A report by independent scientists says there are no easy solutions to dealing with the multitude of birds, marine mammals and other fish that prey on salmon and steelhead in the Columbia Basin. The analysis, requested by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, found that current manag… Read more

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released an update May 17 which provides many new details about the five alternatives in the upcoming draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for operating 14 dams on the Snake and Columbia rivers. Read more

When switching to five, and then six consecutive hours of reduced spill each morning didn't work, fish managers agreed to try reducing spill at Little Goose Dam for eight hours in a row, hoping that will be enough time to convince adult Chinook to keep moving upstream. Read more

Put 20 panelists with vastly different interests in a room with 400 conference-goers, ask them to talk about a controversial issue like Snake River dams and salmon recovery, and what do you get? Read more

The Washington Department of Ecology has begun the process for changing some provisions in its water quality rules, including increasing total dissolved gas (TDG) limits at eight Snake and Columbia river dams to 125 percent. Read more

A conservation group that has been using the Clean Water Act and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPEDS) to fight for cleaner and cooler water in the Columbia River has filed two new lawsuits--one against Grant County PUD in March and another against the U.S. Army Corps of En… Read more

Idaho Power received water quality certifications from the states of Idaho and Oregon in its quest to relicense the Hells Canyon Complex, a step that the company is calling "a huge milestone" toward earning a new license to operate the three hydroelectric projects on the Snake River. Read more

A quickly diminishing snowpack combined with a forecast for warmer- and drier-than-average conditions in parts of Washington this summer prompted Gov. Jay Inslee to add 24 watersheds to the three basins already under an emergency drought declaration since April 4. Read more

Ed Schriever, director of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, told the Northwest Power and Conservation Council on May 7 that his agency depends on Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) funds for many of its important programs, ranging from fish screens and hatcheries to monitoring and re… Read more

The costs of this spring's flexible spill regime will not be passed onto Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) customers, according to a spill surcharge plan Bonneville approve on May 16. Read more

Projections for low returns of Chinook, sockeye and steelhead will mean reduced fishing seasons, bag limits and some closures on the Columbia River this summer and fall. Read more

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host several meetings to offer an overview of its National Environmental Policy Act review of the 13 dams and reservoirs in the Willamette Valley Project. The meetings will be from June 4 through June 13 in Eugene, Salem, Portland, Corvallis and Springfi… Read more