14 CapitalPress.com
April 14, 2017
‘We are already stretched to our absolute limit’
FISH from Page 1
The association represents
nearly all of the water users in
the state.
Attorney Al Barker, who
represents Boise Valley and
Owyhee Reservoir water us-
ers, objects that Oregon’s
draft certifi cation would allow
that state to unilaterally make
decisions on introducing en-
dangered fi sh into tributaries
of a shared waterway.
Even if Oregon were to
limit fi sh reintroduction to
Pine Creek, Barker said ir-
rigators could face new re-
quirements to improve water
quality and augment fl ows
for the benefi t of salmon and
steelhead in the Hells Canyon
Reservoir.
“There are consequences
that need to be addressed and
thought through that Oregon
is not taking into account,”
Barker said.
Caught in the middle of the
dispute is Idaho Power, which
has been working nearly 15
years to relicense the three
dams that produce nearly one-
third of its power portfolio
and could be forced to com-
ply with confl icting Idaho and
Oregon Clean Water Act cer-
tifi cations.
State vs. state
Idaho offi cials saw the po-
tential for a battle over fi sh
reintroduction as far back
as 2003, when Idaho Power
fi rst applied for a new feder-
al license to operate the Hells
Canyon dams. The Idaho
Legislature passed laws re-
quiring its blessing — and the
governor’s — before fi sh and
wildlife could be introduced
within Idaho’s borders. But
legislators envisioned they’d
be grappling with the federal
government, not a neighbor-
ing state.
“This is pretty unprec-
edented,” said Sam Eaton,
legal counsel and deputy
administrator of the Idaho
Governor’s Offi ce of Species
Conservation. “Does one state
veto the other state? As far as
my understanding, from dis-
cussions and research, there’s
really nothing like this.”
In response to Oregon’s
plan, the Idaho Legislature re-
cently updated its laws, clar-
ifying that Idaho’s primacy
over introduction of wildlife
within its borders applies to
other states in addition to the
federal government.
In a more symbolic ges-
ture, the Legislature also
Endangered
Snake River
salmon
Steelhead
Binomial name:
Oncorhynchus mykiss
Other names: Steelhead trout,
sea-run rainbow trout
Avg. size: 8-11 lbs., up to 40 lbs.
Spring spawner: Summer and
winter runs. Most summer runs
are east of the Cascades. Winter
runs are closer to the ocean.
Chinook
Courtesy of Idaho Power
Fish are raised at an Idaho Power hatchery to mitigate the impacts of its dams. Idaho Power is in the
process of relicensing its Hells Canyon dams.
passed a joint
memorial ex-
pressing
its
opposition to
fi sh
reintro-
duction
due
to
the
“drastic
Norm
impacts on ir-
Semanko
rigated agricul-
ture, industry,
water supply and electric gen-
eration.”
Eaton said he is encour-
aged that Idaho Gov. Butch
Otter and Oregon Gov. Kate
Brown have begun negotiat-
ing to resolve their states’ dif-
ferences. But they’ll have to
work quickly. The deadline to
complete the Clean Water Act
certifi cations is July 29.
They must be issued by
each state’s department of
environmental quality. The
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission — an indepen-
dent agency that regulates
the interstate transmission
of electricity — won’t be al-
lowed to make any changes to
the certifi cations, and Idaho
Power will be obliged to fol-
low them both.
“We’ve fi nally got every-
body at the table who needs
to be at the table,” Eaton said.
“It’s not that Oregon is back-
ing off of (reintroduction) or
anything like that, but I think
they might be reassessing pri-
orities about where they want
to focus their efforts.”
Brian Hockaday, a spokes-
man for Brown, said the gov-
ernor is committed to collab-
orating with Idaho to resolve
the issue, and conversations
are ongoing.
“We’re considering all
viable options and taking a
look at new approaches,” said
Hockaday, who declined to
offer details of possible com-
promises.
The cost
Several years ago, Se-
manko’s association commis-
sioned an economic impact
study of a federal proposal to
reintroduce another endan-
gered species, bull trout, into
southwest Idaho tributaries
of the Snake River. The study
estimated the reintroduction
would cost irrigators upward
of $1 billion to make im-
provements such as retrofi t-
ting infrastructure with fi sh
screens to keep the protected
fi sh out of diversions.
Semanko considers the
estimate to be conservative if
applied to Oregon’s planned
salmon and steelhead reintro-
duction, which could impact
an even wider geographical
area.
“The cost is just astronom-
ical,” Semanko said. “I think
it’s interesting that we haven’t
heard a single retort or rebut-
tal to the notion that if these
fi sh are reintroduced above
Hells Canyon, there would
be major Endangered Species
Act and Clean Water Act re-
quirements placed upon the
residents, farmers, businesses
and industries in Southern and
Eastern Idaho.”
Idaho’s Committee of
Nine, which represents wa-
termasters of the major fed-
eral irrigation projects on the
Upper Snake River, and the
Idaho Irrigation Pumpers As-
sociation have also come out
against reintroduction.
