A spokesman for wholesale power customers and tribal fish advocates, alternately, asked for the Northwest Power and Conservation Council's support in the ongoing debate over "spill" levels at federal hydro projects on the Columbia and Snake rivers during the summer season.

Recent heavy precipitation in the form of snow in the mountains has Oregon’s current water year off to a good start with the hopes of continued winter weather over the next several months.

Northwest Power and Conservation Council members this week expressed concern that an effort it instigated -- to explore more cost-effective options than current summertime spill operations for moving fish past federal hydro projects -- could miss deadlines critical for 2004 implementation.

Montana officials say the spills suggested by the Corps would create
dissolved gases in the river that would exceed state water quality standards
and threaten trout populations just below the dam. While the letter does not
expressly request it, exceeding state standards would need approval from the
Montana Department of Environmental Quality.

With information in hand that using fish passage data could extend summer spill beyond August 31 in eight out of 13 years, and into October in one of 13 years, the multi-agency Implementation Team decided today to ask top-ranking regional federal executives whether it should continue its investigation into developing new criteria for ending summer spill.

Reclamation is conducting a Yakima River Basin Water Storage Feasibility Study of options for additional water storage to benefit the Yakima River Basin. This study was authorized by Congress in February of this year. The authorization instructed Reclamation to place emphasis on the feasibility of storage of Columbia River water in the potential Black Rock Reservoir.

The Lake Pend Oreille Commission agreed this week to a deep drawdown of the lake that was requested by fisheries agencies in order to accommodate a 10-year study of the impacts of fall and winter lake levels on kokanee spawning. Kokanee are important forage for the lake's threatened bull trout population.

A settlement between the Port of Vancouver and the Seattle-based Columbia River Alliance for Nurturing the Environment (CRANE) that will be announced later today could nullify the only remaining challenge to deepening the Columbia River shipping channel by 3 feet. Six lower Columbia River ports say the project is needed to accommodate deeper draft ships and for the ports to remain competitive.

The EPA also accused the Corps of manipulating data when it came to
the
conclusion that the lower Snake River is cooler now than before the
dams
were built.
"We believe this conclusion results from selective use of data and
selective use of modeling results," Clarke wrote. "EPA water temperature
modeling clearly demonstrates that the dams cause water quality standard
exceedances almost on a daily basis during the hot part of the summer
by
inhibiting the diurnal water temperature ...

As the first spill of the juvenile salmon outmigration season began
in
early April at Lower Snake dams, the National Marine Fisheries Service
and federal operating agencies are considering spill changes at other
dams in the Columbia River hydroelectric system.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began spill to aid juvenile fish
passage April 4 at Ice Harbor and Lower Monumental dams on the lower
Snake River, Cindy Henriksen of the Corps told the multi-agency
Implementation Team this ...

Umatilla Mayor George Hash led the cheers Wednesday when the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers shared its draft recommendation for no further study
and, consequently, no drawdown for the John Day Dam.
The meeting in Umatilla drew a crowd of about 70 people, the vast majority
of whom supported the Corps recommendation. Comments and questions, which
followed presentations by Corps Col. Randy Butler and the study project
manager, Stuart Stanger, were not recorded. Written comments will be ...