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

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 Activity
Release of Request for Qualifications
April 7, 2026
(RFQ)
April 13, 2026 Deadline to Submit Questions
Submission of Proposals due by 4:00
April 24, 2026
PM
April 27, 2026 Review of Proposals
April 30, 2026
Notification of Final Selection
(estimated)
May 19, 2026 Professional Service Agreement
(estimated) Processed
May 19, 2026 Professional Service Agreement Start
(estimated) 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
Page 5 of 7

process. Proposals not selected in the evaluation process may be awarded a contract should
negotiations with the selected Proposer(s) prove unsuccessful. The County reserves the right to
reject any and all proposals and reserves the right to waive any non-substantive defects in the
proposals.
Pursuant to federal grant requirements, the Proposer must be registered in the federal System
for Award Management (SAM) prior to execution of a contract. The selected Proposer must have
an active SAM registration and, if not currently registered, must obtain registration within two (2)
weeks of receiving notice of selection.
5.0 General Information
Proposals must be submitted by way of email (preferred), mail or hand delivery, as described
below:
* Electronic Copy Submittal: Submit an electronic copy of the proposal via email.
Electronic copies shall be emailed to rfp_rfb_submissions@co.siskiyou.ca.us
and must be received by 4:00 PM April 24, 2026. Please include "Proposal for High
Mountain Lakes (RFQ# 26-0407)" in the subject line.
* Mailing: A hard copy proposal by way of mail must be mailed to 1312 Fairlane Road,
Suite 1, Yreka CA 96097 and postmarked by 4:00 PM April 24, 2026. Please note
"Proposal for High Mountain Lakes (RFQ# 26-0407)" on front of envelope.
* Hand Delivery: A hard copy proposal submitted by hand delivery must be received
at 1312 Fairlane Road, Suite 1, Yreka CA 96097 on or before 4:00 PM April 24, 2026.
Please note "Proposal for High Mountain Lakes (RFQ# 26-0407)" on front of envelope.
Proposers submitting proposals by mail or hand delivery shall provide one (1) original copy with
signature, as instructed above.
Proposers are asked to direct all inquiries related to the project to Joanne Johnson, Project
Coordinator, by email at jajohnson@co.siskiyou.ca.us or by phone at (530) 842-8012.
The County will provide the following to assist the selected entity(s):
* Designate a person to act as the County's point of contact with respect to the work
performed under the contract.
* Information, as legally allowed and reasonably attainable, in possession of the County
that relates to the requirements of the project(s) or which is relevant for the project(s).
* Facilitate coordination with other entities, local agencies, organizations, and
individuals if necessary.
* Advice on the project scope of work.
* Review and validation of project deliverables.
A contract award resulting from this RFQ will be made without discrimination on any basis
Page 6 of 7

prohibited under state or federal law.
6.0 Attachments
Exhibit A - USFWS Notice of Award
Exhibit B - County of Siskiyou Design Professional Services Contract Template
Page 7 of 7