To relicense its dams, utility may be forced to climb fish ladders

March 22, 2008

By Michelle Ma

Triplicate staff writer

PacifiCorp is well into the process of relicensing its dams on the Klamath River , but some key provisions must still be addressed.

A new license would be issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is waiting for clean water certifications from California and Oregon .

In a move that might influence that process, the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday decided to list the Klamath as impaired by toxic algae blooms that form on Copco and Iron Gate reservoirs in Siskiyou County. Klamath Riverkeeper, a group that tries to restore the Klamath's water quality, filed the litigation last August.

If PacifiCorp's Klamath dams are relicensed to operate for another 30-50 years, some significant fish-passage improvements must be completed.

Right now, J.C. Boyle dam has a fish ladder and screen to help move resident trout past the facility. But the three hydroelectric dams down river have no fish-passage provisions in place.

PacifiCorp would like to trap fish below Iron Gate dam and haul them in trucks upstream for release, possibly above Upper Klamath Lake to tributaries that used to be spawning streams for salmon. Juveniles returning to the ocean would be captured at J.C. Boyle, then trucked down past Iron Gate and released. The hatchery would continue to produce fish.

But National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have mandated that fish ladders and screens be installed on the dams as part of their relicense. Those required additions will cost about $300 million. Trapping and hauling would be cheaper.

Engineers from federal and state agencies analyzed from multiple angles what would be best for fish—ladders and screens, or trapping and hauling, said David White, fish passage engineer with National Marine Fisheries Service's habitat conservation division.

They also talked with stakeholders, and the result pointed overwhelmingly to ladders and screens as the best option, White said.

"From many different perspectives, volitional passage is much more protective," White said.

PacifiCorp says its preferred alternative of trapping and hauling would be better for fish. The power company also conducted studies and worked to develop its proposal once it became clear that fish passage would be necessary, said Toby Freeman, PacifiCorp's regional community manager based in Klamath Falls , Ore.

"Most of that prime habitat (for salmon) is above Upper Klamath Lake . Trap-and-haul is probably a more effective way to get fish to the upper tributaries," Freeman said. "There is lots of skepticism (about whether) building fish ladders over high dams is going to be a successful fish passage."

PacifiCorp has also said its hatchery at Iron Gate dam sufficiently compensates for lost salmon spawning habitat above the dams.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that issues licenses recommended in its environmental review that fish be trapped and hauled around the dams.

Regardless of these opinions, fish ladders and screens must be installed as mandatory conditions under the Federal Power Act if PacifiCorp's hydroelectric project is to be relicensed.

Federal wildlife agencies will require fish ladders and screens to promote volitional fish passage for several key reasons. First, almost 60 miles of salmon and steelhead habitat—both in the river's main stem and tributaries—exist within the hydro project's boundaries. Hauling fish past the project wouldn't allow them access to this habitat, White said.

It is ideal for salmonids to migrate freely between different habitat types, White said. For example, as a juvenile moves toward the ocean, it must imprint its home stream's odors so it can later return to spawn. Young salmon must regulate their speed toward the Pacific in order to prepare biologically for marine life. Hauling fish can bypass these critical life phases, White said.

Trapping and hauling can be ideal in some situations, such as to bypass a series of tall dams all in a row, White said, but the Klamath project doesn't fit that model.

Existing research and conceptual designs for fish ladders on the Klamath dams show that these additions would not be especially difficult to implement when compared with other projects, White added.

If the dams receive another license, engineers will get to work on more specific designs for fish passage.

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Source:  http://www.triplicate.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=8058