Lynn Tominaga, executive
director of the groundwater
users’ organization, worries
about power rate increases
for irrigators, based on Idaho
Power’s estimate that it would
cost more than $100 million
for a system to capture the
salmon and transport them for
release below Hells Canyon
Dam.
Irrigators say they are al-
ready boosting the river’s
fl ow to help salmon below
the dams. Jerry Rigby, an
attorney for the Committee
of Nine, emphasized Upper
Snake irrigators reached an
agreement with the Nez Perce
Tribe in 2004 requiring them
to release water, according to
a formula based on the supply
outlook, to help salmon below
the Hells Canyon dams.
“We are already stretched
to our absolute limit to do
fl ow augmentation with the
fl ushing fl ows,” Rigby said.
Kevin Lewis, executive di-
rector of Idaho Rivers United,
a nonprofi t organization dedi-
cated to preserving Idaho wa-
terways, contends reintroduc-
tion into Pine Creek would
have little impact on Idaho,
given that the fi sh would be
confi ned by dams to Hells
Canyon Reservoir. He also
believes poor water quality
incapable of supporting salm-
on and steelhead upstream of
the Hells Canyon dams rele-
gates expansion of reintroduc-
tion into other tributaries to a
longterm possibility, at best.
“Oregon realizes they have
a tributary that’s healthy, and
they’re entitled as part of their
Binomial name:
Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
Other names: King, tyee,
blackmouth
Avg. size: 10-15 lbs., up to 135 lbs.
Fall spawner: Fall, spring and
summer runs. The largest of the
Pacific salmon, most chinook
spawn in large rivers such as the
Columbia and Snake or in
tributaries with sufficient current.
Source: U.S. Forest Service
Capital Press graphic
water-quality certifi cation to
take that step,” Lewis said.
Mitigation
On Nov. 23, 2016, Idaho
Power fi led a petition asking
FERC to intervene and re-
solve the dispute.
Idaho Power argued that
the so-called Supremacy
Clause of the U.S. Constitu-
tion pre-empts Oregon from
imposing the fi sh passage re-
quirements on Idaho Power.
FERC dismissed the petition
on Jan. 19, deciding the re-
quest was premature.
Idaho Power spokes-
man Brad Bowlin said the
company has since filed a
motion asking FERC to re-
consider its stance, but the
issue remains on hold, as
FERC has only two active
commissioners and lacks a
quorum. But Bowlin said
the company remains hope-
ful negotiations between the
Oregon and Idaho gover-
nors will bear fruit.
“That would be best for ev-
erybody concerned if we can
fi nd some middle ground,”
Bowlin said.
FERC has also concluded
that the current water quality
in the Snake upstream of the
dams is too poor for salm-
on and steelhead survival.
Bowlin said Idaho Power has
invested millions annually
to mitigate for the impacts
of its dams and has already
launched water-quality im-
provement initiatives with re-
licensing in mind.
Ralph Myers, Idaho Pow-
er’s water quality program
manager, said the compa-
ny’s proposed Snake River
Stewardship Program would
seek to improve water quali-
ty along a 30-mile stretch of
river from Swan Falls Dam to
Homedale, west of Nampa in
southwestern Idaho. The plan
would be carried out over
roughly 25 years. The project
would deepen and narrow the
river to increase fl ow veloc-
ities and decrease tempera-
tures. Silt would be applied to
shallow areas of the river by
the banks — where the water
fl ow slows and warms — cre-
ating seasonal fl oodplains.
Idaho Power tested the
feasibility of the approach last
fall, dredging a small portion
of the river and applying silt
to expand Bayha Island, locat-
ed 5 miles downstream from
Swan Falls Dam. Myers said
Idaho Power also hopes to
work with private landowners
to plant trees and vegetation
to shade about 150 miles of
tributaries in the region.
He said the company is
also working to convert land-
owners in the Grand View
area south of Boise from fl ood
irrigation to sprinkler systems
to keep sediment out of the
river. They’ll also be bring-
ing in fresh gravel — which
is critical for the life cycle of
fi sh and supporting aquatic
insects — in reaches where
gravel has been bound by silt.
Idaho Power has also
partnered with the Riverside
Irrigation District to switch
irrigators to high-phosphorus
water from some tributaries
to reduce nutrient infl ows into
the Snake.
Jim Chandler, Idaho Pow-
er fi sheries program super-
visor, said the company also
invests $5 million annually
in its hatchery program. The
company stocks 1.8 million
steelhead, 3 million spring
chinook salmon, 1 million
summer chinook salmon and
1 million fall chinook salmon
per year.
But Lewis, with Idaho Riv-
ers United, considers hatchery
fi sh to be a poor substitute for
their wild counterparts.
Oregon State Police continue to investigate two wolf killings
WOLF from Page 1
“This raises troubling
questions about ODFW’s con-
tinuing drive to pursue hunting
and trapping,” Pedery said. Or-
egon Wild and other activists
believe the state may ultimate-
ly allow hunting of wolves, as
it does cougars and bears.
The ODFW report lists
several reasons why the wolf
count is low, including disease.
