Portland, Ore. — On April 3, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) began implementing its 2016 Fish Operations Plan (FOP) at the four lower Snake River dams. The annual plan, prepared by the Corps, is coordinated with states, Tribes, and other federal agencies in the region. The 2016 plan includes operations for spring and summer fish passage seasons, utilizing tools such as spill, river flow and water level adjustments, and operations for the transportation of juvenile fish from Lower Granite, Little Goose, and Lower Monumental dams.

As specified in NOAA Fisheries’ 2014 Supplemental Biological Opinion (BiOp), the 2016 FOP calls for spill to begin at the lower Snake River dams April 3 and at the lower Columbia River dams on April 10.

"Spill in combination with fish passage improvements made at the dams have been effective tools for providing safe juvenile fish passage at the mainstem hydroelectric projects," said Rock Peters, senior program manager for the Corps’ Northwestern Division. He added, “The Corps of Engineers remains committed to operating the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) dams and reservoirs to meet their authorized project purposes and meet responsibilities under the ESA and BiOp for adult and juvenile fish passage.”

The most recent water supply forecast issued by the Northwest River Forecast Center for the Columbia River Basin (Apr–Aug) is 102 percent of normal as measured at The Dalles Dam and 100 percent of normal for the Snake River Basin, (Apr–Jul), as measured at Lower Granite Dam.

For more information on federal salmon and steelhead recovery efforts in the region, visit www.salmonrecovery.gov