Panel: Natural River Needed

Wed., June 12, 1996

Associated Press

Costly changes are needed at hydropower dams to return the Columbia River to a more natural state and save Northwest salmon from extinction, the chairman of an independent scientific panel told Congress Tuesday.

“If you want more fish, you are going to have to manage the river more like a river,” said Richard Williams, chairman of the Independent Scientific Advisory Board recently formed by the Northwest Power Planning Council and National Marine Fisheries Service.

The 11-member advisory board is preparing a report on efforts to save Northwest salmon from extinction.

Preliminary findings suggested some reservoir draw-downs and a periodic scouring of the river bank with flood water are crucial to restoring the river’s dwindling salmon runs.

Sen. Dirk Kempthorne, R-Idaho, chairman of the subcommittee, said he was frustrated by the continued disagreement over the best way to save the fish.

Will Stelle, the Northwest regional director of National Marine Fisheries Service in Seattle, said the independent panel’s report will play a key role in charting future recovery efforts.

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