SOLICITATION NOTICE
B -- Fish Entrainment Study
- Notice Date
- 3/23/2011
- Notice Type
- Presolicitation
- Contracting Office
- Bureau of Reclamation - PN - Columbia Cascades Area Office 1917 Marsh Rd Yakima WA 98901
- ZIP Code
- 98901
- Solicitation Number
- R11PS1C210
- Response Due
- 4/4/2011
- Archive Date
- 3/22/2012
- Point of Contact
- Connie Morgan Purchasing Agent 5095755848241 cmorgan@usbr.gov;
- E-Mail Address
-
Point of Contact above, or if none listed, contact the IDEAS EC HELP DESK for assistance
(EC_helpdesk@NBC.GOV)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- The Bureau of Reclamation, Columbia-Cascade Area Office, Yakima WA will be issuing an RFQ (R11PS1C210) for the following services involoving fish entrainment on or about March 28, 2011. Firms with the capabilities to perform this job are required to provide a qualification statement with their proposal. Contractor Qualifications:To qualify for award, prospective contractors must be able to show that they have experience in maintaining and operating rotary screw traps and have performed similar studies in rivers with rapidly changing flow rates. Contractors must also have experience in identifying and handling bull trout populations in the Pacific Northwest. Information and interest requests can be sent to:Bureau of Reclamation Connie Morgan, Purchasing Agent1917 Marsh RoadYakima WA 98901or electronically to cmorgan@usbr.gov....no faxes pleaseThe Statement of Work for this service is as follows:Purpose for Cost Estimate Request:The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is proposing to conduct a fish entrainment study at its Kachess Dam facility located near the town of Easton in central Washington State. For this study, a single rotary screw trap (RST) and split-beam hydroacoustic array will be operated for a 5-month period at the outlet of Kachess Dam between May 16th, 2011 and October 14th, 2011. Reclamation is seeking qualified Fisheries Consultants to provide field data collection and technical oversight for field data collection activities for this sampling effort. A Scope of Work outlining the required work tasks and project deliverables to be included in the cost estimate is provided below. Background:Fish entrainment, defined as fish movement out of storage reservoirs and into downstream waterbodies, is known to occur at Reclamation operated storage dams in the Yakima River Basin. Outlet structures for the five Yakima Project storage dams are not screened to prevent fish entrainment when water releases are made at these facilities. Past fish entrainment investigations by Reclamation at Tieton Dam (a Yakima Project storage facility on the Tieton River) have shown that the amount of fish entrainment can be substantial during period when high flows are released. Furthermore, studies at Tieton Dam have also shown that a variety of highly valued species are being entrained, including bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) which is a listed species under the Endangered Species Act. Although fish entrainment is likely occurring at other Yakima Project storage dams, the extent or magnitude of fish entrainment is not well known and estimates of total fish entrainment as well as the composition of species being entrained at these facilities has become a matter of speculation. Current estimates of entrainment at these facilities is based on the rates of entrainment obtained from the study at Tieton Dam. However, the outlet work configuration and water release patterns at other Yakima Project storage dams are different than those at Tieton Dam. As a result, entrainment rates for other Yakima Project reservoirs may not be similar to those reported for Tieton Dam which may lead to inaccurate assumptions about entrainment rates at other reservoirs. Because listed bull trout populations exist in the upper Yakima River basin, and Reclamation operations may affect this species, Reclamation would like to investigate the amount, timing, and composition of species being entrained at other Reclamation storage dams in the Yakima basin. Reclamation is proposing to investigate the total amount of fish entrainment, including the rate and timing of entrainment, as well as the species composition of fish being entrained at Kachess Dam on the Upper Yakima River. Timing of the proposed entrainment study would encompass the period when the majority of the summer high flows are released from Kachess Dam. This time period would be approximately 5-months in duration and would occur from approximately May 16th, 2011 to October 14th, 2011. This time period encompasses the rising limb, peak flow, and rescinding limb of the hydrograph at Kachess Dam as well as the period with the highest and lowest annual water surface elevations in Kachess Reservoir (see Figure 1 below). Reclamation Responsibilities:Reclamation personnel will be responsible for overall project oversight for this study. Reclamation will also ensure that the rotary screw trap (RST) equipment and associated installation materials are acquired and within satisfactory working order before the start of the sampling period. Furthermore, Reclamation personnel will oversee delivery of the RST to the work site, and assist with the installation and anchoring of the RST at the eventual location of trap operation (after consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)). Reclamation will provide an electric hook-up to power the hydroacoustic array. Reclamation will also be responsible for obtaining scientific collectors permits from both the FWS and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) for the capture and handling of fish, including ESA listed bull trout prior to the initiation of field sampling. Finally, Reclamation will be responsible for completing initial written drafts of project results, soliciting review and comments of draft documents, and preparation of the final report for the entrainment monitoring study. Physical Facilities at Kachess Dam and Equipment Proposed for Fish