Box Canyon Hydroelectric Project

Box Canyon Dam - Pend Oreille PUD.JPG

John Blum was Project Manager and Principal Scientist for the relicensing of the 60 MW Box Canyon Hydroelectric Project (FERC No. 2042) for Public Utility District No. 1 of Pend Oreille County. The Box Canyon Project consists of a dam, gated spillway, a forebay channel and a powerhouse containing four turbine-generators. John’s responsibilities included consultation with federal, state, and local agencies and Indian tribes, as well as design and implementation of aquatic resource studies for the relicensing.  In addition, John was responsible for coordination and meeting with the federal, state and local agencies and tribes during relicense negotiations and license compliance and implementation.

Native salmonid habitat restoration and fish passage at Box Canyon Dam are key issues for the Project. Bull Trout, listed under the Endangered Species Act, are present in Project waters.  Relicensing of the Project in the fisheries discipline focused on providing fish passage at the Project and other PUD facilities, and restoration of habitat for native salmonids (Bull Trout and Westslope Cutthroat Trout) tributaries to Box Canyon Dam. 

Services Provided

  • Prepared fisheries and aquatic study plans, implemented the study plans and wrote licensing reports and documents; prepared and submitted the final license application
  • Conducted adfluvial fish trapping in major tributaries to Box Canyon Reservoir
  • Secured, radio tagged, and tracked Bull Trout from Idaho in the Pend Oreille River to document fish migratory behavior and potential for fish passage at Box Canyon Dam.
  • Assisted in the capture of native salmonids and surrogates in the vicinity of the Project. These fish were radio-tagged and release in the Pend Oreille River to monitor fish behavior.  
  • Employed hydroacoustics to document fish utilization in the Project forebay for several years. This information was used to design and site fish passage facilities and determine if there were seasonal or flow-related influences to fish distribution and utilization of Project waters.
  • Conducted assessment of Calispell Creek to determine relative abundance, distribution and species composition of fish found in the vicinity of the Pumping Plant; also mapped habitat, depth and velocities upstream of Plant.
  • Developed monitoring and evaluation plans to restore 164 miles of tributary habitat in high-value tributaries to the Pend Oreille River in the Box Canyon Reservoir.  Conducted habitat surveys and made recommendations for habitat enhancement/restoration projects.
  • Supervised construction and implementation of restoration projects
  • Developed and implemented post-construction monitoring program to evaluate success in meeting Project compliance metrics.
  • Developed watershed planning documents to provide a 10-year road map for tributary evaluation, restoration and success monitoring for the eight high-value streams in Box Canyon Reservoir.
  • Participated and lead discussions with the Project Stakeholders throughout the relicensing and implantation/compliance phases of the project.