Biden Administration, States, Tribes Formally Sign Billion-Dollar Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative To Recover Salmon, Steelhead
March 1st, 2024
The Biden administration, along with the governors of Oregon and Washington and leaders of four lower Columbia River tribes – the six sovereigns – formally signed an agreement last week that commits the federal government to as much as $1 billion to build infrastructure for eventual removal of four lower Snake River dams and to recover salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River basin.
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Judge Says Northwest Dam Violating ESA By Harming Listed Salmon, Steelhead Needs To Go; Orders Breaching This Summer
February 23rd, 2024
A federal judge in Seattle last week ordered the owners of the Electron diversion dam on the Puyallup River in Washington to breach the dam by this summer because it violates the federal Endangered Species Act.
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Initial Phase Of Klamath River Drawdowns Complete, Reservoirs Drained By Late Spring; Dam Removal Follows
February 23rd, 2024
The initial phase of reservoir drawdowns on the Klamath River – the draining of Iron Gate, Copco, and JC Boyle reservoirs – is now complete. Draining the reservoirs is a critical step on the path to deconstructing the remaining three Klamath River dams that are slated for removal later this year.
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FERC’s Final EIS On Columbia River Pumped Storage Project Near John Day Dam Recommends Issuing A License With Conditions
February 23rd, 2024
A final environmental impact statement by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff for the Goldendale Energy Storage Project near the Columbia River’s John Day Dam recommends issuing a license that includes conditions required by the Clean Water Act, and staff-recommended modifications and additional measures submitted by state and federal agencies, Tribes, and non-governmental organizations.
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NOAA Status Review Says Sacramento Winter-Run Chinook Remain Endangered, Serious Threats From Climate Change, Disease
February 23rd, 2024
Though agencies and partners have pulled together to support the recovery of endangered Sacramento winter-run Chinook salmon in the last few years, NOAA Fisheries says the species is still in trouble, facing threats from climate change and other factors.
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Study Shows Very Low, Brief Levels Of Pesticide Exposure Can Affect Fish For Generations; Offspring ‘Developmentally Deformed’
February 23rd, 2024
Fish exposed to some pesticides at extremely low concentrations for a brief period of time can demonstrate lasting behavioral changes, with the impact extending to offspring that were never exposed firsthand, a recent study found.
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Study Looks At Invisible Nanoplastics Threatening Marine Ecosytems; Small Size Penetrates Living Organisms
February 23rd, 2024
Millions of tons of plastic waste enter the oceans each year. The sun’s ultraviolet light and ocean turbulence break down these plastics into invisible nanoparticles that threaten marine ecosystems.
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Basin Water Supply Dropping With Most Watersheds Well Below Normal, Setting Up Low Expectations For The Year
February 16th, 2024
After nearly a month of cold weather and heavy snow across the Columbia River basin, giving fisheries managers hope that there would be plenty of streamflow this summer for salmon and steelhead, February has been drier and warmer than normal, leaving the basin water supply at just 75 percent of average, as measured at The Dalles Dam.
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Snake River Wild Steelhead: Potlatch River Long-Term Steelhead Restoration Plan Improves Juvenile Numbers But Declines In Adult Fish Continue
February 16th, 2024
An important population of listed steelhead in Idaho’s Snake River basin has been getting the help it needs to boost its numbers – removal of barriers, increasing habitat complexity, fewer scouring spring flows and higher and more consistent summer streamflows.