Columbia River Basin Dams

• FCRPS--29 federal dams (USACE and BOR)•Hydropower (50-65% of the region’s needs) •Flood control•Irrigation•Recreation•Navigation

•Non federal•Mid Columbia PUD (Chelan, Grant, Douglas) •Hells Canyon Complex (Idaho Power)

•Other•Hundreds of push-up irrigation and recreational dams

Columbia River at The Dalles (1970-1999)

Virgin flow: observed flow corrected for reservoir manipulation and irrigation depletion and return Adjusted flow: river flow adjusted for irrigation water withdrawal and return Observed flow: Empirically measured flow at a gauge

0100200300400500600

Flow

(kcf

s)

Virgin flows

Observed flows

Adjusted flows

Bon

nevi

lle

The

Dal

les

John

Day

Hells Canyon

Oxbow

Brownlee

Priest Rapids

Wanapum

Rock Island

Rocky Reach

Wells

Chief Joseph

Grand Coulee

McN

ary

Ice

Har

bor

Lit

tle

Goo

se

Low

er G

rani

te

Low

er M

onum

enta

l

Estuaryrecoveries

40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 2000.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

r2=48.3%

Flow Exposure Index

Est

imate

d s

urvi

val p

robabili

ty(r

ele

ase

to

LG

R)

Smolt Survival Studies 1995-1997Fall chinook salmon: flow vs. survival

125° W 124° W 123° W

June 16-24, 1999 1m Salinity

45° N

46° N

47° N

48° N

LaPush

Astoria

Tillam ook

Newport

2 0

2 1

2 2

2 3

2 4

2 5

2 6

2 7

2 8

2 9

3 0

3 1

3 2

W ashington

Oregon

125° W 124° W 123° W

June 24 - July 1, 2001 1m Salinity

45° N

46° N

47° N

48° N

LaPush

Astoria

Tillam ook

Newport

29.5

30

30.5

31

31.5

32

32.5

33

W ashington

Oregon

Columbia River Plume: June 1999 vs. June 2001

Ocean Transition and Riverine Plume Dynamics

• Physical dynamics- temporal and spatial distribution of fronts and eddies; mixing and convergent zones

• Trophic dynamics- primary and secondary production- predator-prey interactions

• Distribution, growth, and survival of salmon

A critical habitat transition

Conclusions

1. Water is more than the medium in which salmon live…it is a dynamic force in shaping habitats and influencing survival throughout the complex life cycle

2. The flow-travel time-survival relationship for selected species of migrating juvenile salmon is an example of such an ecological service.

3. Significant progress is being made in understanding such ecological services in spawning and rearing and in estuarine and nearshore ocean habitats.