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A publication of the Federal Caucus, Columbia River Fish and Wildlife Recovery

Citizen Update

Conservation of

Columbia Basin Fish

Implementation of the All-H Strategy and Biological Opinions in 2001

Spring 2001 • Issue 6

History of Columbia River

Basin Runoff*

T his issue of Citizen Update continues the

 Federal Caucus’ commitment to keep

the region informed about progress on

fish recovery in the Columbia River Basin.

In December 2000, the Federal Caucus issued its

long-term strategy through a

series of related documents,

including the All-H Salmon

Recovery Strategy and two

biological opinions on salmon, steelhead and resident

fish species. Previous issues

of the Update describe these

documents. (See page 7 for

information on how to order

these and other documents.)

The Caucus agencies continue

to work together to coordinate actions across hydro

system, habitat, hatchery and

harvest – All-H – efforts to

improve the sur-vival of fish

throughout their life cycle.

This Citizen Update

describes fish recovery and

hydro operations in the

drought and implementation

of the recovery strategies in

2001 – which is turning out to

be a year of extraordinary

circumstances: one of the

lowest water years on record

with unprecedented increases

in the cost of electric power.

It explains what the operators

of the Federal Columbia River

Power System (FCRPS) and others in the region are

doing to cope with the current emergency situation.

It also provides a status report of long-term fish

recovery efforts, especially in the areas of habitat,

hatcheries and harvest, even

though these topics are not

getting headlines.

2001 Drought:

An Extraordinary

Challenge

This year, two significant influences on the

FCRPS converged in ways

no one could have predicted: a drought and a

power crisis.

Water Management

First, drought conditions

are squeezing the normally

wet Northwest and Western

Canada this spring and

summer, and potentially

into next winter. The drier it

gets, the greater the

consequences will be for the

region. Weather forecasters

say we are in the second

driest winter since 1895,

with snowpack in the

Columbia River Basin about

half of normal.

This years runoff is shaping up to be the second

lowest on record.
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The Northwest’s river system depends on runoff

from snowmelt to provide water for fish migration

and spawning in spring and summer and fuel for the

region’s hydroelectric generators, and other purposes

(see box on page 7). Runoff varies from year to year

depending on weather. The Columbia River Basin

averages about 105.2 million acre feet (maf) of

runoff, the historical record ranges widely, from a

low of 53.8 maf to a high of 159 maf. (An acre-foot is

a volume of water an acre in area one foot deep,

about 327,000 gallons.) Runoff in the spring usually

fills the headwater storage reservoirs on the

Columbia River. Water is then released at various

times in the year when it is needed for flood control,

generating electricity, or boosting water flows to

help young fish migrate downstream to the ocean,

and finally to provide storage space for the next

year’s runoff that might otherwise cause flooding

downstream. However, each fish species has unique

needs, and hydro operations vary seasonally

according to which species is migrating in the river.

For example, spring and summer flows aid summer

juvenile migrants from the upper Columbia and

Snake rivers. In spring and summer, water can be

“spilled” at a dam to divert juvenile fish from turbine

areas and to aid passage through the spillway. Fall

and winter flows provide important habitat for

mainstem spawning chum and fall chinook.

One important factor in water management is

how much water can be stored in reservoirs. The

more storage capacity available, the more flexibility

operators have in deciding what amounts to release

at different times of year. The Columbia River Basin

has limited storage – on average, enough to store

only 30 percent of the runoff. In contrast, dams on

the Missouri and Colorado river systems can hold

two to three times the annual runoff, so in a bad

year they can use that vast storage to meet their

operational needs.

The NMFS 2000 Biological Opinion anticipates

variations in weather from year to year. The

biological opinion seeks improved fish survival over

a ten-year timeframe, but recognizes that due to

natural variations in water conditions, not all

expectations can be met every year. It also outlines

The Federal Caucus

The Federal Caucus agencies are:

• National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps)

• U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation)

• Bonneville Power Administration (BPA)

• U.S. Forest Service (USFS)

• Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)

The Caucus agencies all have natural

resource responsibilities under the Endangered

Species Act, but with differing authorities and

jurisdictions. The Caucus was formed in 1998

to ensure a unified, coordinated approach to

protecting listed species throughout the Columbia River Basin.

Federal Agencies’ Criteria and

Priorities for 2001

The federal agencies agreed on criteria and

priorities for declaring a power system emergency. The criteria are: insufficient electrical

generation to meet near-term demand in the

Northwest; no greater than 5 percent probability of load loss in the next 12 months; and no

greater than 20 percent probability that BPA’s

financial reserves would fall to $0 or less (after

meeting expected financial obligations) for any

of the next 12 months.