Blood samples taken from
wolves commonly show high
rates of exposure to parvovi-
rus; the same is true of do-
mestic dogs, said Morgan, the
ODFW wolf program man-
ager. But in 2016, 68 percent
of samples taken were posi-
tive for a specifi c marker that
shows active or recent infec-
tions. Parvovirus can increase
pup mortality rates, which
would affect short-term popu-
lation growth rates. However,
the report indicates the fi nding
is not expected to impact the
wolf population long-term.
Another possibility is what
the report calls known or un-
known “human-caused” mor-
tality. Seven wolves are known
to have been killed during the
year, including four by ODFW
itself. The department shot
members of the Imnaha Pack,
including longtime alpha wolf
OR-4, in March 2016. The
Courtesy ODFW
Snake River pack captured by a remote trail camera Feb. 1 in Hells
Canyon National Recreation Area.
wolves had attacked and eaten
or injured calves and sheep in
private pastures fi ve times that
spring.
Meanwhile, Oregon State
Police continue to investigate
two other wolf killings, and
one wolf was legally shot by
a herder when it was caught in
the act attacking livestock.
Other reasons for the small
population gain may include
“decreased breeder success,
diseases affecting pup surviv-
al, and dispersal out-of-state,”
according to the report.
Dennehy, the ODFW
spokeswoman, said the 2016
count was hindered by severe
winter weather that grounded
observation fl ights at times.
Wolves may have been present
but not counted, the ODFW
report says.
Also in the report:
• Depredation investiga-
tions confi rmed wolves killed
11 calves, seven sheep, one
goat and a llama in 2016, com-
pared to three calves, 10 sheep
and a herding or guard dog in
2015.
• The state distributed
$129,664 to 13 counties to
compensate producers for
dead, injured or missing live-
stock and to pay for preven-
tion and deterrence programs.
About $5,000 of the amount
was for grant administration.
The population numbers
are part of a draft wolf man-
agement plan that will be
considered by the ODFW
Commission at two public
hearings this spring: April 21
in Klamath Falls and May 19
in Portland.
Groundwater recharge by individual growers can be diffi cult on the Westside
WATER from Page 1
“What they’re not able to do as a
district is say, ‘Absolutely under no
circumstances would we take that
water back,’” he said. “It’s kind of
an interesting problem to have if we
had two years in a row of above-av-
erage snowpack and rain.”
Another option for farms is to
divert water for aquifer recharge,
which would help reduce salinity
problems for growers with citrus or
almond trees, Hutmacher said. But
water is expensive even this year,
and some water uses “probably have
to help pay the bills,” he said.
Further, groundwater recharge by
individual growers can be diffi cult
on the Westside, where soils in many
areas are hard and not very porous.
UC researchers are working with
growers throughout the valley to fi nd
fi elds that are conducive to ground-
water recharge and do pilot projects.
Growers or districts with hard clay
soils could do water transfers to ar-
eas where the projects are ongoing,
Tim Hearden/Capital Press
A pump takes water from a main canal south of Mendota, Calif., and sends it
to a farm in this fi le photo. Growers on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley
had their Central Valley Project allocation increased to 100 percent of requested
supplies on April 11.
Hutmacher said.
Federal offi cials announced the
100 percent allocation for areas
south of the Sacramento-San Joa-
quin River Delta on April 11, raising
it from the 65 percent that was prom-
ised in late March.
The bureau cited the state De-
partment of Water Resources’ lat-
est manual snow survey on March
30 which found 183 percent of the
late March and early April average
for the survey site near Lake Tahoe.
Electronic readings in the central
Sierra Nevada showed a snowpack
water content that was 175 percent
of normal.
The announcement follows the bu-
reau’s decision in February to give full
allocations for many growers served
by the CVP, including the settlement
and exchange contractors on the Sac-
ramento and San Joaquin rivers, re-
spectively, and the Friant division in
the eastern San Joaquin Valley.
The federal allocations come as
the State Water Project so far has
promised 60 percent of requested
deliveries to its 29 contracting agen-
cies. An increase to that allocation
is still “very likely,” DWR spokes-
man Ted Thomas said. He added he
didn’t know when or by how much.
“I think it’s fair to say that Oro-
ville has dominated our attention re-
cently,” he said, referring to efforts
to shore up a deteriorated spillway at
the Oroville Dam.
Hundreds of thousands of acres
on the Westside have been fallowed
in recent years as surface water sup-
plies have steadily decreased be-
cause of protections for imperiled
fi sh, growers’ advocates say. The
Westside only received 5 percent last
summer despite late-season storms
that provided more water elsewhere.
San Joaquin Valley growers com-
plained they had to put off planting
decisions or rely on guesswork as
state and federal agencies took their
time in determining their water al-
locations. However, some crops re-
quire advance contracts, meaning
decisions had to be made.
Bureau offi cials have said they
will make a greater attempt in future
years to announce all of their initial
allocations in February.
“Any surface supplies are wel-
come in the San Joaquin Valley,”
the Fresno Farm Bureau’s Jacobsen
said. “It hopefully provides growers
a little more certainty for next year’s
allocation. But the only certainty
with the Bureau of Reclamation is
uncertainty of what the water alloca-
tion will be.”