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[1] OREGON PLAYS MUSICAL CHAIRS AT NW POWER PLANNING COUNCIL
In a move that was largely overlooked because of Election Day politics, lame duck Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) has replaced both his state's representatives on the Northwest Power Planning Council.
The ball got rolling last Tuesday when Oregon council member Eric Bloch announced he would resign effective Jan. 1. Bloch had previously expressed interest in a currently vacant judicial post--a gubernatorial appointment.
The announcement allowed Kitzhaber to make his own move on a day when most of the state was focused on a close gubernatorial race. He sent the state Senate the names of two individuals to fill Oregon's council seats, nominating Melinda Eden, eastern Oregon viticulturist, attorney and chair of the state's Environmental Quality Commission to fill Bloch's position.
Kitzhaber also named longtime Republican politician Gene Derfler, 78, to replace Oregon's other member, eastern Oregon rancher John Brogoitti, who has been feuding with the governor since last summer. Derfler is retiring from the state Senate, where he most recently served as president.
Kitzhaber called for Brogoitti's resignation after the eastern Oregon rancher said he could no longer support the state's fish policy. The policy calls for more flows and spill to help migrating fish through the Columbia River's federal hydro system. Brogoitti sent a scathing letter to newspapers that explained why he and Kitzhaber had parted ways. Brogoitti said Kitzhaber's policies did not represent the views of eastern Oregonians.
When Brogoitti refused to resign, Kitzhaber fired him and named Eden to replace him. But the Republican-dominated state Senate sided with Brogoitti, a conservative Democrat. Under Derfler's leadership, the Senate refused to consider Eden's nomination, much less vote for her confirmation.
Brogoitti seemed to have Kitzhaber over a legal barrel. The rancher told NW Fishletter that he wanted to stay on the council long enough to vote with Idaho and Montana members on proposed changes to the council's fish and wildlife program. The changes call for reducing federally-mandated flow augmentation measures meant to aid fish. Proponents say there is a lack of evidence that certain current flow augmentation operations benefit fish.
But Derfler may vote to support those changes as well. Insiders say he has supported agricultural and rural interests for years. He was expected to resign from the senate and assume his new duties Dec. 1.
Hermiston-based consultant Fred Ziari, representing the eastern Oregon Irrigators Association, said his members were looking forward to working with the new council members. "We had a very good relationship with both Eric Bloch and John Brogoitti and I want to thank both of them for working with us." He said that was especially true for Brogoitti. "We are grateful to him for his dedication to eastern Oregon. We will miss him."
The quick switch took Brogoitti by surprise. He was on his way to Moses Lake to speak to a group of farmers who wanted to hear about his feud with the governor when he heard that he had been replaced. -Bill Rudolph
[2] STEELHEAD BONANZA HITS IDAHO REEL HARD
So many steelhead are returning to Idaho this fall that some of them are even being trucked to Boise to provide action for local anglers. With hatchery needs already met, hundreds of hatchery steelhead are being trapped at Hells Canyon below Idaho Power's complex of dams and taxied up to the Boise River.
Since only 600 steelhead are needed for hatchery broodstock, the excess--estimated at 3,000 fish so far-- is being divvied up equally between Idaho, Oregon and the Nez Perce Tribe, which will use them to aid natural production efforts in the Little Salmon River.
The excellent Idaho run is part of nearly one-half million steelhead that have been counted passing Bonneville Dam this year, where the 481,000-fish count is turning out to be the second highest on record, topped only by last year's run of 635,000 steelhead.
Harvest managers originally estimated an overall run of about 10 percent less than this year's count, but the so-called "A" run (made up of fish that spend only one year in the ocean) is coming in a bit less than they anticipated, while the "B" run (Idaho-bound, mostly two-ocean) is showing more strength than expected.
The wild fish news is good as well. Wild steelhead, listed under the Endangered Species Act, are returning in large numbers. So far about 142,000 have been tallied at Bonneville Dam, almost reaching last year's number of 149,000 fish. These wild returns are up over 500 percent from the 1995 return of only 28,000 fish, while 202,000 hatchery fish returned that year.
At Lower Granite Dam where the Idaho run is tallied, about 55,000 wild steelhead have been counted this year, up from last year's 47,000-fish return. That's about 730 percent better than the 7,500 wild steelhead counted in 1995, a typical return from the early 1990s.
