The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has begun implementing its 2014 Spring Fish Operations Plan (Spring FOP) at the four lower Snake River and four lower Columbia River dams.
The 2014 Spring FOP includes fish passage operations such as spill for the timely and safe migration of juvenile salmon and steelhead at dams, and transportation for juvenile fish from Lower Granite, Little Goose, and Lower Monumental dams.
As specified in NOAA Fisheries’ 2014 Supplemental Biological Opinion (BiOp), the Spring FOP calls for spill at the lower Snake River dams which began last week, and lower Columbia River dams beginning today. The annual plan, prepared by the Corps, is coordinated with states, Tribes, and other federal agencies in the region.
The Corps is planning to conduct performance standard fish survival tests at McNary Dam this spring. The Corps conducted similar testing at two of the eight dams during summer 2013.
“We’ve experienced many successes in recent years, and remain committed to continuing to meet the performance standards in the BiOp, as well as engaging in ongoing collaboration with the region to do what’s best for the fish,” says Rock Peters, senior fishery program manager for the Corps’ Northwestern Division.
The most recent water supply forecast issued by the Northwest River Forecast Center for the Columbia River Basin (April–August) is 106 percent of normal, as measured at The Dalles Dam, and 114 percent of normal for the Snake River Basin (April–July), as measured at Lower Granite Dam.
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