Project Information

Bid Title

RFQ #26-0407 - Water Resources Engineering and Environmental Consulting Services for Preparation of a Planning Feasibility Study for a Project to Repair High Mountain Lakes and Enhance Flows for Salmonids in the Scott River System

Issuing Agency

Siskiyou County

Location

California

Published Date

Apr 15, 2026

Closing Date

Apr 24, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Original Source

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Project Description

RFQ #26-0407 - Water Resources Engineering and Environmental Consulting Services for Preparation of a Planning Feasibility Study for a Project to Repair High Mountain Lakes and Enhance Flows for Salmonids in the Scott River System

Bid/RFP Status:

Open - accepting bids and proposals

Bid/RFP Due Date:

Friday, April 24, 2026 - 4:00pm

Bid/RFP Reference Number:

RFQ #26-0407

Back to Bids/RFPs

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) issued an award to the County of Siskiyou to perform work as described in Exhibit A, Planning Project: High Mountain Lakes Repair to Enhance Flows for Salmonids in the Scott River System. In addition, The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has committed to providing technical and scientific assistance and support as part of the planning study.

The High Mountain Lakes are 33 reservoirs located within the mountain ranges surrounding Scott Valley, and many are within three Wilderness areas, the Marbles, Russians, and Trinity Mountain Wildernesses. These reservoirs are naturally existing, however, outflow and maintenance structures were constructed in the early 1900's by hand prior to the Wilderness Act. After construction of the outflow and maintenance structures, these reservoirs were utilized for irrigation and/or hydraulic mining. Many of the constructed structures were later destroyed during the 1964 floods and were not repaired afterward as they were no longer being actively used for irrigation or mining.

The reservoirs currently continue to fill through natural inflow, however, outflow is no longer maintained and storage capacity as a result of the damaged maintenance structures has decreased. For several decades, the use of these reservoirs has come up in discussion for potential in-stream flow benefits. These discussions have centered around the possibility of storing winter precipitation and inflow to be later utilized to supplement stream and river flows during critical salmon migration, ideally July-September. Proponents of repairing the High Mountain Lakes to enhance summer flows for salmonids have agreed that all stored water would be utilized solely for in-stream benefits. It is estimated that the 33 reservoirs could provide upwards of 3,520 acre-feet of additional flow to the tributaries to Scott River and the main stem Scott River, however in-depth analysis is needed to verify this information.

The proposed project could provide clear and defined information on the effort and resources needed, and benefits of, restoring the High Mountain Lakes, and will define a clear path forward to accomplishing their restoration. The future use of the High Mountain Lakes could provide a dependable supply of approximately 3,520 acre feet of cold, clean water to tributaries of the Scott River and to the mainstem of the Scott River. Such supply of cold, clean water would aide in resolving long-standing issues for salmon fisheries during late summer months.

Proposed Timeline

Date	Activity
4/7/26	Release of Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
4/13/26	Deadline to Submit Questions
4/24/26	Submission of Proposals due by 4:00PM
4/27/26	Review of Proposals
4/30/26	Notification of FInal Selection
5/19/26	Professional Service Agreement Processed & Start Date

Supporting Documents

RFQ #26-0407 - High Mountain Lakes (272 KB)

RFQ #26-0407 - High Mountain Lakes - Attachment A (2 MB)

RFQ #26-0407 - High Mountain Lakes - Attachment B (637 KB)

RFQ #26-0407 - High Mountain Lakes - Q & A (842 KB)

Attachment Preview

County Of Siskiyou

Request for Qualifications (RFQ)

RFQ # 26-0407 – County Administration

for

Water Resources Engineering

and Environmental Consulting Services

for Preparation of a Planning Feasibility Study for a

Project to Repair High Mountain Lakes andEnhance Flows

for Salmonids in the Scott River System

Proposals may be emailed to:

rfp_rfb_submissions@co.siskiyou.ca.us

Subject: Proposal for High Mountain Lakes (RFQ# 26-0407)

or mailed or delivered to:

County Administration

Proposal for High Mountain Lakes (RFQ# 26-0407)

1312 Fairlane Road, Suite 1

Yreka, CA 96097

Proposals Due by:

April 24, 2026

4:00 PM PST

Page 1 of 7

County of Siskiyou

Request for Qualifications

for Feasibility Planning Project: High Mountain Lakes Repair to

Enhance Flows for Salmonids in the Scott River System

The following schedule of events will be followed to the extent achievable; however, the

County reserves the right to adjust or make changes to the schedule as needed.

Estimated Timeline of Events

Date

April 7, 2026

Activity

Release of Request for Qualifications

(RFQ)

April 13, 2026

Deadline to Submit Questions

April 24, 2026

Submission of Proposals due by 4:00

PM

April 27, 2026

Review of Proposals

April 30, 2026

(estimated)

Notification of Final Selection

May 19, 2026

(estimated)

Professional Service Agreement

Processed

May 19, 2026

(estimated)

Professional Service Agreement Start

Date

Page 2 of 7

1.0 Preface

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) issued an award to the County of

Siskiyou to perform work as described in Exhibit A, Planning Project: High Mountain Lakes

Repair to Enhance Flows for Salmonids in the Scott River System. In addition, The California

Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has committed to providing technical and scientific

assistance and support as part of the planning study.

The High Mountain Lakes are 33 reservoirs located within the mountain ranges surrounding

Scott Valley, and many are within three Wilderness areas, the Marbles, Russians, and Trinity

Mountain Wildernesses. These reservoirs are naturally existing, however, outflow and

maintenance structures were constructed in the early 1900's by hand prior to the Wilderness

Act. After construction of the outflow and maintenance structures, these reservoirs were

utilized for irrigation and/or hydraulic mining. Many of the constructed structures were later

destroyed during the 1964 floods and were not repaired afterward as they were no longer

being actively used for irrigation or mining.

