![]() ![]() But in some cases, after they’re moved upriver of dams they become food for bull trout. The corps and wildlife managers have intervened, trapping adult salmon at the bases of dams and trucking them upriver to spawn. The dams are barriers for migratory salmon that would otherwise swim high in the Cascades to spawn and for their offspring attempting to migrate to the ocean. The drawdowns at Green Peter and Lookout Point mean that the dams won’t produce any power for months. According to the Bonneville Power Administration, eight dams in the Willamette system produced less than 4% of the total power produced by the federal government’s Columbia River hydro system in 2019. Most of the dams also produce hydropower, though not much. The corps’ network of dams in the Willamette River basin protects communities from floods. Many residents say publicly they support maintaining hydropower at Willamette River dams “These measures have been shown to be effective,” said Margaret Townsend, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. Federal scientists have been recommending the drawdowns for 15 years. That’s because the low water level allowed fish to swim through outlets deep within the dam instead of a more dangerous route through hydropower turbines. ![]() Jeff Henon, a spokesperson for the corps’ Portland division, said more juvenile salmon survived their journey through Cougar Dam during a drawdown in 20. Other drawdowns produced promising results. “Where it’s been tried, it’s been shown to be extremely effective,” said Kathleen George, an environmental policy expert and member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde tribal council. In 2020, 800 natural-born spring Chinook returned to the dam, compared to about 240 in 2007, according to the agency’s data. There is evidence that similar operations at Oregon dams boosted salmon populations.Īt Fall Creek Lake in Lane County, the corps has periodically emptied the reservoir since the 1960s to help fish move downriver, stepping that up to seasonally since 2011. A federal judge in 2021 ordered the corps to experiment with drawdowns as part of recovery plans for endangered salmon. However, the corps and conservationists expect the rivers to run clear again as the agency ends the drawdowns this month, as planned, and begins refilling the reservoirs to protect communities from winter floods.Ĭorps officials say it’s too soon to say whether opening the dams and letting the reservoir water drain through achieved the mission of helping young Chinook salmon and steelhead journey to the Pacific Ocean. The deluge of sediment spurred a wave of accusations from Willamette Valley residents and some Republican officials that the corps polluted rivers and possibly killed fish by draining Green Peter and Lookout Point reservoirs so low – achieving the opposite of its intention to help young salmon move down river through the dams. The Army Corps of Engineers is refilling two Willamette River basin reservoirs that the agency had temporarily drained to historic lows to help fish, but the drawdowns washed mud downstream, threatening drinking water sources. ![]()
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