Bpa Backs Barging Officials Say Method Helps Fish More Than Spilling Dams’ Water

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Bonneville Power Administration are urging an end to the practice of spilling water through three dams on the Snake River and one on the Columbia, spills that are supposed to help young fish make it to the ocean.

Instead, the two agencies want to increase the number of salmon and steelhead that are barged or trucked past hydroelectric dams and released into the lower Columbia.

The recommendations, contained in a biological assessment submitted to the National Marine Fisheries Service, go to the heart of the longstanding dispute over whether the spilling or barging is the most effective way of helping fish avoid the deadly dams.

The spills are expensive because water that could have been used for electricity generation washes away.

The recommendations, issued Friday, drew immediate opposition from American Indian tribes and conservation groups.

Chris Zimmer of Save our Wild Salmon, a coalition of 47 environmental and anglers’ groups, said the corps and the BPA were emphasizing barging as a long-term solution even though it is clear that it will not lead to the restoration of the fish runs.

“It will just delay the eventual extinction of these fish,” Zimmer said. “What the science says is we have to restore more natural river conditions. Taking fish out of the river and putting them in a steel barge is about as far from natural conditions as you can get.”

The biological assessment was conducted as part of the fisheries service efforts to develop a recovery plan for Columbia and Snake river steelhead runs that last year were listed as endangered species.

Brian Gorman, spokesman for the National Marine Fisheries Service in Seattle, said the corps’ assessment is just one piece of information that will be used to develop a recovery plan for steelhead. That plan will be completed before the spring outmigration of steelhead begins in April.

The spills at Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite dams on the Snake and at McNary Dam on the Columbia already are part of the efforts to restore endangered Snake River chinook and sockeye salmon runs.

The corps and BPA say that evidence indicates barging is best for the salmon and would be even better for the steelhead.

The Army Corps operates most of the big dams on the Columbia and lower Snake rivers, and the BPA markets the electricity the dams produce.

The Columbia Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, which represents the four tribes with treaty rights to Columbia and Snake river fish, long has been a critic of barging.

Bob Heinith, the hydropower coordinator for the tribal commission, disputes the corps and BPA statement that scientific evidence shows that barged fish survive better than those allowed to remain in the river.

“I guess I am a little surprised,” Heinith said. “I was more optimistic the corps would moderate its position more than this.”

Heinith said the broad issue of how best to get fish downriver is being considered by the independent panel of scientists. The panel is expected to release its findings in the next few weeks.

The corps and BPA said “research shows that steelhead are guided much better by fish screens, suffer lower mortality in collection and transportation facilities, return at higher rates when transported than chinook, and may be more susceptible to gas bubble trauma than yearling chinook.”

Fish experience gas bubble trauma when they are exposed for long periods to water that has been saturated by nitrogen bubbles below dam spillways.

Those who oppose barging downplay the gas bubble problem and say fish face much more potential harm when they are barged downriver, losing their natural homing instincts.

The Columbia River Alliance, which represents utilities, irrigators and other river users, was elated with the corps and BPA conclusions.

“This assessment is really the first time this information has been used to develop a river operations plan,” said alliance executive director Bruce Lovelin. “Without a doubt, this is good news for both endangered salmon and steelhead.”

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