PUD continues fish-tagging progress with new contracts

Chelan County PUD - In order to continue progress on fish survival and hatchery evaluations as part of long-term Habitat Conservation Plans, Chelan County PUD commissioners on Monday approved new contracts for fish tags and related equipment totaling about $1.4 million for 2010.

Commissioners approved a contract not to exceed $395,000 for 158,300 passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags and another not to exceed $1,003,957 for 3,085 acoustic tags. Hydroacoustic Technology Inc. of Seattle is the sole source provider for the acoustic tags, and Biomark Inc. of Idaho is the sole source provider of the PIT tags and related equipment.

Acoustic tags about the size of pencil erasers are inserted surgically into small salmon and steelhead and send a signal that is recognizable by scanners placed at dams or in reservoirs. PIT tags are like small grains of rice that are inserted with a needle or syringe into the fish and are activated only when passing near or through devices that trigger a signal. Both are used to track the whereabouts and survival of threatened and endangered fish that pass PUD hydro projects on the Columbia River and to identify where fish originated.

Chelan PUD faces deadlines for demonstrating compliance with agreed-upon fish-survival standards in the next few years. If standards are met, the PUD expects to be able to reduce the level of monitoring after that.

In other action Monday:

* Commissioners approved contracting with LocalTel Communications Inc. of East Wenatchee to provide the PUD local and long-distance phone service for up to the next seven years at a price not to exceed $420,000. The contract calls for an estimated rate of $4,475 per month for at least three years, with a PUD option to extend the contract for up to another four years after that.

* Canceled a special meeting for a board retreat that was planned at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26. It will be rescheduled.

The next regular commission meeting is at 1 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 1, 2009, in the PUD boardroom at 327 N. Wenatchee Ave.

Most PUD commission meetings are recorded, and a link to the audio is available on the PUD's home page at www.chelanpud.org.