The signing of a joint record of decision for the Columbia River System Operations EIS on Sept. 28 concluded the four-year process to analyze removing the four lower Snake River dams and decide how best to operate 14 hydroelectric projects in the Columbia River system. Read More
The Spokane Tribe of Indians filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue BPA over alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act, challenging BPA's record of decision to implement the Preferred Alternative in the Columbia River System Operations EIS. Read More
A new analysis of PIT-tag data from upper Columbia spring Chinook found the adults experienced lower survival rates from Bonneville Dam to their tributaries than scientists expected. Read More
Hydroelectric generation in the U.S. is projected to grow 4 percent this year over 2019 levels despite drought and wildfires in the West, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported Sept. 11. Read More
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission on Oct. 9 denied a request by the Ochoco Irrigation District for a fish passage waiver at Bowman Dam near Prineville. Read More
A Nov. 6 filing by an environmental group reiterated reasons the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals should overturn a lower court ruling that found no water quality certification violations by the operators of a water withdrawal tower below the Pelton Round Butte hydroelectric project. This r… Read More
FERC has approved a Grant County PUD proposal to bolster the right embankment downstream of the Priest Rapids Dam in order to improve its seismic stability. Read More
President Donald Trump on Nov. 5 named James Danly as FERC chairman, taking the gavel away from Neil Chatterjee. Media reports suggested Chatterjee's recent moves played a role in Trump's action. These include FERC's rule, finalized Sept. 17, that opened organized wholesale markets to distri… Read More
An international infrastructure investment firm has acquired development rights to the 400 MW Swan Lake and 1,200 MW Goldendale projects, likely giving those proposed Northwest closed-loop hydro pumped storage projects the financing needed to see them through completion. Read More
Environmentalists and the hydropower industry will work together to address the impacts of climate change by promoting the renewable energy and storage benefits of hydropower and the environmental and economic benefits of healthy rivers, according to a deal brokered by Stanford University. Read More
In the Western U.S., snowpack is an important tool for predicting annual streamflow from April through July. But Ben Livneh, a physical hydrologist and professor at the University of Colorado, says it's time to look for new ways to predict streamflow. Read More
Dry conditions during the state's 2020 water year translated into a dramatic cut in hydroelectric generation sent to the California ISO grid, according to recent reports. Read More
Already in trouble, endangered Snake River sockeye will face serious migration challenges from climate change, according to a new study by NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center. Read More
Partnering with local Native American tribes and federal agencies, the State of Montana inspected almost 138,000 watercraft in 2020, up from just over 113,000 in 2019, and more than three times as many compared to its 2016 inspections. Read More
A small-scale pilot project to prove out the concept of "conservation transfer" from the Pacific Northwest to California was rejected by the California PUC on Sept. 24, although one commissioner said the parties should try again. Read More
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in an effort to improve juvenile salmon survival, announced it will not operate turbines at Detroit Dam between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. from Nov. 1, 2020, through Feb. 1, 2021, except in emergencies. Read More
In a future vision of the Columbia River, 8 million adult salmon and steelhead will be produced, 2.85 million of them will return to spawn, and three-quarters of those will head to natural spawning grounds in rivers and streams while the rest go to hatcheries across the vast basin. Read More
The Bureau of Reclamation has issued a request for proposals to develop pumped storage hydroelectric power using Banks Lake and Lake Roosevelt, located in Grand Coulee, Wash. Read More
