If the gravel we added to the Owyhee river stays in place well enough, and ODFWs redd surveys show it is being utilized by brown trout, then BVFF would like to do a second gravel augmentation. Given this goal, I wanted to document the process (and struggles) we went through on the first one to get the needed permits and grants.
I dug through my emails and notes on this project over the last 4 years to try and document the process as best I could. Bear with me, the details are a little dry.
...Here it goes!
PERMITTING
One of the things that makes doing a gravel augmentation difficult is figuring out how to get the needed permits and approvals. Permitting for adding spawning gravel to a river has become increasingly complex as floodplain and water-quality requirements evolve and are different based on where you want to do your project.
Our two Boise River gravel augmentations gave us some experience in the process, but the process in Oregon is different, and the FEMA requirements are different. Oregon also has some restrictions on when you can do in-water work in different rivers. For the Owyhee below the dam, the in-water work period is November 1 – March 31. This time period would be to protect rainbow trout spawning. Since the lower Owyhee river is primarily a wild brown trout river we worked with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife fish biologist Dave Banks to get approval to do the augmentation in mid October, so that the gravel would be in the river and available for brown trout to spawn this fall. (It is important to note that ODFW has never seen brown trout spawning in the locations where we added gravel.)
Here is a general description of what we had to do for our recent Owyhee Gravel Augmentation.
1) Landowner Permission
The Owyhee river is on BLM land, so we needed to get permission from them for the augmentation. Initially this was straightforward because we had worked with Dan Thomas from the Vale BLM office on Owyhee trash cleanups. Later, when we came back for the final signature there was a new person in the role, and it took time to work through the permitting requirements to their satisfaction. Another new person moved into the role in January of 2025, and we had to go through another round of approvals in order to stage the gravel on BLM land. A good example of why keeping good notes and getting written permission is so important.
2) Floodplain / Planning & Zoning approval
Approval from the local P&Z department depends on the flood zone designation. The Owyhee river is in an undeveloped area in Malheur County, OR and is designated as Zone A, which is less restrictive than a river in an urban area like the Boise River, but we still had to hire an engineering firm to show the augmentation would would not raise water levels beyond their local threshold. Something that was expensive and took us a good year to figure out. Our thanks to Mike Schubert, PE at HDR Engineering for his help getting over this hurdle.
3) Joint Streamflow Permit
There were many similarities between the information needed on the Idaho and the Oregon Joint Permit Application, but the process in Oregon was different. Thankfully the people at Oregon permitting agencies were very helpful in helping us navigate the process. My thanks to Alexandra Holeček (Regulatory Project Manager U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Portland District) and Delia Negru (401 Program Project Manager Oregon Department of Environmental Quality) for their help.
We worked with Halie Endicott, a Regulatory Branch Project Manager at the Portland District of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to review the permit and work through questions from the Malheur County BLM. For future reference, here is the Nationwide Permit Handbook 20230720 2021_Nationwide_Permit_User_Guide NWP (All NWPS).pdf and NWP 27 terms and conditions Encl 2 NWP 27 Terms and Conditions (2021).pdf.
Once we had all of the details worked out, we submitted a joint streamflow permit to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Oregon Department of State Lands and Oregon Department of Water Quality in May of 2024. Here is the application and set of permit drawings ( OwyheeAugmentationSignedJointApplication.pdf & PermitDrawings.pdf) we submitted digitally to PortlandPermits@usace.army.mil.
At that point, the USACE was the lead permitting agency and coordinated discussions with the others, which took about 6 months. We received a provisional Nationwide Permit in October of 2024 (20241008 NWP Provisional Ltr 401-only NWP-2024-237.pdf ) which triggered requests from the Department of Water Quality and Department of State Lands. DEQ requested that we submit a 401 Dredge and Fill Certification Application though the Oregon DEQ website.
Oregon DEQ routed our application through the EPA and we received our 401 Water Quality Certification for the Lower Owyhee Gravel Augmentation Project 2024-237 November 1st (65311NP NSPLetter20241104.pdf)
The Department of State Lands requested a Voluntary_Exemption_Notice form (BVFF_Signed_Voluntary_Exemption_Notice.pdf ) and Project Description (DSL-ProjectDescription.pdf) and asked us to confirm that the project conformed to Oregon's Guide to Placing Large Wood and Boulders (Materials_Guide-to-Placement-of-Wood-Boulders-and-Gravel-for-Habitat-Restoration.pdf )
After reviewing the project, DSL gave us a approval in November of 2024 to proceed in this letter (DSL65311NP NSPLetter20241104.pdf) stating "your project does not require a State removal-fill permit because it involves work in a wetland or waterway that is exempt with notice to the Department for voluntary habitat restoration activities."
WHEW! (I think that's about it...)
4) Clean Water Act §401 Water Quality Certification
Our project required a 401 Water Quality Certification to ensure we managed turbidity and other water-quality impacts. We rented a 2100Q Portable Turbidity Meter from www.Fondriest.com for a week and measured water turbidity monitoring every 2 hours during the gravel augmentation and adjusted our work pace based on the results. I am pleased to say that the shoot/pause-reload sequence of gravel kept our water well within the DEQ requirements.
