Deschutes River Spring Chinook Above Pelton-Round Butte Dams; Good Return Results For Juveniles From Reintroduced Fish
June 20th, 2019
Although the run of spring chinook into the Deschutes River is one of the lowest in years, as it has been throughout the Columbia River basin, the proportion of the Deschutes run that originated as reintroduced fish upstream of the Pelton Round Butte Hydroelectric Project near Madras, Oregon is one of the best in years, according to Portland General Electric.
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Inslee Calls Trudeau Pipeline Decision ‘Alarming,’ Cites Risks Of Oil Spills In Shared Waters
June 19th, 2019
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Tuesday the Canadian government’s approval of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion was “alarming and deeply disappointing.”
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Upper Columbia Tribes’ Phase I Report On Salmon Reintroduction/Fish Passage Above Chief Joseph/Grand Coulee Dams: Enough Upstream Habitat To Support Over 17,000 Spawning Chinook, Steelhead; Larger Numbers Of Sockeye
June 13th, 2019
There is plenty of habitat available for reintroduction of spawning and rearing anadromous salmon and steelhead upstream of Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams, according to a recently completed report by upper Columbia River tribes.
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Court Order Sets Eight Year Timeline For Oregon Water Pollution Clean-Up Plans; Includes Several Columbia Basin Rivers
June 12th, 2019
Oregon and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have eight years in which to replace water pollution clean-up plans that allow temperatures harmful to salmon in some of the state’s key river basins, a federal court ordered late Tuesday.
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Water Supply: Freshet Had Basin’s Southern Tier Rivers Roaring, Northern Tier Below Normal; April-Sept At Dalles Dam Forecasted 94 Percent Of Normal
June 11th, 2019
The Columbia River Basin is in the midst of a robust runoff period that will level out with near-average flows on the lower Columbia through September, according to the last water supply briefing of the year from the Northwest River Forecast Center in Portland.
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Canada Says Will Ban Single-Use Plastics In 2021 In Effort To Protect Ocean, Freshwater, Wildlife
June 10th, 2019
In an effort to reduce plastic pollution in the country’s waters, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today that Canada will ban harmful single-use plastics -- such as plastic bags, straws, cutlery, plates, and stir sticks—as early as 2021. Canada has the longest coastline in the world and one-quarter of the world’s freshwater.
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Details On Proposed Detroit Dam Water Temperature Control Tower, Fish Passage Facility To Boost ESA-Listed Steelhead, Spring Chinook
May 30th, 2019
Responding to the reasonable and prudent alternative outlined in NOAA Fisheries’ 2008 biological opinion for federal Willamette Valley dams, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last week proposed to build a selective withdrawal structure at Detroit Dam at a cost of about $100 to $200 million.The SWS would provide water temperature control downstream of Detroit and Big Cliff dams on the North Santiam River and it would provide downstream juvenile fish passage. The Corps would continue to transport adult chinook salmon and steelhead upstream of both dams where they can spawn naturally.
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Western Governors, Others Expressing Opposition To EPA’s Proposed Revisions To Clean Water Act Implementation, Changes Definition Of ‘Waters Of The United States’
May 30th, 2019
The Western Governors’ Association, in partnership with nine other organizations, is expressing “continued concerns” about the Environmental Protection Agency’s plans and processes to revise its guidance on implementation and administration of Section 401 of the Clean Water Act.
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States Approve Water Quality Plan For Hells Canyon Complex; Includes Lowering Water Temperatures For Downstream Salmon Spawning
May 30th, 2019
Idaho Power has taken a significant step toward a new federal license for its largest hydroelectric project with the states of Idaho and Oregon certifying the company’s plan for meeting water quality standards in the Snake River as part of its operation of three dams in Hells Canyon.