At the same time, the federal agencies vary

operations as little as possible from the nonemergency recommendations of the biological

opinions. When deviations must occur, the

agencies will try to minimize harmful effects on

fish. The principles also include a list of specific priorities for fishery operations from

January through August 2001, including spill,

flows and fish transportation.

The Federal Caucus released a dam operations plan to the region on April 13. It was

developed using the criteria as guidance and

lays out a plan for how the FCRPS will be

operated during spring and summer 2001.
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Mountain Snowpack

This map uses estimated water equivalents of snowpack as of April 1, 2001

in relation to the average snowpack for this date.

Data from United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service
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provisions for declaring emergencies in cases of

unforeseeable power system, flood control or other

circumstances. This year, because of the drought and

the Pacific Northwest energy crisis, emergency

provisions have been invoked.

Power Generation in 2001

The West Coast power market does not have

sufficient generation and transmission infrastructure

to meet demand, which poses health, safety and

economic consequences. This is evidenced by the

blackouts experienced in California and the increase

in West Coast wholesale power prices. Since the

Northwest relies on hydropower for nearly threequarters of its energy, the region’s power supply is

heavily influenced by weather. Above-average water

conditions in recent years have insulated Northwest

utilities from these effects. However, beginning in

November 2000, below-average streamflows in the

region contributed to a power shortage and a sharp

escalation in power prices. This poor precipitation

and streamflow projection continued through March,

resulting in one of the lowest runoffs in the 70-year

record. These poor water conditions have exacerbated the West Coast’s generation and transmission

inadequacies, resulting in wholesale electricity prices

ten times the historical average. Historically in a dry

year, BPA would have been able to purchase power

in the marketplace to meet its power obligations.

This year, with supplies tight and prices sky-high,

BPA may not be able to purchase power and remain

solvent. Low water, a tight wholesale power market,

and skyrocketing prices make for a devastating

situation. As a result, BPA declared power

emergencies in January and February and again in

early April. Fish operations – spilling water over the

dams to assist juvenile salmon migrating to the

ocean – scheduled to commence in early April were

not initiated.

Managing Tradeoffs:

Balancing Human and Fish Needs

With these challenges in mind, the federal

agencies worked together to develop a set of criteria

and priorities for operating the hydro system. Over

the last two months, BPA, the Corps, Reclamation,

NMFS, USFWS and EPA worked with the region to

develop a set of criteria to define what constitutes a

power system emergency, and to provide priorities

for how the hydro system should be operated if an

emergency occurs. The criteria recognize the

difficulty the drought poses for meeting the

objectives of the system’s multipurpose operation.

They also acknowledge the need for emergency

FCRPS operations that deviate from the targets in

the biological opinions. They lay out priorities for

flow and spill for fish.

The regional federal executives have called the

region’s states and tribes to join them in weighing

the critical options and trade-offs deemed necessary

by the low-water year and energy crisis. Representatives from states and tribes have participated in

various technical, policy and executive teams to

ensure full consideration of a broad range of options,

choices and potential consequences.

Using these principles as guidance a 2001 Hydro

Operating Plan was written to describe more

specifically how the Columbia River system would

Deciding Hydro System Operations

The group of managers advising the operating

agencies on dam and reservoir operations to

optimize conditions for salmon is called the

Technical Management Team (TMT). The TMT

includes representatives from NMFS, USFWS,

Reclamation, the Corps, BPA, states and some

tribes. The TMT now meets bi-weekly to implement biological operations based on real-time

information. The TMT then weighs water management options, benefits and trade-offs after

considering current water conditions, fish movements and other factors. Policy matters may be

forwarded to the Implementation Team, made up

of senior managers from the states, tribes and

federal agencies. The final decision on hydro

operation and fish recovery rests ultimately with

the federal agencies. Given the urgency of the

problems this year, the highest regional executive

levels of all the agencies – state, tribal and federal

– are more engaged in short-term decisionmaking.
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Flows for Chum Salmon

Throughout the fall, dam operators held

flows in the river at certain minimum levels to

provide spawning habitat for chum salmon

below Bonneville Dam. In early January, spawning was complete and minimum flow was

provided during incubation of the egg nests

called “redds,” to keep them watered. The

biological opinion calls for this type of operation, but recognizes that under poor water

conditions there will always be a trade-off

between fall chum operation and meeting refill

targets (target pool elevations for refilling

reservoirs for the various water needs). The

biological opinion leans toward abandoning the

chum operation in favor of meeting refill if a

choice must be made. Given the power situation this year, in early January the federal

agencies decided to pursue an operation that

combined chum and power needs for mutual

benefit. For the period covered by the emergency, it was acknowledged that levels equal to

or higher than the minimum flow required for

chum would be needed to meet federal power

load obligations. Therefore, as BPA benefited

from the power operation, the chum also

benefited from higher water levels in the river.

