On March
29, NOAA Fisheries and the Department of the
Interior (DOI) jointly submitted preliminary
fishway prescriptions for the relicensing of the
Klamath Hydroelectric Project. These preliminary
prescriptions were developed after several years
of careful analysis and interagency cooperation
and include fish passage, both upstream and
downstream, at PacifiCorp’s Iron Gate, Copco I
and II, J.C. Boyle and Keeno dams.
The fishway prescriptions in this project
area would restore 58 miles of habitat for
Chinook, steelhead, and lamprey, including 46
miles of habitat for the threatened coho salmon,
and would improve connectivity for resident
trout. Fish passage would also create the
opportunity for the development and
implementation of a reintroduction plan to
return salmon, steelhead and lamprey to more
than 300 miles of historic habitat above the
project. The exclusion of these fish from the
upper basin began with the completion of the
first dam in 1918.
The Upper Klamath River, above Iron Gate Dam,
historically supported the spawning and rearing
of large populations of both anadromous and
resident fish. Due to many factors in the
watershed and in the Pacific Ocean, Klamath
River anadromous fish populations are
substantially diminished and, in some cases, are
struggling to survive. Safe, timely, and
effective fishways at all hydropower and water
diversion developments on the river are
essential precursors to the eventual
re-establishment of more robust and resilient
fish populations.
NOAA Fisheries recommends that a number of
specific measures be included in the new license
to improve habitat function and ecosystem
integrity. These measures include: improvements
to hatchery management and full marking of
hatchery fish, improved flow and water quality
conditions, parasite management and control,
monitoring and other habitat improvements
necessary to enhance the benefits of fish
passage and mitigate for the impacts of the
hydroelectric facility.
For more information, contact
Steve.Edmondson@noaa.gov.
