DOE/EIS-0332; McNary-John Day Transmission Line Project Draft ...

Essential Fish Habitat
BPA McNary-John Day Transmission Project
Draft EIS
February 2002
Streams, Rivers, and Fish
The proposed action could affect two fisheries protected by the Essential Fish Habitat
(EFH) provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (16 U.S.C. 1855(b)): which includes the
chinook and coho salmon fisheries. All streams identified as either fish bearing or
potentially fish bearing in the project area are included in designated EFH for these two
fisheries. Chinook salmon that utilize the streams intersected by the project corridor are
not currently federally listed, while coho salmon are a candidate for federal protection.
However, steelhead trout are federally listed as a threatened species, and occur, or are
likely to occur in the same streams along the project corridor as chinook or coho salmon.
Since steelhead trout are a federally listed species and their distribution overlaps with
both chinook and coho, the analyses of current conditions and potential impacts to this
species also serve to describe all potential impacts to EFH.
Listed Species
Based on information provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS 2001), the
following species which are listed under the Endangered Species Act are known to occur
in the Columbia River, as they migrate upstream through the project area (NMFS 2001):
� Snake River spring/summer and fall chinook salmon (threatened),
� Upper Columbia River spring chinook salmon (endangered),
� Lower Columbia River coho salmon (candidate),
� Snake River sockeye salmon (endangered),
� Middle Columbia River steelhead trout (threatened),
� Snake River basin steelhead trout (threatened), and
� Upper Columbia River steelhead trout (endangered).
Three species of anadromous salmonids are known to occur in the fish-bearing streams
crossed by the project corridor: chinook salmon, coho salmon, and steelhead trout.
Fall chinook salmon use the lower reaches of Rock Creek and Chapman Creek. Juvenile
coho salmon have also been documented in the lower reaches of Chapman Creek.
Potential coho salmon habitat has been identified in the lower portion of Glade Creek.
Coho in this area are believed to be hatchery strays, but some minor wild breeding may
also exist.
Rock Creek summer steelhead trout are the only anadromous salmonids indigenous to
streams along the project corridor. Streams in the project area used by steelhead for
spawning and rearing include the lower and middle reaches of Rock Creek, lower
Chapman Creek, and lower Wood Gulch. There is potential spawning and rearing habitat
present in Pine Creek and Alder Creek (Lautz 2000).
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