Sampling:Kachess Dam is located near the town of Easton, in central Washington State (Kittitas County). It is approximately 70 miles southeast of Seattle, WA and is 75 miles northwest of the city of Yakima, WA along Interstate-90 near Snoqualmie Pass (See Vicinity Map, Figure 2)). The outlet works of Kachess Dam emerge from a gated penstock and water released from the dam flows through a straight outlet channel that is concrete-lined for a short distance and then lined with rip-rap bank armoring before flowing into a more natural vegetated stream channel downstream of the dam. Figures 3 - 6 show the outlet channel configuration where the rotary screw trap will likely be located during the entrainment study field sampling.As part of this field sampling work the selected contractor will have access to Reclamation owned facilities at the Kachess Dam work location. The Kachess Dam site has facilities available for fish processing and a restroom that will be available for contractor use. Note: because this facility is a secure site, all personnel employed by the selected contractor for use on this project will be required to undergo a Reclamation background security check prior to being allowed on site and before they are issued Reclamation gate keys to this facility. As discussed above, the rotary screw trap (RST) that will be used for this fish monitoring effort will be delivered and installed on site by Reclamation. The RST that Reclamation has acquired for sampling has an 8-ft diameter drum and has been modified by removing the aluminum center shaft which was replaced with a stainless steel center shaft to reduce wear and to provide for extended life over long periods of use. Contractor Responsibilities and Tasks: General Sampling SchemeReclamation envisions that the fisheries sampling will occur over a 5-month duration between May 16th and October 14th, 2011. Hydroacoustic monitoring should provide 24-hour coverage. The rotary screw trap (RST) will need to be checked for proper operation and processing of fish catches at a minimum frequency of once per day, 3-times per week while the trap is in operation. Frequency of RST checks will depend on requirements of permitting agencies, debris load (which should be minimal) and amount of fish being caught (which also is expected to be minimal) and may need to be increased if observed fish capture or debris loading is higher than expected. In order to meet budget requirements, the RST may not be operated over the entire 5-month sampling season. Proposals should include several options of varying sample effort of the RST, both in terms of duration of screw trap operation and frequency of screw trap checks. Provided below are the required tasks expected to be completed by the Fisheries Contractor and the project deliverables for this work. Task 1: Project Administration, RST and hydroacoustic array installation, and Field Technician Set-upThe contractor will determine the most effective installation and anchoring set up for the RST and work with a Reclamation crew to install and anchor the RST. The contractor will be responsible for installing the hydroacoustic array and providing a secure storage space for computer and hydroacoustic data storage equipment near the RST sampling equipment. The selected contractor will be responsible for the hiring and training of qualified field leaders and field technicians. For this project Reclamation will require a minimum of 2 field technicians who will be responsible for maintaining, operating, and data recording for the duration of the sampling effort. The contractor will need to provide qualified technicians that are capable of reliably working under typical field sampling conditions and who can accurately identify and carry out the required fish reporting duties for this effort. It is critical that the technicians are able to accurately identify fish to species, especially threatened bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus). Field technicians must be able to take all required measurements of fish captured, take detailed notes, and must be able to release fish alive and unharmed when appropriate. Field technicians must also be able to collect genetic samples and follow a detailed protocol on fish handling when dealing with any bull trout samples that are collected. A trained and senior fisheries biologist should be available to provide on site technician training and coordination and to ensure that fish sampling will occur according to schedule and according to specifications for this project. Note: As discussed above, all personnel that are selected for work on this project, including field technicians and field leaders, must have a Reclamation background security check prior to being allowed on site at this secure Reclamation facility. Reclamation will provide the selected contractor with the appropriate paperwork for submission to Reclamation. Reclamation will also cover the cost of the background checks. Task 2: Monitoring of Screw TrapsThe selected contractor will provide 2 field technicians to maintain and operate the RST for a minimum of 48 total work days over approximately 5 months: May 16th - October 14th, 2011. The sampling schedule will require a minimum of one check per day, 3 days per week while the RST is in operation (Monday through Friday). Fish capture rates or debris loading that is higher than expected may necessitate more frequent trap checks. In order to meet budget requirements, the RST may not be operated over the entire 5-month sampling season. Proposals should include several options of varying sample effort of the RST, both in terms of duration of screw trap operation and frequency of screw trap checks. A field check of the equipment will consist of checking the RST to ensure that it is operating properly (rotating at proper speeds and fishing according to trap design) and to remove any debris as well as cleaning the drum at each visit. A field check will also consist of checking the RST livewell for fish. Any fish captured will