BAFBRB Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board

Funding

$26.8 million

Details

Grant Limit

None

Details

Match Requirement

15%

Details

The Legislature established the Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board grant program in 2014 to identify and remove impediments to salmon and steelhead migration. More information about the board and meetings may be found on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's Web page.

Grant Application Schedule

Item Date

2023-2025 Grant Round

2023-2025 FBRB Grant Round Schedule

November 1, 2021 

Application Workshop

Click to watch the BAFBRB 2022 Application Workshop

October 27, 2021 

PRISM Open for Applications

November 1, 2021 

Applications Due

January 13, 2022 

RCO and WDFW Review Applications

Applicants may be asked to update applications during this review period. Applicants can request applications be returned for editing.

January 14, 2022 - April 29, 2022

Final Application Revision Deadline

May 2, 2022 

FBRB Approves List of Prioritized Project

FBRB formally approves the final list of prioritized projects that will be sent to the legislature for funding in the 2023-2025 biennium, at the August board meeting.

August 16, 2022 

Grants Funds Available

July 1, 2023 2023-2025 Capital Budget

Grant Award History

Most recent grants and evaluation results, listed by the application year.

Application Resources

Grant Manual

Announcements

A scissor cutting a ribbon

Watch the Videos

Making Way for Salmon

Fish Passage: A Sense of Urgency

It’s Your Community: Listen to a MIXX 96 radio interview with former RCO director Kaleen Cottingham and Tom Jameson, the division manager for the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Fish Passage program talking about completion of the first project funded by this grant program.

Typical Projects

  • Removing a culvert or bridge
  • Planning for a project to remove a barrier

Who May Apply?

  • Local agencies
  • Native American tribes
  • Nonprofit organizations
  • Private landowners
  • Regional fisheries enhancement organizations
  • Special purpose districts such as port, park and recreation, conservation, and school districts
  • State agencies

Planning Requirement

For restoration projects requesting $500,000 or more, preliminary designs must be submitted with the application package. RCO Manual 22: Fish Passage Barrier Removal Board Grant Program, Appendix C-2 provides the approved format for this design level.

Funding

Funding is awarded every two years and comes from the sale of bonds.

Grant Limits

None for most projects. Design-only projects have a $200,000 grant limit.

Match Details

Project TypeMatch Requirement
Planning grants less than or equal to $200,000 None, if final design is completed within 2 years of funding approval
Planning grants exceeding $200,000 15% and grants may exceed 2 years
Restoration (construction) 15% of the grant total

Match may include the following:

  • Appropriations, cash, and bonds
  • Donations of cash, land, labor, equipment, and materials
  • Other grants
  • Applicant’s labor, equipment, and materials

Eligible Projects

Restoration (construction) includes activities that provide or improve fish migration upstream and downstream of road crossings, dams, and other in-stream barriers. Passage projects may include replacing barrier culverts with fish passable culverts or bridges, removing barriers (small dams, logjams), or constructing fishways. May include final design and permitting activities.

Planning (design-only) must result in final project design.

Ineligible Projects

  • Acquisition of property through full fee interest or permanent easement
  • Capital facilities and public works projects, such as sewer treatment facilities, surface and storm water management systems, and water supply systems
  • Costs to apply for a Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board grant
  • Effectiveness monitoring costs associated with a project, including purchase of equipment to monitor a Salmon Recovery Funding Board restoration or acquisition project
  • Forest practices (Road Maintenance and Abandonment Plans) covered by the Forest Practices Act or the Forest and Fish Agreement, except when they are on forested lands owned by small private landowners
  • Leasing of land
  • Lobbying or legislative activities
  • Mitigation projects, activities, or funds
  • Monitoring, maintenance, and stewardship as stand-alone projects
  • Operation or construction of fish hatcheries
  • Projects identified as mitigation as part of a habitat conservation plan approved by the federal government for incidental take of endangered or threatened species
  • Projects that do not address a fish barrier

The Process

The board is facilitated by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Board members, with technical oversight from Department of Fish and Wildlife’s fish passage and engineering staff, evaluate and rank grant applications and submit a a prioritized list of projects to the state Legislature for funding consideration biennially.

RCO manages grant agreements for all projects that receive funding.

Long-term Commitment

Barrier removal projects are monitored by RCO for 10 years after construction is completed. RCO Manual 7: Long-Term Obligations provides details of the compliance requirements.

About Brian Abbott

Brian Abbott was the executive coordinator of the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office and a life-long fisherman and advocate for salmon recovery.