Despite this combined power and chum operation, BPA declared two multi-day power emergencies in January and February because of

insufficient power on the wholesale market to

meet federal load obligations.

be operated. Comments were taken on the draft

plan and input was sought on specific decisions,

such as covering the redds at Vernita Bar and fish

transportation at McNary Dam. (See page 7 for

Web links to obtain a copy of the Principles and the

Operating Plan.)

Why the Pressure for Power

Generation?

California’s power shortages have turned the

West Coast wholesale electricity market upside down

with unusually high prices. BPA normally imports

approximately 2,000 megawatts from California in

the winter in exchange for comparable exports to

California in the summer. This year, instead of being

a source of power for the Northwest, California is

seeking to buy electricity from the Northwest and

from anywhere else it can find it. Since supplies are

short, California is willing to pay very high prices,

which drives up prices across the connected West

Coast power grid.

In the past, wholesale Northwest electricity

prices rarely exceeded $30 a megawatt-hour, but

today prices range around $300 to $400. At one point

this past January, prices climbed to more than

$1,000 a megawatt-hour. This price problem, the

tight energy supply, and the severe drought caused

BPA to declare power system emergencies three

times this winter when it couldn’t purchase enough

power to meet demand. In order to keep the lights

on and maintain health and safety, federal operators

agreed to store some of the water in the reservoirs

for power instead of using it for the spring fish

migration.

Hydro system operators and fish managers are

analyzing how the limited supply of water in the

reservoirs can be managed while balancing the needs

of power this spring and the needs for power next

fall and winter; between human needs (power,

irrigation, recreation) and fish; and between various

species of fish. BPA and the other federal agencies

have joined the region’s governors to call on utility

customers and Northwest citizens to reduce power

demand and encourage conservation throughout the

region. BPA has also taken steps to reduce power

demands on the hydro system, including purchasing

power in the market to buy back power from utility

customers, irrigators and the aluminum industries.

A solicitation is being issued for fish recovery

projects BPA could fund to off-set the impacts of the

power emergencies.

A Call to Action

With power supplies tight, conservation becomes

even more critical. BPA is partnering with utilities

around the region to urge businesses and individuals

to conserve energy and water. BPA is also arranging

to “buy back” the energy that would otherwise be

used by certain energy-intensive agricultural

operations. This effectively provides an incentive to

farmers to turn off some high-lift irrigation pumps.

This conserves power and creates an opportunity to
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The Good News

Returns of spring chinook are the second

highest since record keeping began in 1938,

with some 350,000 fish expected. While most of

these are hatchery fish, conditions that have

contributed to their healthy numbers have

benefited wild salmon too. Some of these

conditions are natural occurrences – several

good water years and improved ocean conditions. Others are the result of intentional

changes over the past several years that are

now paying important dividends: structural

improvements at dams; improved water operations in spring and summer to lower water

temperature that help young fish headed to sea;

limited salmon and steelhead harvests; improved hatchery practices to produce more

vigorous fish adapted to local conditions; and

restored habitat throughout the Columbia

River Basin.

Extraordinary steps have already been

taken for salmon. The majority of incubating

chum eggs below Bonneville Dam was protected earlier this year by precisely timed water

releases. And the Basin’s most productive wild

salmon population – fall chinook at Vernita Bar

in the Hanford Reach – is being protected at

least until the end of April with life-sustaining

flows. As the region’s federal agencies struggle

with low water this year, some salmon-protection efforts will be reduced or curtailed. But

other efforts will continue as the federal agencies, and the region, strive to safeguard and

restore salmon. One bad water year does not

mean the struggle or the commitment to save

salmon is lost.

increase in-river flows for migrating fish. When we all

conserve, it means less water is used for power

generation, which means more water in the river to

help fish.

You can save money, water and save fish too.

Watch for the Energy Star® label when you purchase

new appliances or light bulbs. Many Northwest

utilities are offering their customers money-saving

coupons for compact fluorescent light bulbs. These

bulbs are four times more energy efficient than

regular incandescent bulbs and last ten times as

long. Call your local utility and ask for more ideas to

save electricity.

Long-Term Fish Recovery Work

Moving Forward

The difficult water and power situation this year

hasn’t prevented the Federal Caucus agencies from

making progress on efforts aimed at long-term

recovery of fish and wildlife listed under the

Endangered Species Act (ESA). In May, the three

action agencies implementing the biological opinions

(the Corps, Reclamation, and BPA) will release for

regional discussion an implementation plan for the

FCRPS that sets priorities and performance

standards to protect and aid in the recovery of ESAlisted salmon, steelhead, bull trout and Kootenai

River white sturgeon.

