MATTAWA - Although an increase in water activity at the Priest Rapids Dam has delayed progress on a fish bypass project by more than two months, Grant County PUD officials said Tuesday timely construction is still feasible.

The project is still expected to be finished on time, indicating a 2014 completion date, according to a recovery schedule submitted by project contractors

A surge in power needs in the area has caused current spill levels at the dam to rise, which impacts the schedule of underwater work project contractors are following.

Construction on the Priest Rapids Fish Bypass Project began last year, according to project Manager Dale Campbell. He added that while construction just began, Campbell said the project has been in the planning stages for more than a decade.

The fish bypass is the first major construction project since the dam opened, he said. The PUD wanted to make sure it met its goal for a 95 percent survival rate for fish travelling downstream through the Priest Rapids Dam.

"In order to achieve that goal, we're coming up with what's called non-turbine fish passage," said Campbell. "It's a way for fish to get downstream without having to go through a turbine."

Campbell said the best way to have non-turbine fish passage is through spillway gates. The problem he said, is that spillway gates weren't designed for fish passage.

The gates at the dam currently open from the bottom to the top in order to control water flow he said. However, most fish that migrate downstream stay close to the surface, between five to 10 feet.

Since they're attracted to moving surface water, spillway gates that aren't open that high up aren't any benefit to the fish. In fact, he said, it does nothing to attract the fish away from the turbines.

"When one of these gates is open, it's a whole lot of water," said Campbell. "And very rarely do we have any of these fully open."

The new fish bypass project involves reconstructing three bays at the dam to accommodate the fish that stay close to the surface of the water. Concrete beneath spillway gates at the three designated bays will be lifted 35 feet, he said.

"When you open the spillway gates all the way, less water comes through and you get that surface current for the fish," said Campbell.

During the construction, a top spill fish bypass prototype will be placed at two spillway gates to provide non-turbine fish passage. The temporary bypass will be removed after the completion of the permanent fish bypass.

The original contract was awarded to Spokane-based contractor Kuney-Goebel JV for $27.3 million, but after sales tax the actual construction contract comes out to nearly $27.9 million.

The contract is 32 percent complete and about $9 million in construction has already taken place.

Max J. Kuney Company and Goebel Construction formed Kuney-Goebel JV specifically for the Priest Rapids Fish Bypass. The two companies have been involved in large transportation construction projects prior to taking on the Priest Rapids project.

Max J. Kuney is involved in the Chelan County PUD's Rocky Reach Dam Fish Bypass Facility and Goebel construction has completed hydroelectric projects such as the Dalles Dam Spillway modifications in Oregon.

The public can view live progress updates on the bypass project by visiting the PUD's website where the Priest Rapids Bypass project is linked at www.gcpud.org. The project website includes cameras showing current construction activities. The still image is updated approximately every five minutes.

The fish bypass is expected to be fully functional by April 2014.