High Water Flow Threatening Fish

Sun., April 28, 1996

Associated Press

High water in the Snake River again this week led to potentially lethal conditions for young salmon and steelhead migrating to the Pacific Ocean.

The Snake’s flow jumped to 180,000 cubic feet per second Thursday at Lower Granite Dam. Fish experts say that leads to high levels of dissolved gas there and downstream.

At Ice Harbor Dam, where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is racing to replace turbines, gas concentrations rose to 140 percent of normal. Spilling large amounts of water over dams traps air in the water, increasing gas concentrations. High gas concentrations in the water damage fishes organs, much as human divers get the bends when gas saturates their blood.

Work on the dam’s surface collector, an experimental channel designed to lure migrating fish away from the dams turbines, was completed Tuesday. Work on the prototype had led the corps to spill more water in recent weeks at Lower Granite.

Teri Barila, a fish biologist for the corps’ Walla Walla District, said the first tests were to be completed Saturday. The corps will change dam operations today to test how different flows through the turbines and over the spillways affect the numbers of fish using the collector.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.

High Water Flow Threatening Fish

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

This Idaho sheriff fought against mandatory ICE cooperation. Now he’s signing up

State sells 160 acres of Idaho endowment land near the Tetons to billionaire’s LLC for $5M

New Post Falls police chief brings stability, experience, city officials say