Originally Posted By: darth baiter
Help me out here on the mitigation issue. The state (WDF,WDG,WDFW) got a one time package of $2M or so for mitigation from TCL? This was from putting in turbines for hydropower? What was the original mitigation for when the dam was constructed that didnt have turbines? Who got that? And now there is annual funding of X by TCL for Y? It sounds like the original $2M+ is just sitting in WDFW account books somewhere? Sorry about my confusion but for the state to have money and simply not do anything with it is odd.


To add to the explanations given:
The US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) gave old WDG about $600,000 for steelhead mitigation for Wynoochee Dam. As Rivrguy posted, WDG used it to upgrade Lake Aberdeen hatchery and promised to produce the O&M money on their own. I've worked on a lot of mitigation programs, and something like that has never penciled out. But I wasn't there and don't know what other details may have figured in. WDF asked for no salmon mitigation for Wynoochee Dam, which seems incredible, but there we have it. The original purpose of Wynoochee Dam was flood control and water supply for Aberdeen.

Around 1990, in a deal arranged by former Rep. Norm Dicks and flim flam consultant Harry Hosey, the Corps sold Wynoochee Dam to Tacoma Power (TP) for 10 cents on the dollar, or less, with the stipulation that TP would continue to operate for flood control and Aberdeen water supply. In fact, I think Aberdeen became co-owner and then later turned it all over to TP. TP put up the money that WDFW now holds in an Aberdeen bank, around $2.4 million for additional mitigation of hydro project operation impacts. And yes, all they have to do to access the money is send the plan to FERC for approval. FERC would approve it despite QIN objection because all the other stakeholders agreed to it, and FERC doesn't legally have to give a sh!t about the QIN objection. However, WDFW won't, as I previously posted, even take a restroom break without QIN approval. So there's that.

There is no annual funding by TP, other than the cost of operating the fish trap for upstream passage. Well, I guess there is the opportunity cost of not generating for 77 days during the spring smolt out migration, but that isn't a big deal.