Yakima Dams Fish Passage Study
Phase 1 Assessment
The Phase 1 assessment process determined that there are a range of options and opportunities for providing fish passage and potentially reestablishing populations of anadromous salmonids in some tributaries of the five Yakima Project storage reservoirs. Some combinations of passage options and associated biological benefits are more feasible than others. All five reservoirs have some tributary habitat that would be available if passage were provided at the dams. However, the amount and quality of the habitat varies considerably from reservoir to reservoir. The effective passage window also varies considerably from one option to another and would significantly affect the feasibility of a given proposal.
From this initial assessment, it appears that some form of upstream and downstream passage for anadromous salmonids and bull trout connectivity is technically possible at all of the storage projects. Passage at some would be much more expensive in relation to available habitat than at other locations.
Optimizing fish passage at one storage project might require changing operations at another in order to ensure continuity of water delivery obligations and other Yakima Project purposes. For purposes of the Phase I Assessment, each project was considered separately, based on existing operational considerations and constraints.
| Phase 1 Assessment Report | |
| 04/2005 | Phase I Assessment Report Storage Dam Fish Passage Study PDF 11.78 mb |
Contact
Richard Visser
(509) 573-8052
rvisser@usbr.gov
Bureau of Reclamation
Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region
Columbia-Cascades Area Office
1917 Marsh Road
Yakima, WA 98901-2058
