CHIEF JOE DAM SPILL DEFLECTORS BEING INSTALLED, TESTED Posted on Friday, April 27, 2007 (PST)

The long-sought installation, and testing, of "spill deflectors" at the Mid-Columbia River's Chief Joseph Dam has begun with the ultimate goal of improving water quality downstream for salmon and other aquatic life and increasing power generation flexibility. Read More...

COUNCIL LETTER DETAILS CONCERNS ABOUT PROJECT FUNDING PROCESS Posted on Friday, April 27, 2007 (PST)

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council in a letter this week expressed "serious concerns about the FY 2007-09 (project funding) decision process, the number of changes Bonneville (Power Administration) made to Council funding recommendations, and several policy issues." Read More...

BAUCUS SAYS RICE COMMITS TO WORKING FLATHEAD MINE ISSUE Posted on Friday, April 27, 2007 (PST)

Following a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Montana U.S. Sen. Max Baucus this week said that Rice committed to continue working with Montana officials to stop from moving forward the proposed Canadian coal mine near Glacier National Park in the Flathead River basin. Read More...

REPORT: LOWER COLUMBIA SELECT AREA FISHERIES SUCCESSFUL Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 (PST)

The so-called "select area" fisheries project in the lower Columbia River seems to perform as advertised, though additional information is needed to truly gauge its biological and economic impacts and decide whether its expansion is warranted, according to a report prepared for the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. Read More...

CHINOOK RETURNS UPTICK; BUT LATE OR LOW STILL UNKNOWN Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 (PST)

The Columbia River's 2007 upriver spring chinook salmon return has begun to show some signs of life in recent days, but the jury's still out on whether it's a "late-time" run or it's smaller than anticipated. Read More...

SPILL BEGINS COLUMBIA/SNAKE DAMS; OPERATIONS PLAN FILED Posted on Wednesday, April 25, 2007 (PST)

Spill began earlier this month at eight Columbia/Snake river mainstem federal hydro projects as a means of easing in-river migrations for juvenile salmon and steelhead moving downstream toward the Pacific Ocean. Read More...

GRAZING RULING IMPACTS PROTECTIONS FOR LISTED JOHN DAY FISH Posted on Wednesday, April 25, 2007 (PST)

Conservation groups hope a successful, though untimely, legal challenge to federal cattle grazing allocations in Oregon's John Day River basin will help bring better protections in the future for Mid-Columbia steelhead and bull trout. Read More...

STATE MEASURES WATER DIVERSIONS FROM COLUMBIA-SNAKE RIVERS Posted on Tuesday, April 24, 2007 (PST)

Columbia-Snake river water users are being invited to participate in a voluntary program to measure how much water they divert and take advantage of cost-sharing grants to help pay for installing metering devices. Read More...

BUREAU: MARCH SHOWS DECLINES IN WESTERN BASINS’ SNOWPACK Posted on Tuesday, April 24, 2007 (PST)

The Bureau of Reclamation today released an update on the water supply in the Western United States. After hoping for a wet and cool March, the opposite occurred instead – unseasonably dry with near-record warmth – and nearly every Western basin registered a decline in snow packs with significant meltouts. Read More...