Overview of the Hells Canyon Complex and Fish Passage

James  A  Chandler Fisheries  Program  Supervisor

1. History of Anadromous Fish and Passage 2. Mitigation Hatchery Program 3. Habitat 4. Section 18 Fishway Prescription – USFWS (bull trout) 5. FERC - Anadromous Fish Evaluation

Powder

Burnt

Malheur

Owhyee

Bruneau Salmon Falls

Boise

Payette

Weiser

Wood

9 Major River Basins Mainstem Snake River Supported Anadromous Fish !✓Chinook salmon ✓Sockeye salmon (Payette R.) ✓Steelhead ✓ Coho salmon - ??? ✓Pacific lamprey

HC Dam site

The Initiation of Change …

Westward Expansion

Commercial Fishing

Gold !

Timber

Railroad

LivestockDams …Electricity / Irrigated Agriculture

Irrigated Agriculture

A period of Rapid Change …

Largescale Habitat Degradation

Sediment Balance – Influx of Fine Sediments Placer/Hydraulic Mining Agricultural Run-off / Nutrient Loading !Alteration of Hydrographs !Riparian Habitat Degradation !Habitat Fragmentation / Loss of migration corridors

1890 – Bruneau Dam

1901 Swan Falls Dam Trade Dollar Mining Company Silver City – Owyhee County

24%

6%

1957 – pre HCC

1932

19321938

1935

1919 1932

1901

1890

1924

1915

1910

1944

191019481952

1937

Pine Eagle Indian Wildhorse

Weiser

1958 – Brownlee Dam Completed - uppermost dam of the Hells Canyon Complex - 420 ft tall - USACE flood control - draft up to 100 ft

• Adult Passage - successful - (fish trap and haul) !• Juvenile Passage - did not work

✓ 58 miles long – fish disoriented ✓ extreme flood control drawdowns ≤ 100 ft ✓ heavy debris and algal loads ✓ no over summer habitat – warm / eutrophic

Passage through Brownlee Reservoir

1964 – Brownlee Passage Terminated FPC (FERC) Order Issued Hatchery Program

19581962 Oxbow Dam – 1962

-175 ft tall

1968 – Hells Canyon Dam - 330 ft tall

➢ Based on Highest Counts above Hells Canyon Dam !

➢ Four IPC Anadromous Hatcheries 3 M – Rapid River - Spring Chinook 1 M – Pahsimeroi - Summer Chinook 1.8 M – Oxbow / Pahsimeroi /Niagara Springs Steelhead

5.8 M smolts released !➢ Operational impacts downstream of Hells Canyon Dam – redd dewatering

1 M Fall Chinook – Lyons Ferry / Irrigon Hatcheries !➢ Total Program = 6.8 Million smolts released !

IPC Hatchery Mititgation Program

Hells  Canyon  Complex  Relicensing  

!• License Filed July 21, 2003 ~ 15 yrs of resource studies • Additional Information Requests !• Declaration by FERC REA • Federal Power Act – § 4(e), 10(a) &10(j),18 • NEPA - Environmental Impact Statements • Clean Water Act § 401 certification !• Endangered Species Act - § 7 consultation – Biological Opinion(s) !• New license – Implementation of Mitigation Programs !!

!

USFWS - §18 Fishway Prescription

Section  §  18  Fishway  PrescriptionU.S.  Fish  and  Wildlife  Service  –  bull  trout

1. Hells Canyon Trap - upstream facility

3. Indian Creek Weir2. Pine Creek Weir - downstream facility

4. Oxbow Dam Trap

5. Wildhorse Weir

!• Trap and Haul approach !• § 18 included passage facilities at: - HC Dam and Reservoir - Oxbow Dam and Reservoir - Brownlee Dam and Reservoir not included !• Weirs targeted to collect downstream

migrating bull trout in the fall months !• Indian Creek, Oxbow Dam,

Wildhorse facilities constructed once bull trout population-based triggers met

! !!!

➢ FERC expanded Pine Creek tributary collection identified in § 18 to include Spring Months

• use this facility to evaluate reintroduction of spring chinook and steelhead !➢ Tributary Collection – IPC determined this is not feasible for Pine Creek during spring months.

• IPC believes that evaluation of reintroduction can occur without such a facility. !➢ Mainstem Collection (ie - a collection facility on Hells Canyon Dam) for Pine Creek Production remains a feasible option for collection of anadromous juveniles at Hells Canyon Dam. This option is not currently proposed. ! !!!!!

Pine Creek and Anadromous Reintroduction

!➢ IPC conducted Comprehensive Evaluation of Passage and Reintroduction of Anadromous Fish !➢ Habitats that are accessible by upstream passage at Hells Canyon Complex are very poor condition

• lower portions of tributaries / including Pine Creek / limited production potential • Mainstem Snake River – Marsing Reach – extensive evaluation of habitat condition • NOAA reserved FPA §18 Fishway Authority •FERC recommended monitoring mainstem habitats as TMDL’s are implemented !

➢ FERC recognized need for comprehensive planning – involvement of many stakeholders • FERC presented a phased approaches of tributaries within the HCC project area directly affected by the HCC • Pine Creek Evaluation !

➢ Are there suitable habitats remaining within the Middle Snake Basin ? • put and take fisheries – several examples • upstream portions of several tributary habitats – habitats to support spawning/rearing • sustainability will depend on collection/transport efficiencies of juveniles, SAR’s • likely require long-term hatchery production for support

Reintroduction of Anadromous Fish

https://www.idahopower.com/pdfs/Relicensing/hellscanyon/hellspdfs/techappendices/Aquatic/e31_02_execsum.pdf