Columbia Basin Fish Accords

The original Columbia Basin Fish Accords, signed in 2008, guaranteed Northwest states and tribes more than $900 million for salmon and steelhead restoration projects and $50 million for Pacific lamprey passage improvements in the Columbia and Snake River basins for 10 years.

BPA, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, and a number of regional interests; including six tribes, an inter-tribal association, and the states of Washington, Montana and Idaho, signed seven separate agreements to assure long-term funding to address the federal government’s requirements to mitigate for the effects of the federal hydrosystem on fish and wildlife. The agreements have helped protect, mitigate, and enhance fish populations and fish habitat in the Columbia River basin and address the federal government’s responsibilities for fish listed under the Endangered Species Act.

salmon leaping from water, in air, with water spray behind it

Specifically, the Accords brought on-the-ground actions to benefit fish, provided certainty for funding and projects, brought regional collaboration to a historic level, and resulted in better projects with cost share. The Accords were a crucial element of BPA’s mitigation strategy for endangered salmon and steelhead and benefited other wildlife as well.

BPA continues to find value in preserving the paradigm and partnerships of the Columbia Basin Fish Accords. These agreements have proved to be effective tools for implementing crucial and complex fish and wildlife mitigation projects, and, equally as important, have provided a foundational framework for the parties to improve their relationships, resolve disputes, and innovate novel approaches to fish and wildlife conservation in the Columbia River Basin.

Consequently, since the original 2008 Accords were signed, there have been multiple extensions and amendments.  

The Kickitat Watershed Enhancement Project with the Yakama Nation (before and after pictured, above) averaged a cost share of $5.50 for every BPA dollar invested. This project removed eight miles of asphalt road, reconnected 31 acres of floodplain, removed a railroad bridge and 34 culverts and installed tens of thousands of native plants on 60 acres of habitat. 

Amendments and Extensions

  • In 2018, Accord partners signed an extension that contained similar language and off-ramps as the original 2008 agreements and set aside more than $400 million for fish restoration and protection from 2018 through September 2022. 
  • In 2020, Accord partners signed an amendment reaffirming the duration of the 2018 extensions.
  • In 2022, Accord partners signed an extension for three years, expiring in 2025.
rainbow trout swimming in water with rocks, log and vegetation in background

Agreements

Contact Information

For more information, contact Dorie Welch at (503) 230-5479 or dwwelch@bpa.gov or Tucker Miles at (503) 230-5968 or btmiles@bpa.gov.

Accord funding created:

7,000 acres

 riparian area improved

600 miles

stream restored

 100,000 acre feet

water protected

 5 million fish

created new capacity for fish production

2,000 miles

 fish habitat opened 

11 hatcheries

constructed or upgraded

41,800 acres

 riparian area protected