At the Council's request, the ISRP reviewed the proposal for phase 2 and 3 of Project 200101500, Echo Meadow Project - Winter Artificial Recharge to Cool Rivers. The project, sponsored by IRZ Consulting, attempts to use cyclic storage to supplement summer streamflows with cooler water stored in aquifers. In the fiscal year 2001 innovative project selection process, the ISRP reviewed the proposal and ranked it 18 out of 20 proposals found to meet the innovative criteria (66 total proposals were submitted but only 20 were ranked; see attachment 1). Subsequently, the Council recommended that BPA fund Phase 1 of the project, baseline data collection. Phase 1 is now complete, and as part of this review, the ISRP examined the results from Phase 1 as reported in IRZ Consulting's Draft Progress Report, 2001 Baseline Data (January 7, 2002).
The Council's decision to fund phase 1 acknowledged the multi-year phased approach necessary to complete the testing of the innovative idea proposed through this project (Phases 2 and 3). The Council was mindful of subsequent requests to fund these additional phases and specifically instructed the sponsor to secure funds through alternative routes provided through the provincial reviews. However, the current regional schedule did not offer a convenient opportunity to submit this proposal for provincial review. Consequently, the Council provided the sponsor the opportunity to submit a proposal for funding through the unallocated placeholder for the Fish and Wildlife Program and for the ISRP to review the proposal consistent with the conditions imposed on proposals submitted for funding in Provincial reviews. As in the provincial reviews, the sponsor is provided the opportunity to address ISRP's preliminary comments contained in this memorandum before the ISRP makes its final recommendation.
Final ISRP Recommendation:
Fundable if the proponents adequately address the ISRP concerns below during the Council review or BPA contracting process.
