Natural river processes are able
to reduce levels of contaminants and the higher concentrations of contaminants
found in Columbia River water in urban areas, such as Portland, suggest
that the sources of pollution are from local sites and not due to an accumulation
of pollutants from upstream.
These are two conclusions from a
study recently completed by U.S. Geological Survey scientist Dr. Kathleen
McCarthy at the agencys water resources division in Portland. McCarthy
used a ...

The National Marine Fisheries Service
wants a quick review and comments on its Anadromous Fish Appendix from
the scientific panel that produced much of the analysis contained in the
document.
But appendix conclusions based on
analysis produced by NMFS alone may deserve closer scrutiny from the scientists
collectively called Plan for Analyzing and Testing Hypotheses (PATH), according
to some members of NMFSs Implementation Team (IT).
IT-PATH discussions Wednesday focused
on setting ...

Budget cuts continue, though at a
more relaxed pace than during the past two years, in fiscal year 2000 and
2001 proposals now being considered by the Northwest Power Planning.
The Council made a commitment in
1997 to cut its budget by nearly 25 percent, from $8 million to about $6.2
million, by 2002, according to Jim Tanner, the Council's administrative
officer.
About half of that reduction was
achieved during 1998 and 1999 by deferring contract requirements, restricting
travel, ...

Even though some questioned the process' ability to accomplish its own
goals, participants in a Columbia River Basin Multi-Species Framework dug
in this past week to make sure the process considered all fish and wildlife
management visions.
The Wednesday-Thursday workshop in Portland was designed as a brainstorming
activity to refine an established set of management strategies. The framework
process, launched last summer by the Northwest Power Planning Council,
aims to analyze the ...

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a draft economic report this
week that estimates breaching the four lower Snake River dams would result
in increased river recreation and tourism values of between $28 million
and $306 million, but the most likely number will be a net increase for
recreation values of $67 million annually.
The report estimates current benefits of recreation and tourism at $62
million on the reservoirs formed by the four dams. With natural river drawdown,
or ...

The Endangered Species Act listings in the Willamette River will change
the way the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will operate dams on the river
this year.
The Corps will share with river users a new water management plan for
Willamette Valley lakes and rivers this month at planned water management
meetings.
The Corps announced that, because of the listing, it will release larger
than normal river flows during June from its projects on the Willamette.
It is doing this to support ...

An organization of the region's fish and wildlife managers decided Tuesday
to enlist the aid of its federal members to ensure that all of the dollars
promised in a 1996 agreement will be delivered for restoration projects.
Claiming unfulfilled needs and unkept promises, Columbia Basin Fish
and Wildlife Authority members agreed to pursue a better accounting of
the dollars spent by the Bonneville Power Administration on fish and wildlife
restoration. BPA provides funding to mitigate for ...