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Despite Energy Fears,BPA will Spill Water for Migrating Salmon by Michelle Cole, Oregonian staff The Oregonian, July 25, 2001

The Bonneville Power Administration decided Tuesday to spill a limited amount of water over two federal dams to help young salmon migrating to the ocean.

The decision came after pressure from other federal agencies, Northwest tribes and state officials in Washington and Oregon. The BPA said it took the action despite concerns about near-record low flows in the Columbia River and the hydropower system's ability to meet the region's electricity demands later this year.

"We feel it's the right decision to do whatever you can, and because there happens to be some power available and because the price is low, we think we can do this," spokesman Ed Mosey said.

The federal agency, which markets about half of the region's electricity, said it would divert 30 percent of the flow at The Dalles Dam through its spillway for up to two weeks to give young fish safer and swifter passage to the ocean. The agency said it also would divert some of the flow at Bonneville Dam, to be spilled five hours a day for up to two weeks.

Sending the water through the spillway instead of through electricity-generating turbines will cost about $5 million, the BPA said. That's what the agency will spend to buy about 170 to 200 megawatts, which is enough power to serve more than 12,000 Northwest homes.

The BPA estimated that the spill would boost the survival of juvenile salmon by 2 percent to 3 percent. Going through turbines is more hazardous for migrating fish. Biologists estimate that about 10 percent are killed or injured by the spinning blades and pressure changes or are eaten by predators that lie in wait below the dams to pick off fish disoriented by their trip through the roiling water.

Tribal officials and fish advocates said Tuesday that the agency's decision for a limited spill falls far short of what it should do, even in a low-water year.

"It's a pittance," said Charles Hudson, a spokesman for the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. Tribal officials are frustrated, after spending six months putting "thoughtful and sound spill proposals before the BPA for consideration, only to have them rejected repeatedly," Hudson said.

Any amount of spill will benefit salmon, said Howard Schaller, a fisheries biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "But this is way less than anybody anticipated and probably not sufficient."

The BPA declared power emergencies this spring, allowing dam operators to waive requirements of the federal government's salmon recovery plan and to send water through the dams' power-generating turbines. In May, the agency ordered a limited spill, about one-third of the amount called for by the salmon recovery plan for that peak migration month.

In June, the BPA was criticized for deciding that it couldn't risk spilling additional water to help threatened Snake River fall chinook and other summer runs not yet listed as threatened or endangered. Although Tuesday's decision to allow a limited spill represents at least a partial reversal of that decision, Mosey said the agency could decide to end the spill at any time, should power prices increase suddenly.

"Five million dollars is something we can afford," he said. "More than $5 million would be a problem."