5) Project Completion Reports
Granting agencies require paperwork to close the permits, such as reporting our water turbidity readings to DEQ which we are now going through. There may also be a site inspection. There are also project completion reports required for the grants. Here is a general summary of the project completion paperwork we are working on.
5.1) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) – NWP 27, Corps No. NWP-2024-237
- Return the Compliance Certification that comes with your final NWP verification (Portland District letters enclose a “Compliance Certification” and require you to send it back after the work is complete). Include: date finished; “as-built” footprint/volumes vs. what was authorized; representative post-work photos; and a simple plan-view showing camera locations. If your verification added any special conditions, address each one explicitly.
5.2) Oregon DEQ – 401 Water Quality Certification (WQC)
- Submit your turbidity log packet: two-hour interval readings (background + compliance point), calibration notes, time/date/locations, and a brief narrative for any exceedances + BMP adjustments. Keep a copy of the WQC letter in your records (401 letters often require the WQC to be kept on site during work). Add a short “as-built” summary and representative photos.
5.3) Oregon DSL – Voluntary Habitat Restoration (exempt with notice)
- You have DSL’s exempt-with-notice letter (State App 65311-NP). Send DSL a courtesy completion notice with the same “as-built” one-pager + photos you’re sending the Corps/DEQ; note the final CY placed and confirm conformance with the described activity (placement of spawning gravels). DSL may conduct site checks, so having this in their file helps.
5.4) Landowner & local
- BLM Malheur Field Office (landowner permission): email a short completion note with “as-built” photos/footprint so their file closes cleanly.
- Malheur County Floodplain (P&Z): if your floodplain approval required any post-work letter or “no-rise” as-built, send your engineer’s final note/drawing now.
5.5 5) Grants close-out
- ODFW STEP Mini-Grant #25-05: file the project completion report + invoices/receipts on the program forms; deadline in your award is Dec 31, 2026.
- FFI Conservation Grant: provide a results report to FFI Ops (the award letter asked for a year-end report; since timing slipped, send your completion summary now and note the revised completion date).
FUNDING
Gravel augmentations are an expensive endeavor, and the Owyhee River's remote location added to the cost. In addition to submitting for permits we applied for several grants to help pay for the project. Jon Fishback and Forrest Goodrum helped scope the initial project to figure out the costs and look for possible grants. The initial project cost estimate was $7,000 back in 2021 and that didn't include the $1,000 for the DEQ water quality permit (DEQ Permit Fee.pdf) or the $2,700 for floodplain analysis work (HDR_Owyhee_Invoice.PDF).
In 2021 BVFF member Forrest Goodrum worked to submit for a Fly Fishers International conservation grant, which BVFF had done in 1999 to help fund our first Boise River gravel augmentation. One complication in submitting for the FFI grant this time is our project was in Oregon, which is a different region for FFI. Idaho is part of the Western Rocky Mountain FFI Council and Oregon is part of the Oregon FFI Council. We talked with Stephen Maher, President of the Oregon FFI Council and Terry Willis, the Grants Committee Chair and both were very supportive of the Owyhee River Gravel Augmentation and drafted a letter of support for the project. In August of 2022 and we received a $3,000 grant for the project Luckily FFI was patient and understood the time it takes to get permitting in place! Here are copies of the:
In 2022 we submitted for an ODFW Steelhead Trout Enhancement Program $2,000 grant, which received that Fall. Unfortunately we had to turn it back in because of the delay in permitting. After getting the permit we resubmitted and received it again in Fall of 2024 only have to turn it back in due to the project being delayed due to high water. The third time was a charm and we received it again for the in October, just in time! Phew! My thanks to the STEP coordinator Marty Olsen for his help and patience. For reference, here is the STEP grant website, our application and approval letter.
Early in 2023 we did a club fundraiser called "Greenbacks For Redds" which raised over $1,000 for the project. To everyone who purchased a Greenback or donated directly to the club for this projects, I thank you, and dey fishies Thank You!
In Spring of 2023 Brian Martin and Deborah DeSousa organized the club's first Idaho Give Campaign which was a spectacular success and raised over $3,000 for the project. THANKS BRIAN AND DEBORAH!
While working with Phil Toscas at Sunroc (now Suncor) on an estimate for the gravel, we showed him our Boise River Augmentation site and the Trout Habitat Interpretive sign we placed there, which included Sunroc's logo because they donated the gravel for that project. Phil went back and talked to Sunroc management and worked out a deal to get our 100 cubic yards of gravel to the Owyhee at a significant discount! Thanks Phil and Sunroc/Suncor for your continued support of BVFF's trout habitat improvement projects! Here is a preview of the interpretive sign we are working on for the Owyhee gravel augmentation site.
I also want to thank our Fly Fishing Expo Committee and Volunteers who put on BVFF's Fly Fishing Expo each year, 
which is BVFF's main fund raising engine for projects like these. We couldn't do this without you. Please consider volunteering for this year's Expo! For more information, check out the Expo Website. Lastly I want to thank our Treasurer Kent Christensen who had to keep track of the project funding and spending over multiple budget years. Because of the generosity of our conservation partners/sponsors, I am pleased to report that we came in under budget on this project.
