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Tribal River Plan: More Water for Fish
The
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
(CRITFC
) recently released its 2002 River Operations Plan for the Columbia Basin
calling on federal agencies to dedicate more water for fish. CRITFC represents the Warm Springs
, the Umatilla
and Nez Perce
tribes and the Yakama Nation
.
The plan’s key recommendations include increased spill for out-migrating juvenile fish, reduced flood control and increased flow augmentation, revamped guidelines for emergency declarations, renewed commitments to conservation and a reformed decision-making process.
”2001 was nothing short of a salmon slaughter,” said Donald Sampson
, CRITFC executive director, “Our recommendations can get decision making out in front of a below-average water year.“
But Scott Bettin
, with the Bonneville Power Administration Fish and Wildlife Program
, said the numbers in CRITFC’s plan raise questions of system reliability. “They are betting on the rain . . . (and) counting on not having two drought water years,” Bettin said.
CRITFC’s plan calls for curtailing flood control this year and reserving water to improve downstream fish passage and to keep summer water temperatures cool. CRITFC’s Bob Heinith
estimates the Army Corps of Engineers
has already flushed about 8 million acre feet of water down the river. Heinith explained that the water already released by the Corps should have been held back in order to provide increased flows for migrating salmon this spring.
According to Bettin, no changes to flood control will come without a $30 million study now awaiting appropriation from Congress.
But Heinith argued that the Corps has the discretion to hold back water.
To improve river management, the plan recommends utilizing the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority
(CBFWA
) process as a forum for stakeholder discussions, instead of the Technical Management Team
(TMT
). Bettin said no federal operators sit on the CBFWA and decision authority now rests with the TMT. Those federal operators, said CRITFC’s Bob Heinith, largely disregard technical recommendations offered by tribal representatives at the TMT.
—
Corinne Hollister