Over 210,000 hatchery steelhead have made it back to Idaho as well, less than last year's 260,000-fish count. This year's figure tracks with the number of fish released from hatcheries in 2000 compared to 1999, when about 130 percent more juveniles were released.
Snake River wild steelhead were listed as a "threatened" species under the ESA in 1997; upper Columbia River stocks were designated as "endangered" at the same time. In 1998, lower Columbia steelhead were added to the list and a year later, middle Columbia steelhead stocks were designated as "threatened."
Returns on the upper Columbia have shown so much improvement of late that a special recreational fishery was recently opened to reduce the numbers of hatchery steelhead reaching spawning grounds in tributaries. -B. R.
[3] POSSIBLE CHANGES IN HYDRO OPS MAY SAVE FISH AND MONEY
Federal agencies have met several times over the past two months to discuss possible federal hydro system operational changes that might save BPA money while boosting fish survival to reach performance standards outlined in the hydro BiOp. The power agency has predicted a $1.2 billion deficit through 2006 and has set out to reduce expenses at all levels, including $50 million a year from its fish and wildlife budget.
The proposals were unveiled at the Oct. 23 TMT forum, in a meeting of fish managers and hydro operators. Some changes could be implemented as early as next year, while others may take years, according to draft language that outlines how the hydro BiOp will be carried out. The changes include fine-tuning the spill program at several dams and putting an end to the controversial strategy of spilling water at Bonneville Dam to help a March release of Spring Creek hatchery chinook.
Critics have long called the Spring Creek spill a waste of money, while supporters have pointed to the fact that the fall chinook helped by the strategy add to ocean harvest, which helps reduce pressure on ESA-listed stocks. But ocean harvest is now managed by abundance levels of certain stocks, rather than a quota system as in previous years; and the old argument no longer holds water.
The proposals have already gotten a qualified nod from federal fish officials, according to Therese Lamb, BPA fish policy advisor. She said the recommendations, which are based on research results from the past several years, have the potential for saving the agency $15 million to $20 million a year by increasing power revenues that would otherwise be lost due to spilling water for fish passage.
NMFS felt the options "had enough merit to explore further," said Lamb.
The potential actions are expected to improve project survivals, or provide equivalent survivals while reducing spill levels, according to the draft. The proposed changes call for speeding up the installation of huge steel weirs at two dams on the lower Snake River to help fish over spillways while using less water.
BPA biologist Bill Maslen said his agency is making a "qualified push" for implementing the new hardware tested last year at Lower Granite Dam. Called a removable spillway weir [RSW], it's designed to fit into a dam's spill bay and more efficiently guide fish over the spillway. Currently, fish must pass through gate openings around 40 feet below the water's surface to get over the spillways. The new design spills water from the top 10 feet of the reservoir, where more fish are concentrated. Initial tests this year at Lower Granite have shown that the concept really does improve what biologists call "spill effectiveness."
When flows are extremely high, the huge RSW can pivot out of place to restore the dam's full spillway capacity.
Lamb said RSWs could be installed at Lower Monumental and Ice Harbor dams on the lower Snake by 2006 and possibly save BPA another $15 million to $20 million a year because more water could be routed to powerhouses.
Other proposed changes include the elimination of spring daytime spill testing at John Day, since research has indicated no survival advantage for spring migrants from 24-hour spill, nor survival improvement when spill is increased from 30 percent to 60 percent.
Summer spill may also be modified at Ice Harbor because nighttime fish survival is lower than expected.
The action agencies are also asking that behavioral guidance systems be installed at both Ice Harbor and Lower Monumental dams to corral fish toward the RSWs.
It's likely that two more years of research will be conducted before any final decisions are made on the RSWs. According to Corps of Engineers estimates, the new structures for Lower Monumental could end up costing $46 million, with average operational cost savings of $6 million a year.
To design and install the same apparatus at Ice Harbor is estimated to cost another $46 million, but annual operational savings are estimated at about $14 million.
BPA's Maslen said there are still some issues to examine more closely, and spillway survival at Ice Harbor is one of them. The dam has no bypass system for fish, so about 90 percent of the fish migrants pass by spill during spring and summer months, when BiOp mandates are in effect.
