Kootenai River Nutrient Addition Project

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are evaluating implementation of the Kootenai River Nutrient Addition Project. BPA proposes to provide funding to MFWP for implementation of a pilot study intended to enhance depleted nutrient levels in the Kootenai River downstream of the Libby Dam Reservoir, Lake Koocanusa, in Lincoln County near Libby, Montana. The Reservoir acts as a phosphorous sink, limiting the amount of natural phosphorous in the river below Libby Dam. These low nutrient levels are responsible for the excessive growth of an algal diatom and low growth and survival rates of fish, including bull trout and rainbow trout, in the Kootenai River. The MFWP is the project sponsor and USACE operates Libby Dam. The project’s activities would include the installation of nutrient holding tanks and a delivery system inside and outside of Libby Dam; adding phosphorus above existing levels to the river; and monitoring the response of algae, invertebrates, and fish.

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:

To understand the potential environmental impacts of this proposal, BPA, MFWP, and USACE may prepare a joint environmental assessment (EA) following the procedures of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA). If BPA, MFWP, and USACE determine that an EA should be prepared, the EA would analyze the potential impacts from the proposed implementation of the project, as well as a no-action alternative in which BPA, MFWP, and USACE would not fund, implement, or permit the project. In addition, the EA would describe anticipated impacts to natural and human resources and identify mitigation measures to help avoid or minimize adverse impacts should they be identified. During this process, BPA, MFWP, and USACE would work with landowners, tribes, interest groups, and federal, state, and local agencies.