Story by Meira Gebel Axios
The fate of threatened native fish in Oregon’s Upper Willamette River Basin stays in limbo after a federal company missed out on an essential due date to submit a report to Congress on whether 8 hydroelectric dams are still required.
Why it matters: Modified river circulations and obstructed generating paths triggered by the dams have actually put Chinook salmon and steelhead trout at increased threat for termination by 2040, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report
- Supporters state drawing down water levels will permit much safer passage for fish and assistance restore diminishing populations.
The huge image: In 2022, Congress directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study the effect 8 dams in the Willamette River Basin have actually on threatened native fish and whether ending hydropower generation would be required or financially helpful. The report was due at the end of June.
- Though the Corps missed out on the initial due date, a representative informed Axios that the report is under administrative evaluation with the assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Functions.
Context: Thirteen dams were developed along the Willamette River between 1942 and 1969 — extending from rural Oakridge near Eugene as much as Salem– mostly for flood control.
What they’re stating: Kathleen George, a member of the Grand Ronde Tribal Council, informed Axios that less than 3,200 late-run winter season steelhead belonging to Willamette Falls returned typically from 2008 to 2020– a 70% drop from 1970, when information was very first readily available.
- Bob Sallinger, the executive director of Willamette Riverkeeper, supports drawing down water levels so fish can reach evictions and continue downstream to generate. He informed Axios in an e-mail declaration it would be a “win-win” for the Corps and conserve the company “almost a billion dollars.
