PR 43 05 BPA and the Army Corps of Engineers FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, April 13, 2005 Contact: Mike Hansen | , BPA (503)-230-5131 Adele Merchant, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (503) 808-3722     Federal agencies explain dry year strategy for the Columbia River power system PORTLAND, Ore. - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bonneville Power Administration and Bureau of Reclamation presented their plan for running the Federal Columbia River Power System to assist salmon migration during yet another dry year. The presentation took place Wednesday, April 13, during a Northwest Power and Conservation Council meeting in Boise, Idaho. The federal agencies reinforced earlier announcements that the region is facing very low water conditions with the Columbia and Snake river water supply at 70 percent of normal, and the public should not be misled by recent wetter weather. In low water years, the federal plans for helping endangered species of salmon call for transportation of juvenile salmon in the Snake River to increase their survival. The salmon are transported in barges and trucks so that they bypass the turbines at the dams. Under low water conditions, like those the region is experiencing this year, transportation of juvenile salmon will be maximized, improving adult returns by several fold compared to juveniles left to migrate in the river. "We have a very good plan in place - it is performance based so we'll get the best biological return in a cost-effective manner," said Witt Anderson, Chief of the Corps' Northwestern Division District Support Team. "Our Updated Proposed Action and NOAA Fisheries 2004 Biological Opinion anticipate low water years such as this one. We will fine-tune actions as we go along, coordinating through the regional forums such as the Technical Management Team." Federal officials also noted that the past several years have produced near-record returns of adult salmon. Contrary to recent news reports, the salmon that migrated downstream during the 2001 drought year returned in 2003 and 2004 in numbers that were above the 10-year average. In 2001, the federal agencies made maximum use of fish transportation to aid juvenile migrant passage, as will be the case this spring. NOAA Fisheries recently released a study presenting scientific analysis of data showing the levels of returning adults from the 2001 spring chinook juveniles that migrated to the ocean during that year's drought conditions was above average. "The new UPA (Updated Proposed Action plan) and 2004 BiOp build on the 2000 BiOp," said Anderson. Key improvements include the installation of surface bypass facilities at all Federal Columbia River Power System dams by 2014, enhanced relocation of avian predators, which consumed nearly 10 million juvenile salmon in 2004, and the addition of specific performance targets and metrics to measure progress. Suzanne Cooper, BPA program analyst, said that the accumulated volume of water for the past six years, including 2005, is the lowest on record. "This means that we will have less energy to sell, and we'll probably have to make some power purchases to meet demand - the net result of this will factor into BPA's future rates." Given the dry year, BPA called on the region to conserve energy to help keep rates lower. The Federal Columbia River Power System provides approximately 40 percent of the region's electric power, as well as flood control, irrigation, navigation and recreation. Submitted for distribution on 04-13-2005 at 5:01 PM

Bonneville Power Administration, 905 N.E. 11th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232 Mailing Address: Media Relations - DM7, P.O. Box 3621, Portland, OR 97208-3621 Phone: (503)230-5131 FAX: (503) 230-5884 Web Site: http://www.bpa.gov