Sediment samples were collected and analyzed from sample locations in the Bonneville Reservoir.



Core analyses included mercury; DDT and its metabolites DDD and DDE; PCBs; PBDES; and PAHs.



PCSRF funding was used for the field collection, lab analyses, database creation, and reporting of results for the media and contaminants listed in this description.

The goal is simple: protect and restore the Columbia River and its tributaries. The Columbia River Mainstem Fish Tissue and Water Quality Monitoring Program will benefit every salmonid stock in the Columbia River by building on the foundational work conducted in Yakama Nation efforts in the Columbia River.



Through this funding, Yakama Nation will support implementation of a Pilot Study to collect and analyze fish tissue and sediment samples in the Bonneville Reservoir. This work will be used to continue development and ultimately implementation of the long-term Monitoring Program to track status and trends of fish tissue and water quality in the mainstem Columbia River from the Canadian Border to Bonneville Dam



This is an important step forward in contaminant reduction and will help address toxics as a limiting factor for ESA listed stocks; reach goals for toxic reduction as laid out in the revised Wy-Kan-Ush-Mi Wa-Kish-Wit and the Northwest Power Conservation Council Fish and Wildlife Program; and address the widespread contamination as identified in the 2009 EPA Columbia River Basin: State of the River Report for Toxics that describes the known issues with mercury, DDT, PCBs, and PBDE while outlining the lack of toxics reduction action on the river.



The Monitoring Program will help Yakama Nation get us to our vision of clean, healthy fish that is safe to eat. This project will specifically address PCSRF Priority (1) Projects that address factors limiting the productivity of Pacific anadromous salmonids listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), or those populations necessary for the exercise of tribal treaty fishing rights or native subsistence fishing may include efforts to restore or maintain such populations while limiting factors are being addressed. The project is aligned with the Columbia Basin Partnership Task Force as it will support the Task Force Vision of A healthy Columbia Basin ecosystem with thriving salmon and steelhead that are indicators of clean and abundant water, reliable and clean energy, a robust regional economy, and vibrant cultural and spiritual traditions, all interdependent and existing in harmony.



The future Monitoring Program will obtain estimates of changes in persistent toxic substances in fish over time and among locations. The future Monitoring Program will provide estimates of risks to consumers of fish from the Columbia River. Along the US portion of the Columbia River, effects of pollution have contributed to:



* Declines in fish runs

* Fish consumption advisories on 75% of the Columbia River

* Multiple CWA 303(d) listings throughout basin