2025 Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science® Awards Competition Winner

Honor Award - Environmental Sustainability

Native Salmonid Conservation Facility

Entrant: HDR
Engineer in Charge: Mark Hassebrock
Location: Usk, Washington

Entrant Profile

HDR was the lead design firm and completed a complex, lengthy permitting process. HDR’s team assisted Seattle City Light (SCL) in consultations and approvals required by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and other agencies.

HDR’s team also developed permits for: State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 7, Clean Water Act (CWA) 404 and 401, National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), Washington State Hydraulic Code, Pend Oreille County permits (land use and building), US Forest Service forest practices authorization, septic system approval, and “Group B” domestic well authorizations. Theirbiologists conducted wetland delineations and mitigation while engineers used pressure transducers to obtain hydrology data in a creek lacking monitoring reports, and then in cooperation with WDFW, removeda small dam, allowing fish passage.

A unique project element required minimizing impacts on the Townsend’s big eared bat, a state-sensitive species that resided in one of the buildings to be demolished. HDR’s scientists and engineers designed a replacement maternal roosting site in collaboration with WDFW. It’s currently occupied and considered a great success. In addition, HDR’s team worked extensivelywith the Washington State Department of Ecology on complex issues including surface water rights, interpreting the Hirst Decisionfor domestic wells, and compliance with hatchery effluent discharge requirements under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Upland Finfish Hatching and Rearing permit requirements. The NPDES exemption that was obtained examined water quality and presented a method of prevention, control and treatment to address water quality standards in an impaired waterbody.

Project Description

DEMONSTRATION OF A COMPREHENSIVE, INTEGRATED APPROACH THAT CONSIDERS ALL ENVIRONMENTAL MEDIA, I.E., AIR, WATER, AND LAND. FOR EXAMPLE, SOLUTION OF AN AIR POLLUTION PROBLEM MUST NOT CREATE A LAND DISPOSAL PROBLEM OR AN ADVERSE WATER IMPACT THAT IS NOT ADDRESSED BY THE PROJECT.

Since 1967, the 340-foot-tall Boundary Dam has provided Seattle City Light (SCL) with 1,117 megawatts of electricity. In 2009, as part of the dam’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license renewal, SCL agreed to review related impacts to threatened and endangered species.

Located amid the serene, forested landscape of Usk, Washington, the $27 million Native Salmonid Conservation Facility is SCL’s latest effort to protect and establish self-sustaining, naturally producing, threatened Westslope Cutthroat Trout (WCT) in the Pend Orielle River watershed. The state-of-the-art facility captures genetically diverse fish from the basin’s tributaries, spawns them and returns theprogeny to the natal streams as eyed eggs, unfed fry, and fingerlings. The facility preserves each population’s genetic traits, using different holding containers to segregate fish based on their geographic origins within the basin.

Quality as evidenced by the degree of user satisfaction and proven performance.

Completed on budget and on schedule, the Native Salmonid Conservation Facility is more than just a fish hatchery. It’s an example of what can be achieved when organizations come together with a common goal: to preserve and protect the natural world for generations to come.

“This facility is a testament to Seattle City Light’s ongoing commitment to supporting the local habitats and waterways in the areas around our hydroelectric facilities,” said Mike Hanes, Seattle City Light Chief Operating Officer. “This conservation facility will play a crucial role in the revival of native trout populations in the Pend Oreille River region. By rescuing trout from local streams and nurturing them using advanced aquaculture techniques, we’re doing more than just releasing fish – we’re bringing propagated wild trout to their native environments with a better chance of survival.”

ORIGINALITY AND INNOVATION, REPRESENTING THE APPLICATION OF NEW KNOWLEDGE, A NEW APPLICATION OF EXISTING KNOWLEDGE, OR AN INNOVATIVE MIX OF EXISTING KNOWLEDGE.

Compared to sport fish hatcheries — which focus on quantity produced — the facility seeks to restorespecies using naturalized rearing conditions, natural feed and attention to population genetics, producingthe highest quality fish possible. The facility combines frigid creek and spring water, providing an idealtemperature for holding fish and rearing progeny. The water is filtered and disinfected to mitigatecontamination concerns before being returned to the creek. During low-flow periods, a system can pumpdiverted water back to the withdrawal location.

The hatchery includes two steel-framed fish rearing buildings, each with circular fiberglass tanks and electronic monitoring and control equipment. The larger structure, for holding captured adult fish and spawning, features translucent panels to optimize natural light. At spawning, eggs are transferred to the adjacent building for incubation. There, they are hatched and after absorbing their yolk sacs, the hatchery fry live on natural food supplements. The life cycle process is carefully shaped to maximize survival rates as the fish are planted in their native streams. In the future, a third building will help restore Bull Trout or Mountain Whitefish populations.

