Here is an email letter from Cynthia Carlstad, consultant to the steering committee for the Barnaby Reach project, received October 28, 2016:

“Greetings Barnaby Reach Project Stakeholder Advisory Committee and Interested Parties:

This email provides updates on project activities since my last message in late August. As I described then, the project Steering Committee (Skagit River System Cooperative (SRSC), The Nature Conservancy, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Seattle City Light) have been focused on getting the next phase of technical work underway. That work has entailed the following:

· Establishing a Technical Advisory Committee (Rob Schanz of WSDOT, Jon Riedel of the National Park Service, and Vaughn Collins/Casey Kramer of Northwest Hydraulic Consultants (NHC))

· Developing a scope of work, with input from the Technical Advisory Committee, that covers more detailed topographic and bathymetric (underwater) survey, surface and ground water data collection, sediment and groundwater characterization, hydrologic analysis, and hydraulic (river and flood flow) modeling. This work will build on the previous analysis and modeling.

· Installing water level monitors around the Barnaby Reach vicinity to collect data that will help us better understand how water in the Skagit River, sloughs, tributary streams, and groundwater interact. These data monitors are recording water levels automatically at regular intervals, and will be used by the project team and technical consultant to describe the interactions between these waters under current conditions, and later, with potential Barnaby Reach project configurations.

· Advertising broadly, and receiving proposals from consultants interested in conducting the next phase of technical work on the project.

Regarding consultant selection for the next phase of technical work, the project sponsors received three proposals from three separate consultant teams, and will be interviewing two teams next Monday, October 31. They anticipate selecting one of the teams within the next two weeks, and will then negotiate a detailed scope of work in coordination with the Technical Advisory Committee. Representatives from all four of the project sponsor organizations will participate in selecting the consultant team. I will also attend the interviews.

I expect to schedule our next Stakeholder Advisory Committee meeting as soon as a technical consultant is onboard. This will give you an opportunity to meet the consultant team, and give us time together to discuss the consultant’s recommendations and approach to addressing the needs and issues raised by project stakeholders. Look for scheduling messages from me on that in early November. I will also be reaching out separately to the Community Advisors Christie Fairchild, Howard Stafford, and Russ Dalton to discuss more detailed information about the technical scope of work elements, and making sure that community input has been incorporated into that scope.

No decisions have been made yet on what alternative configurations will be modeled in the next phase of technical work – that step will come later, and will be discussed with the Stakeholder Advisory Committee prior to beginning the work.

Hope everyone is staying warm and dry during our early fall storms!

All the best,
Cynthia

Cynthia Carlstad, LHG
Carlstad Consulting
15622 105th Avenue NE
Bothell, WA 98011
206.661.2110
cynthia@carlstadconsulting.com