Idaho Power Co. is releasing 30,000 cubic feet per second of water from its Hells Canyon Dam on the Snake River in preparation for the fall chinook spawning season.

The flow is expected to remain at 30,000 cfs until Oct. 2.

Fall chinook spawning starts in late October and normally lasts until mid-December. To prepare, Idaho Power said it also is drawing down Brownlee Reservoir at the rate of about 2 feet per day.

Brownlee is the company’s key storage facility for its three-dam Hells Canyon hydroelectric project along the Idaho-Oregon border. By Oct. 2 the reservoir is expected to reach about 63 feet below full pool.

The reduced water level is intended to help in controlling flows below Hells Canyon Dam during the spawning season.

, DataTimes