However, Maslen said spillway survival at the dam may be significantly less than the 98 percent estimated from a 2000 study. Unpublished results from a study earlier this year suggest that it could be in the 88 percent range--even less than current estimates of turbine mortality--with results suggesting that higher spillway flows contribute to lower survival. In this case, an RSW may significantly improve fish survival over current BiOp spill, but as a draft discussion paper puts it, "Any benefits of installing an RSW and BGS at Ice Harbor are speculative at this time."
Another possible dam fix calls for building a $42 million guidance system at The Dalles to help more fish get to the spillway if spill is reduced. Cost estimates are rough at best, biologists say.
The agencies also want to assess the situation of ESA-listed chum salmon below Bonneville Dam. The BiOp now calls for extra flows to ensure that chum redds are covered throughout the winter. But the strategy could short change water needs for fish in the Hanford Reach, where fish are not listed for protection, during low-water years. An agreement between agencies and utilities keeps Hanford Reach fall chinook redds covered before the fish emerge in the spring. -B. R.
[4] BONNEVILLE BEGINS SWINGING BUDGET AX AT F&W PROGRAM
Citing "the deterioration of our financial condition," Bob Austin, BPA's deputy director for fish and wildlife, announced last month that the agency would fund only two "innovative" fish and wildlife proposals out of the top-ranked 10 projects for FY 2003. In an Oct. 2 letter to the Power Planning Council, he said the power agency's decision was focused "on only those projects that best met both the needs of the program and the BiOp." The cuts are expected to save ratepayers about $1.6 million next year, but may be just the start of an ugly cost-cutting exercise.
BPA's woes have already caused some in-house grumbling. One rumor indicated the agency had recently boosted the ranks of its Environment, Fish and Wildlife Division, while wielding the budget ax throughout other parts of the agency. Austin said that, indeed, 12 new hires have been placed in fish and wildlife--but at least that many current employees were expected to leave through attrition or early retirement in the next two years.
"Our workload is up 50 percent," Austin said, noting that F&W direct spending overseen by the Power Planning Council has increased to about $186 million, from $126 million since 2001. "And we noticed we're not getting any younger." He said the new hires will be able to learn their jobs much better with the older work force still in place.
Earlier this year, BPA Administrator Steve Wright sent shock waves through the fish and wildlife community when he told the council he was looking to reduce all BPA budgets, including funding for the F&W program. BPA spends about $500 million annually on the program, a sum that includes such things as capital reimbursements and hydro operations to improve fish passage, along with power purchases to make up for energy foregone from spill operations.
With BPA estimating a $1.2 billion deficit by 2006, Wright has said he wants to cut fish costs by $200 million over the life of the rate case. That amounts to $50 million a year.
But others are critical of BPA's heavy-handed budget exercise, and some think the agency's focus on BiOp mandates could shortchange other fish and wildlife mitigation in the Columbia Basin.
"BPA has not been able to participate up front and in many ways continues to surprise us," said Doug Marker, who heads the Northwest Power Planning Council's Fish and Wildlife Division.
Marker said BPA has the ultimate say in which projects get funded. But he said it was frustrating when the agency trimmed projects that had survived a long process of review by fish managers, scientists and the council staff.
BPA is collecting more than enough in rates to fund the fish and wildlife program, he said. In addition, the agency is spending less in capital areas and operations for fish than the rate case estimated, Marker said. "BPA doesn't know what it is spending" mainly because the agency poorly tracks funding efforts, Marker said. "There are millions and millions of dollars of uncertainties," he said. The agency's financial crisis makes tracking cash flow essential, he added.
As an example, Marker pointed to BPA's capital reimbursements--payments made mainly to the US Army Corps of Engineers for fish passage improvements at dams or to pay for new fish hatcheries like the Yakama Nation's facility in Cle Elum, WA. The rate case estimated that BPA would be paying $142 million for capital repayments this year, whereas BPA will actually spend only $77 million, said Marker.
The agency needs to change the way it accounts for spending, Marker said, a point made in a briefing to the NWPPC at its last meeting. Rather than add up spending by counting obligations, BPA should track its F&W spending by accruals, which records the payment for a contract. He said BPA's current financial crisis makes such tracking essential, to ensure that costs can be managed the same way they already are in other parts of the agency.
"It's essential for BPA to work closer with states and tribes to implement the program," Marker said. -B. R.
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