News Releases

8 Apr 2026

Spring fish operations begin on Snake, Columbia rivers

Spring fish passage operations began April 3 at federal dams on the lower Snake River and will begin April 10 on the lower Columbia River.

15 Mar 2023

Frigid temps increase power demand while Army dams balance needs

With frigid temperatures and near record-setting snow accumulation in some areas of the Pacific Northwest, Army dams responded by producing power to keep the lights and heat on. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has 21 dams in the Columbia and Willamette river basins that ramp up power production to keep the grid stable during high demands.

25 Jan 2021

USACE Publishes Policy Update for Inundation Maps and the National Inventory of Dams

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published Engineer Circular 1110-2-6075, “Inundation Maps and Emergency Action Plans and Incident Management for Dams and Levee Systems,” in October. This update allows for the use and public dissemination of inundation maps in emergency action plans (EAP) and the National Inventory of Dams (NID), It also provides the dam safety community access to critical information about residual flood risks from USACE dams and levees.

7 May 2020

Missouri River basin’s below-normal precipitation leads to lower runoff forecast; reduced Gavins Point releases

Gavins Point releases will be reduced to 33,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) on Friday, May 8 following a reduction in forecast 2020 upper basin runoff. Since January, precipitation in the upper basin has been well below normal, which has led to a reduction in the runoff forecast. Some areas of the Dakotas received less than half of their normal precipitation during the first four months of 2020.

13 Mar 2020

All CRSO EIS meetings switched to virtual

Evolving health and safety policies from our regional partners designed to hinder the spread of COVID-19 in Washington and Oregon have prompted federal officials to replace all scheduled in-person public comment meetings with phone-in meetings for the recently released Columbia River System Operation draft Environmental Impact Statement.

12 Mar 2020

Feds shift Seattle, Portland CRSO EIS meetings to 'phone only'

Officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation and the Bonneville Power Administration decided that the in-person public comment meetings planned for Seattle and Portland will not be held due to the high number of COVID-19 cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in those geographical areas and calls from local officials to limit public exposure. Phone-in options have been added to the formal comment choices for those avoiding crowded venues.