Columbia River and Salmon Passage

Richard M. Robinson ()
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Richard M. Robinson: State University of New York

Chapter Chapter 6 in Restoring America's Rivers, 2025, pp 167-197 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract During the nineteenth century, fifteen million salmon and steelhead migrated up the Columbia River and its tributaries each year. Since then, tall hydropower dams (more than 100 dams) were constructed in the Columbia River Watershed. These dams also serve agricultural irrigation and flood control interests. In 1980, the Northwest Power Act was enacted. It created the Northwest Power Conservation Council. The goal was “to treat fish and wildlife as co-equal partners with other uses in the management and operation of the hydro projects of this region.” This became an issue of environmental justice for Northwest Indigenous Tribes, and court cases favored the Tribes interests. As part of the attempts to save the salmon runs, improvements in breeding and hatching through fish boxes occurred. But the warming of the Northwest’s waters due to global climate change, plus the buildup of sediment behind the dams, adversely affected the cold-water fish (salmon and trout). The EPA responded with the “Columbia River Cold Water Refuges Plan,” which provided greater water release for the migrating fish.

Keywords: Columbia River; Northwest Power Act; Snake River; Lower Snake River Dams; Grand Coulee; Grand Coulee Dam; Chief Joseph Dam; Bonneville Dam; Bonneville Power Administration; John Day Dan; McNary Dam; The Dalles; Columbia River Gorge; Columbia River Cold Water Refuges Plan (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-81758-8_6

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