Condit Dam Removal Condit Dam Removal - Access Washington

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Condit Dam Hydroelectric Project Final Supplemental EIS The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia approved an NMFS consent degree on April 30, 2002 (USDC 2002), withdrawing the critical habitat designation and the final rule removing the critical habitat designation was published on September 29, 2003 (NMFS 2003). An assessment of critical habitat was prepared by the NOAA Fisheries critical habitat analytical review team (NOAA 2004) and on December 14, 2004 a new critical habitat designation was proposed designating Upper Columbia River steelhead critical habitat to include the Columbia River (including Bonneville Pool) (NMFS 2004b). Critical habitat was defined as including the stream channel within the proposed stream reach, including a lateral extent as defined by the ordinary high-water line. In areas where the ordinary high-water line has not been defined, the lateral extent is defined by the bankfull elevation. Bankfull elevation is the level at which water begins to leave the channel and move into the floodplain and is reached at a discharge which generally has a recurrence interval of 1 to 2 years on the annual flood series. Critical habitat in lake areas is defined by the perimeter of the water body as displayed on standard 1:24,000 scale topographic maps or the elevation of ordinary high water, whichever is greater. The Columbia River is defined as a freshwater migration corridor with the following primary constituent elements: free of obstruction and excessive predations, with water quantity and quality conditions and natural cover supporting juvenile and adult mobility and survival. Final critical habitat designations were published on September 2, 2005 (NMFS 2005c). No changes from the proposed critical habitat designations were made in the project area. Unpublished data from adult tracking studies conducted by Peery and Keefer at the University of Idaho suggests that significant numbers of “drop-in” steelhead hatchery-strays from other basins move into the Deschutes River temporarily, then return downstream to the Columbia and continue to other watersheds (Cramer et al. 2003). Steelhead collected at Bonneville Dam were outfitted with transmitters. These fish were later detected in the Deschutes River at RM 0.3 and RM 43 (Sherars Falls). Approximately 60-70% of the steelhead detected within the mouth of the Deschutes were later detected in other watersheds, and 30-40% of steelhead detected near Sherars Falls were later detected in other watersheds. Up to 25% of the radio-tagged steelhead known to have traveled as far upstream as Sherars Falls were later found in the Snake River. Although these “drop-in” steelhead are primarily hatchery steelhead from the Snake River basin, the lower portion of the Deschutes was famous in the 1950s for sports catches of large wild B- run steelhead trout of 20 pounds or more (Migdalski 1962) that were likely “drop-in” fish from the Snake River basin. Based on this information, it is likely that “drop-in” steelhead (and other andromous salmonids) from Columbia River and Snake River DPSs upstream of the White Salmon River will utilize pools for refuge from high summer water temperatures in the Bonneville Pool throughout the reaches of the White Salmon River that become accessible after the removal of Condit Dam. Although Upper Columbia River steelhead are not residents of the White Salmon River, adults are attracted to and stray into the cooler waters of the White Salmon River during the summer. The lower White Salmon River provides an excellent thermal refuge for summer steelhead migrating upstream in the Columbia River (Rawding 2000), and the Peery and Keefer research presented in Cramer et al. (2003) indicates that Upper Columbia River steelhead will likely utilize thermal refuge as far upstream as RM 16.2 after dam removal. C-21
Condit Dam Hydroelectric Project Final Supplemental EIS Middle Columbia River Steelhead Section 3.4.5 of the FSFEIS for the Condit Hydroelectric Project (FERC 2002), along with Section 4.3.1.2 and Appendix E of the FEIS for the Condit Hydroelectric Project (FERC 1996) give a detailed description of the origin, life history, and status of steelhead in the White Salmon River. On February 11, 2002 the ESA listing determination of threatened came under review (NMFS 2002). On December 14, 2004, it was proposed that the ESA listing of threatened be continued (NMFS 2004a) and the date for determination was extended six months on June 16, 2004 (NMFS 2005b). A final listing determination published on January 5, 2006 (NMFS 2006), continuing the ESA listing of threatened and replacing the ESU designation with a DPS designation. The DPS is now defined as containing all naturally spawned anadromous O. mykiss populations below natural and manmade impassable barriers but not including resident freshwater populations of rainbow trout (O. mykiss) that are sympatric (rearing in the same stream) with anadromous populations. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia approved an NMFS consent degree on April 30, 2002 (USDC 2002), withdrawing the critical habitat designation, and the final rule removing the critical habitat designation was published on September 29, 2003 (NMFS 2003). An assessment of critical habitat was prepared by the NOAA Fisheries critical habitat analytical review team (NOAA 2004) and on December 14, 2004 a new critical habitat designation was proposed designating Middle Columbia River steelhead critical habitat to include the White Salmon River from the base of Condit Dam to its mouth (NMFS 2004b). Critical habitat was defined as including the stream channel within the proposed stream reach, including a lateral extent as defined by the ordinary high-water line. In areas where the ordinary high-water line has not been defined, the lateral extent is defined by the bankfull elevation. Bankfull elevation is the level at which water begins to leave the channel and move into the floodplain and is reached at a discharge which generally has a recurrence interval of 1 to 2 years on the annual flood series. Critical habitat in lake areas is defined by the perimeter of the water body as displayed on standard 1:24,000 scale topographic maps or the elevation of ordinary high water, whichever is greater. The White Salmon River contains the following primary constituent elements: 1) freshwater spawning sites with water quantity and quality conditions and substrate supporting spawning, incubation and larval development; 2) freshwater rearing sites with floodplain connectivity, forage supporting juvenile development, and natural cover; and 3) a freshwater migration corridor with the following primary constituent elements: free of obstruction and excessive predations, with water quantity and quality conditions and natural cover supporting juvenile and adult mobility and survival. Final critical habitat designations were published on September 2, 2005 (NMFS 2005c). No changes from the proposed critical habitat designations were made in the project area. Bull Trout Section 3.4.5 of the FSFEIS for the Condit Hydroelectric Project (FERC 2002) gives a description of the origin, life history, critical habitat designation and ESA listing determination of the Columbia River bull trout DPS in the White Salmon River and Columbia River/Bonneville Pool as of June 2002. On November 29, 2002, designation of critical habitat for the Columbia River bull trout DPS was proposed and the availability of a draft recovery plan for the Columbia River bull trout DPS was announced (USFWS 2002a). Critical habitat for the Columbia River C-22
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Condit Dam Removal Final SEPA Suppl
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March 23, 2007 Dear interested part
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Condit Dam Hydroelectric Project Fi
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Page 177 and 178: Condit Dam Hydroelectric Project Fi
Page 201: Appendix A Memorandum of Agreement
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