The reservoirs currently continue to fill through natural inflow, however, outflow is no longer

maintained and storage capacity as a result of the damaged maintenance structures has

decreased. For several decades, the use of these reservoirs has come up in discussion for

potential in-stream flow benefits. These discussions have centered around the possibility of

storing winter precipitation and inflow to be later utilized to supplement stream and river flows

during critical salmon migration, ideally July-September. Proponents of repairing the High

Mountain Lakes to enhance summer flows for salmonids have agreed that all stored water

would be utilized solely for in-stream benefits. It is estimated that the 33 reservoirs could

provide upwards of 3,520 acre-feet of additional flow to the tributaries to Scott River and the

main stem Scott River, however in-depth analysis is needed to verify this information.

The proposed project could provide clear and defined information on the effort and resources

needed, and benefits of, restoring the High Mountain Lakes, and will define a clear path

forward to accomplishing their restoration. The future use of the High Mountain Lakes could

provide a dependable supply of approximately 3,520 acre feet of cold, clean water to

tributaries of the Scott River and to the mainstem of the Scott River. Such supply of cold, clean

water would aide in resolving long-standing issues for salmon fisheries during late summer

months.

2.0 Scope of Work

Services the successful proposer (consultant) will be expected to provide, include but are not

limited to:

The consultant will perform the more complex work in developing a feasibility planning study

on the repair and use of the High Mountain Lakes for in-stream flow benefits. At a glance, the

planning study will analyze the on-the-ground work needed to establish and/or repair

reservoirs, determining the storage capacity of the reservoirs, the direct and indirect in-stream

benefits from these reservoirs, the mechanism/ability to ensure that the maximum amount of

flows as possible make their way to and through the Scott River main stem, researching

authorization needed to establish and/or repair the reservoirs, and the cost of restoring and

utilizing the reservoirs, among others. Work would also include researching and documenting

Page 3 of 7

what environmental compliance would be required. Project completion date will be no later

than November 30, 2027.

This is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant funded project and the maximum

consultant budget (includes all travel and material costs) is: $125,000. The consultant

must comply with applicable award statutes, regulations, and terms and conditions of the

funding award. (See Exhibit A, USFWS Notice of Award.)

Material and supply costs shall be covered by the consultant and may include data loggers and

portable flow measurement devices to inform the study.

CDFW Technical and Scientific Support:

CDFW has committed to providing technical and scientific assistance and support as part of

the Planning Study, which may include:

- Coordinating with the consultant to review the planning process;

- Evaluating ecological flow criteria for focal flow components utilized as the basis for the

planning study;

- Substantiating prioritized stream reaches for flow augmentation ecological benefits;

- Supplying existing biological assessment data, conducting biological studies, and

developing draft impact minimization measures for select high mountain lake areas.

Additionally, CDFW will contribute support in the form of CDFW staff time in developing

documents and assessments regarding species occurrences, habitats, previous projects, and

other information used to prioritize project locations. CDFW will also provide review and input

on any permit applications prepared for the project.

3.0 Submission Requirements

Proposal Format: Proposals must contain the following:

1. Cover Letter

a. Please provide the Proposer's name, address, and telephone number. The

letter must be signed by a representative authorized to enter into contracts on

behalf of the Proposer.

2. Qualifications

a. Provide specific information concerning the Proposer's experience with the

services specified in this RFQ. Examples of completed projects, as current as

possible, should be submitted as appropriate. Provide summaries of the

qualifications, experience, and areas of expertise of the project manager, key

project staff and any support staff likely to be assigned to the work

3. Company Profile

a. Provide a brief description of your company, including business structure,

address, the total number of employees, overall industry experience,

Page 4 of 7

certifications, affiliations, and relevant experience. Support your capacity to

perform the services detailed in this RFQ.

4. Approach:

a. Discuss your approach to best perform the scope of work. Provide an analysis

of the methodology developed to perform all required services and your

response to the scope of work as referenced above.

b. If the proposer anticipates that any changes are needed to the budget, timeline,

or activities detailed in the Scope of Work, the proposer must detail these

anticipated changes in their submittal.

5. References:

a. Please include at least three (3) references, including name, address,

telephone number, and email, for whom similar services have been provided.

6. Price Proposal:

a. Provide a transparent fee schedule that outlines all of the costs associated with

the required services, broken down by category of products and services, and

all on-going costs for recommended or required services. Project completion

date will be no later than November 30, 2027.

The proposal must include all requirements as listed and correlate to the Scope of Work outlined

under this RFQ.

Conflict of Interest: Proposer(s) shall disclose to the County any interest, direct or indirect,

which could conflict in any manner or degree with the performance of service required. At the

County's discretion, a potential conflict of interest, to the extent it is waivable, may be waived

or factored into the final award decisions and/or a modified Scope of Work.

4.0 Selection Process

The proposals received in response to this RFQ will be screened by a selection committee.

The selection committee will consider only the proposals which have been considered

responsive to the RFQ. Any proposal that fails to meet the RFQ's requirements will be

regarded as non-responsive and may be rejected. A proposal that is in any way incomplete,

irregular or conditional, at the County's discretion, may be rejected. The following criteria will

be used in the evaluation of the potential consultants:

1. Qualifications

2. Approach

3. Experience and references

4. Proposed costs

The County may meet or interview any or all of the proposers during the evaluation process. A

contract will be negotiated with one or more qualified entities selected during the evaluation

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Commodity Codes

• NAICS 541330Engineering Services
• NAICS 541611Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
• NAICS 541620Environmental Consulting Services
• NAICS 541690Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services

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