Alongside the production facilities, the project included new shop/storage, administration and water treatment buildings; disinfection and fill station, pump station, pollution abatement pond, discharge structure, bunkhouse for visiting scientists, two residences for full-time personnel, and a bat house.

THE COMPLEXITY OF THE PROBLEM ADDRESSED.

The previous hatchery included a small dam that impounded the spring water source. Lacking structural drawings, the team began constructing the spring collection piping, only to discover the dam’s toe was just feet below the surface and the structure was unstable. A new 20-foot-deep sheet-pile replacement dam captures more water and provides the hatchery a cushion against future groundwater reductions due to climate change.

With personnel and families living at the hatchery and a facility of this size, the domestic water supply was critical but difficult to obtain approval for. To meet health standards, the team proved the well was not hydraulically connected to Skookum Creek. Until drilling the well, they didn’t know if there was water-bearing stratum not hydraulically connected to the creek. They also overcame the “Hirst Decision,” a law that changed a stream’s year-round water calculations, signed into law near facility design completion.

At the same time, shallow groundwater challenged constructing building foundations and installing two large fire suppression storage tanks. They continuously pumped foundation excavations to maintain suitable subgrade conditions and used quarry spall rock and geosynthetic fabric to further stabilize.

The site’s remote location and undeveloped nature emphasized the need for injury prevention and avoidance. The entire workforce participated in weekly safety meetings, which provided in-depth detail on project concerns and hazards, especially noteworthy during Washington’s challenging winter weather. During severe weather, the team employed Yak Tracks and added a chicken wire surface at each structure to prevent slips and falls prior to road and walkway installation.

Another major component was the extensive stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) required to protect the native areas and streams. The contractor employed a certified erosion and sediment control lead consultant to verify the project exceeded stormwater pollution requirements.

THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE PROJECT CONTRIBUTES TO OR OFFERS THE PROSPECT OF CONTRIBUTING TO SOCIAL OR ECONOMIC ADVANCEMENT.

The facility’s basic purpose is sustainability — eradicating non-native fish and restoring native species is an important move toward restoring the basin’s ecological balance.

One of the largest annual operating costs at hatcheries is power for pumping the water supply. The site’s natural site slope made it amenable to using gravity flow, eliminating the need for continuous pumping and its associated power demand.

The facility’s design promoted sustainability relative to energy consumption by adhering to Washington State Energy Code requirements with third-party conformity reviews during design and construction.

Hatchery facilities sometimes create negative impacts to wild fish residing in the stream adjacent to the facility. The previous facility used a small timber crib dam in the Skookum Creek channel to divert creek water to the hatchery. Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife identified the dam as a barrier to fish passage. The team removed the barrier and restored approximately 260 feet of creek channel habitat with a stabilized, natural channel design.

Prior to demolishing the site’s dilapidated existing structures, the team identified a Townsend Big-Eared bat roosting site inside one. They consulted bat experts, then used recommendations to construct a new roost that is dimensionally identical and oriented tothe old structure, but located at the north end of the property where it is not disturbed. Perhaps most important, bats are currently using the roost.

Click images to enlarge in separate window.


Aerial looking west of the overall Native Salmonid Conservation Facility site located next to Skookum Creek, and the Pend Oreille River in the distance. Photo by: Chris Thompson Photography	Entrance and signage to the Native Salmonid Conservation Facility, acknowledging it as a Seattle City Light Boundary Hydroelectric Project FERC No. 2144. Photo by: Chris Thompson Photography

Exterior of the Westslope Salvage Building, named after the threatened Westslope Cutthroat Trout, which houses many of the facility’s rearing tanks. Photo by: Chris Thompson Photography	Interior of the Westslope Salvage Building, named after the threatened Westslope Cutthroat Trout, which houses many the of the facility’s rearing tanks. Photo by: Chris Thompson Photography

Aerial looking East showing the overall facility, including new residences that were provided for 24/7 on-site support. Photo by: Chris Thompson Photography	Smaller incubation and rearing tanks in the Westslope Rearing Building. Photo by: Chris Thompson Photography

Emergency back-up generator located in the Shop/Storage Building provides power to ensure critical life systems aren’t impacted in case of power failure. Photo by: Chris Thompson Photography	Habitat restoration and management supported by WDFW with native plantings to restore sensitive areas and buffers. Photo by: Chris Thompson Photography

Gravity feed creek water intake structure diverts frigid Skookum Creek water to a pipe and control vault, where it mixes with spring water from a buried collection pipe system, creating the ideal temperature for the trout. Photo by: Chris Thompson Photography	The team consulted bat experts and applied their recommended mitigation strategies to construct a new maternal roosting structure for endangered Townsend’s Big-Eared bats. The structure replaces an older structure that was demolished and has shown successful roosting. Photo by: Chris Thompson Photography