Nez Perce Tribe

DESCRIPTION:$343,969.00 In Columbia River Basin Restoration Funding Assistance Program - Middle and Upper Columbia River Basin Competitive Funding Awarded Under EPA-R10-OW-CRBRP-2022-02. Columbia River Basin Restoration Funding Would Facilitate the Identification and Support Reduction of Methylmercury (MEHG) Threats to the Nez Perce People, Through Meaningful Participation in Monitoring, Regulation Development, and Community Outreach. New Mehg Monitoring of Salmon River Subbasin Water, Sediment, and Fish Will Be Established and Integrated With Ongoing Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Development and Mehg Management Planning for the Hells Canyon Reach of the Snake River. Education and Outreach to Raise Nez Perce Tribal Member Awareness and Knowledge About Fish Consumption and Toxins Will Be Initiated. on the Ground Data Collection/monitoring of Mercury (HG) and Mehg Will Occur Throughout the Salmon River Subbasin, Extending From Its Headwaters Downstream to Its Confluence With the Snake River. Pilot Monitoring Will Also Occur in the Lower Snake River From the Salmon River Downstream to Ice Harbor Dam, Near Its Confluence With the Columbia River. Active Participation in Water Quality Regulation and Mehg Abatement Planning Will Focus on the Hells Canyon Reach of the Snake River. This Agreement Will Be Funded Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.activities:this Project Will Monitor to Evaluate Trends, Improve Water Quality, and Promote Citizen Engagement or Knowledge in the Nez Perce Tribal Community and Surrounding Communities. Activities to Be Performed During This Project Period Include: Water and Sediment Sample Collection and Analysis; Fish Tissue Collection and Analysis; Participation in HG and Mehg TMDL Development Meetings; Participation in Idaho Power Company - U.s. Geologic Survey (ipc-usgs) Hells Canyon Complex HG and Mehg Fate and Transport Meetings; Outreach and Education; and Conduct Project Coordination Calls. Subrecipient:no Subawards Are Included in This Assistance Agreement.outcomes:it Is Anticipated That This Project Will Result in the Following Deliverables: Data Made Publicly Available Online; Interpretive Report Published in Year Two; Data Made Publicly Available Online; Interpretive Report Published in Year Two; NPT Representation on Oregon Deq Mehg TMDL Technical Team; NPT Representation on Ipc-usgs Study Team; Posting of Mehg Data and Advisories at: Https://nptfisheries.shinyapps.io/kus-data/; Quarterly Meetings Expected Outcomes of the Project Include: Identification of HG and Mehg Sources to the Salmon and Lower Snake Rivers, and at a Subset of Sites, HG and Mehg Loads to Inform TMDL Development. a Total of 149 Water Samples Will Be Collected Across 39 Locations. a Total of 39 Sediment Samples Will Be Collected Across 39 Locations. Spatially Distributed Estimates of Mehg Concentrations in Fish (5 Species, 16 Locations); a Total of 480 of Fish Will Be Sampled). Nez Perce Tribe (NPT) Inform/influence Tmdls; NPT Inform/influence Abatement Management Plan; Fish Consumption Advisories/closures Recommendations for NPT Policy Consideration. We Will Target Reaching All Tribal Community Members. Project Implementation Adjustments/adaptive Management . at Least Nine Coordination Calls Will Be Held; and Will Benefit the Nez Perce Tribe and Surrounding Communities.