be removed from the livewell, processed according to conventional fish measurements including; identification of all fish to species, enumeration of all fish by species, and measurement of fish length and condition of all fish captured. The contractor will record all information on standardized data forms that will be provided by the contractor. Any bull trout captured will be sampled using a defined protocol which will involve anesthetizing, measuring, photographing, collecting a genetic sample, and releasing live fish back to Kachess Reservoir according to specifications of the scientific collectors permit for the project. Reclamation will provide the contractor with genetic testing kits and will train the contractor provided technicians on the field protocol required for bull trout samples that are collected. Task 3: Trap Efficiency TestingThe contractor will be responsible for performing several RST capture efficiency estimates over the duration of the entrainment sampling. Efficiency estimates are periodically required to determine the proportion of fish that are effectively being sampled by the RST. Efficiency estimates will be used to extrapolate the total number of fish being entrained at the dam based on the number of fish actually captured by the RST. Multiple efficiency estimates will need to be made to determine the relationship of capture efficiency with flow rates out of the dam. For this project, a minimum of 10 efficiency estimates will be required. These should occur approximately every two weeks of sampling. This schedule should result in an accurate representation of trap capture efficiency over a wide range of flows at the dam. The contractor should plan on using equal numbers of both live and dead fish for each capture efficiency test. These fish will primarily be obtained from the livewell of the RST and should consist of the predominant species being entrained out of the dam which most likely will be kokanee (Oncorhynchus nerka). Live fish should be held in aerated holding tanks that are sufficient to keep the fish healthy until time of release for each efficiency test. The contractor will provide tanks for holding the fish and will be required to mark the fish by any non-lethal means of the contractor's choosing (e.g. simple identifiable fin clip, dye marks, etc.). During trap capture efficiency testing, marked fish (both live and dead) should be released at the farthest upstream extent of the outlet works at Kachess Dam to allow for adequate dispersal in the channel prior to encountering the RST. The contractor may use hatchery fish for conducting efficiency estimates if and when available. The WDFW will be stocking hatchery kokanee into Kachess Reservoir during the months of May and June. These kokanee may serve as adequate surrogates for fish that are likely to be entrained at the dam. The contractor can work with both Reclamation and the WDFW to obtain hatchery fish for these efficiency tests if they are available. Task 4: Hydroacoustic Monitoring The contractor must reliably collect continuous daily 24-hour/day 7-days/week hydroacoustic data at the outlet channel of Kachess Dam at a variety of streamflows expected to occur during the period of study (expected streamflows are in the range of 200 to 1200 cfs). Hydroacoustic data should be collected during the entire 5 month monitoring period from May 16th, 2011 to October 14th, 2011. The data must be analyzed to provide summaries of daily total entrainment over the study period (broken down by species when compared to fish composition data caught in the RST), entrainment occurring over an average 24-hour diel period (broken down into 2 hour intervals), and total fish entrainment over the entire study period by species, with variability and confidence estimates. Task 5: DeliverablesThe contractor will be required to produce a brief technical memorandum for delivery to Reclamation which outlines the methods used for RST maintenance, protocols for sampling the RST, and methods used for efficiency testing. The technical memorandum will also describe any unusual events that occurred during the sample collection period, including periods when the trap was not functioning properly and any unusual or uncertain occurrences concerning fish identification. The contractor will also deliver a copy of all data sheets used for recording daily catch data for the RST as well as data sheets for all efficiency estimate tests conducted during the study period. Also, the contractor will deliver copies of all data sheets, photographs, and genetic samples collected from any bull trout captured during the sampling period. The contractor will provide all hydroacoustic summary data in hard copy and electronic form (CD storage) and will provide a write-up of the hydroacoustic methods used and results obtained from hydroacoustic data obtained from this project. The write-up will be included as an appendix and be suitable for incorporation into Reclamation's final report for this project. In addition the contractor will archive all hydroacoustic data collected during the study period and provide such data to Reclamation in an electronic format that is suitable for further analysis if Reclamation chooses to perform additional data analysis. Contractor Qualifications:To qualify for submitting cost estimates for this scope of work, prospective contractors must be able to show that they have experience in maintaining and operating rotary screw traps and have performed similar studies in rivers with rapidly changing flow rates. Contractors must also have experience in identifying and handling bull trout populations in the Pacific Northwest.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/3d22daf2c730b2fb301a336244138707)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Easton WA
- Zip Code: 98901
- Zip Code: 98901
- Record
- SN02407673-W 20110325/110323234620-3d22daf2c730b2fb301a336244138707 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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