The plan, prescribed by the NMFS and USFWS

biological opinions, is a five-year blueprint that

provides a framework for the actions of the three

agencies to improve all aspects of the salmon

lifecycle. This “All-H” approach recognizes that

upgrading the region’s dams and hydropower

operations is only part of recovering fish runs at risk

in the basin. Just as important are improvements

beyond the hydropower, including protection and

enhancement of fish and wildlife habitat; reforming

hatcheries and creating “safety net” hatcheries for

species in peril; and developing new approaches to

reduce the impacts of harvest on ESA-listed fish.

The implementation plan will include: goals

and performance standards needed to achieve

recovery; strategies and prioritization criteria for

carrying out specific projects; and provisions for

research, monitoring and evaluation. An independent panel of scientists will review the plan for

its scientific validity later this year. Watch for

Citizens Update #7 for details, and monitor the

www.salmonrecovery.gov Web site for the draft

implementation plan.

High Priority Projects to Jump-Start

Recovery

The action agencies are also beginning a new set

of actions to give an immediate boost to threatened

and endangered fish. BPA is considering a slate of
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high-priority projects to be funded this year that will

provide on-the-ground benefits for ESA-listed species

right away. In March, the Northwest Power Planning

Council (Council) recommended 17 projects to BPA.

The projects include efforts to restore streamside

fish habitat, acquire land and water rights to protect

ESA-listed species and install fish screens. The Corps

will address a spectrum of habitat improvements in

the Columbia River estuary in concert with local,

state and federal agencies. Reclamation will be

working with landowners to eliminate or redesign a

number of irrigation diversions on tributaries. BPA

also continues to fund implementation of a large

number of projects that are designed to benefit ESAlisted species through the Council’s Columbia River

Basin Fish and Wildlife Program. Other federal

agencies continue a range of fish and wildlife

recovery efforts, with an emphasis on habitat

improvements.

Research, Monitoring and Evaluation

As called for in the biological opinions, specific

actions and their environmental and biological

responses will be tracked through monitoring and

evaluation of projects. Progress will be tracked

according to performance standards. This year,

scientists will collect data using a well-developed

system of PIT-tags to yield information on fish

survival under low-water conditions. Scientists can

then study how salmon survival might be affected by

the drought and recommend changes in system

operations. (Monitoring results and progress reports

will be accessible through the www.salmonrecovery.

gov Web site and additional Citizen Updates.)

Further Information and Contacts

For more information on the All-H Salmon

Recovery Strategy, the Federal Caucus, or Columbia

River Basin fish and wildlife recovery, please visit the

Federal Caucus Web site at www.salmonrecovery.gov.

A copy of the Operating Principles, the 2001

Operating Plan, or previous issues of the Citizen

Update are also available at this site. Internet links

for related activities and documents are also listed

including the NMFS and USFWS biological opinions.

For the most up-to-date information on snowpack,

visit the NRCS Web site at: ftp://ftp.wcc.nrcs.usda.

gov/support/snow/snowpack_maps/columbia_river

/wy2001/cusn0104a.gif.

You can call the Federal Caucus toll free

at 1-888-921-4886. The e-mail address is

federalcaucus@bpa.gov. The mailing address is:

Federal Caucus

c/o BPA-P

P.O. Box 3621

Portland, OR 97208

Multiple Purposes of the Federal Columbia River Power System

The 14 federal hydro system dams on the

Columbia and Snake rivers are linked in a complex system. Storage projects such as Libby,

Hungry Horse, Grand Coulee and Dworshak allow

operators to regulate the river flow to serve many

purposes, such as fish recovery, flood control,

navigation, hydropower, fish and wildlife habitat,

irrigation, recreation, water supply and water

quality. Other projects have limited storage and

were developed primarily for navigation and

hydropower.

The operation of Grand Coulee, for example,

demonstrates the complexity of operating a

multi-purpose system. Grand Coulee serves as a

vital component of the FCRPS to control spring

runoff and prevent flooding. Its vast storage

capability provides important flows for both fish

and power. Water stored in Grand Coulee also

serves the irrigation needs of many farmers in the

Columbia Basin Project. Summer fishing and

recreation opportunities depend on high reservoir

levels, including houseboat enterprises operated

by the Colville Tribe and numerous campgrounds

managed by the National Park Service. A ferry at

Inchelium provides daily transportation to school

children and workers. To reconcile these many

purposes and sometimes competing demands,

the Bureau of Reclamation, Grand Coulee’s

operating agency, must operate within existing

laws and authorities, and work closely with

states, tribes and local communities affected by

reservoir operations.