Consequences of Court-Ordered Spill
Dear Members of United Electric Co-op,
Across the Columbia and Snake rivers, new operations were adopted this year as part of the Oregon U.S. District Court’s recent preliminary injunction order, which granted Oregon and Washington’s requests to implement untested levels of spill at the region’s federal hydro projects. This order focuses primarily on altering river operations to achieve the highest-ever levels of “spill” over the region’s dams, rather than through hydropower turbines. These new operations will cost Northwest ratepayers. The hopes of achieving benefits to salmon were speculative at best and are now producing unintended consequences.
This year’s spill season has been in effect for roughly 2 months. The court-ordered spill at John Day Dam is higher and more continuous than it has ever been. After about 2 months of continuous spill up to the prescribed 125% total dissolved gas levels under new standards, adult Chinook passage declined from an average of 2,222 to 483 daily counts from the first to second half of May and early June. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers then took emergency action, reducing spill to 40% of project outflow in response to dramatic salmon migration declines for 3 days starting June 3. In response to reduced spill, adult Chinook returns increased to 1,275 average daily counts over a 3-day period.
Public Power Council CEO Scott Simms says the dramatic swings in adult Chinook counts appear highly correlated to spill levels. The numbers support long-standing studies showing tailrace turbidity can confuse and challenge the upriver adult migration.
These new reported delays, combined with others flagged at Lower Monumental Dam, raise questions about unintended consequences of the spill regime being imposed across the Columbia River System—particularly the unprecedented spill levels at John Day Dam. Despite repeated warnings from federal agencies and regional stakeholders that the measures were largely untested at the scale now required, the court-ordered operations were implemented. Utility stakeholders have argued expanded spill mandates should be grounded in demonstrated biological benefits and rigorous scientific evaluation, not assumptions.
The current spill requirements were imposed as part of a federal court injunction affecting operations at 8 Columbia and Snake River dams. Through its trade allies, including the Public Power Council, United Electric Co-op joined federal defendants in seeking appellate review of the injunction.
Scott says the Northwest needs solutions that actually work for fish and cannot afford policies that increase costs, reduce system reliability and ultimately fail to deliver the biological outcomes they promise.
Along with utility trade organizations, Idaho is a defendant-intervenor in this case. United Electric expresses appreciation for our statewide elected officials and others who are advocating for sound science and economic solutions on these issues.
Sincerely,
General Manager Michael Darrington