The North Coast times-eagle., March 19, 1982, Page 3, Image 3

T H E N O R T H C O A S T T IM E S E A G L E , F R ID A Y , 19 M A R C H 1982
Page 3
I d o n o t k n o w m u c h a b o u t g o d s ; b u t I th in k t h a t th e r i v e r
Is a s t r o n g b r o w n g o d — s u l l e n , u n t a m e d a n d i n t r a c t a b l e ,
P a t i e n t to s o m e d e g r e e , a t f i r s t r e c o g n i z e d a s a f r o n t i e r ;
U s e f u l, u n t r u s t w o r t h y , a s a c o n v e y o r o f c o m m e r c e ;
T h e n o n ly a p r o b l e m c o n f r o n t i n g th e b u i l d e r o f b r i d g e s .
T h e p r o b le m o n c e s o lv e d , th e b ro w n g o d is a lm o s t f o r g o tte n
B y t h e d w e l l e r s in c i t i e s — e v e r , h o w e v e r , i m p l a c a b l e ,
K e e p in g h i s s e a s o n s a n d r a g e s , d e s t r o y e r , r e m i n d e r
•Of w h a t m e n c h o o s e to f o r g e t .
— T . S. E l i o t , " T h e D r y S a v a g e s "
f i v e d e g r e e s ; r e a r i n g a r e a s , f if ty t o s i x t y
d e g re e s . L a b o ra to ry e x p e rim e n ts have
d e m o n s tra te d th a t w a te r te m p e r a tu r e s a t
s e v e n ty d e g re e s F a r e n h e it an d ab o v e a r e
d i r e c t l y l e t h a l to m o r e t h a n o n e - h a l f th e
a d u lt s a lm o n p o p u la tio n s .
T e m p e r a tu r e s tu d ie s by fis h an d g am e
b i o l o g i s t s h a v e i n d i c a t e d th e r e a c h i n g of
u p p e r l i m i t l e t h a l t e m p e r a t u r e s in th e
C o l u m b i a R i v e r b a s i n d u r i n g th e p e a k s u m ­
m e r i r r i g a t i o n m o n t h s o f th e l a t e 197 0 s .
D u r i n g a n e x t r e m e d r o u g h t y e a r , 1 9 7 7 , th e
i n d i v i d u a l b a s i n s b e h in d t h e d a m s w e r e
h e l d to n e a r " d e s i r e a b l e " l e v e l s . H o w e v e r ,
th e d o w n s tre a m s ig n if ic a n c e of a re d u c e d
w a te r d is c h a r g e w a s g r e a t . B io lo g is ts r e ­
c o rd e d w a te r te m p e r a tu r e s a t P illa r R ock
( a p p r o x i m a t e l y t w e n t y m i l e s f r o m th e m o u th
o f th e C o l u m b i a ) in e x c e s s o f s e v e n t y - s i x
d e g r e e s a t d e p th s g r e a t e r th a n t e n f e e t .
Such te m p e ra tu re s had n e v e r b een r e c o r d ­
ed th a t f a r d o w n s tre a m .
T h e r a t i o n a l e f o r th e h i g h t e m p e r a t u r e
w a s th e lo w d i s c h a r g e t h r o u g h th e d a m s be
c a u s e of d ro u g h t c o n d itio n s . H e a v y fis h m o r ­
ta litie s and in c re a s e d le th a rg y w e re e x p e r­
i e n c e d b y th e a n a d r o m o u s r u n s o f a u t u m n ,
1977.
W ith a p r o p o s e d d o u b l in g o f th e o u t t a k e o f
r i v e r w a t e r in th e n e x t f i f t y y e a r s a n d th e
a p p r o a c h o f th e l e t h a l t h e r m a l t e m p e r a t u r e s i
in th e C o l u m b i a R i v e r t o d a y , i t i s a p p a r e n t
th a t in c r e a s e d i r r i g a t i o n p r e s s u r e w ill be
i n s t r u m e n t a l in p u s h in g t h e t e m p e r a t u r e s
o f th e C o l u m b i a R i v e r b e y o n d l e t h a l l i m i t s
f o r l if e s u p p o r t o f s a l m o n s p e c i e s . A lth o u g h
t h e r e h a v e b e e n t i m e s in th e p a s t w h e n th e
u s e t h a t c o u ld b e m a d e o f th e C o l u m b i a R i v e r
s y s t e m a p p e a r e d to b e u n l i m i t e d , i t i s b e ­
c o m i n g e v i d e n t t h a t w ith t h e e x i s t i n g l e v e l
o f d e v e lo p m e n t of f o r t y - t h r e e a n d o n e -h a lf
m i l l i o n a c r e - f e e t of s t o r a g e , th e s y s t e m w ill
b e u n a b le to c o n ti n u e to c o m p l e t e l y s e r v e
its m an y d iv e rs e u s e s , su ch as irrig a tio n ,
n a v ig a tio n , f is h m ig r a tio n , h y d ro p o w e r, a n d
f lo o d c o n t r o l .
R e g a r d l e s s o f th e i m p l i c a t i o n s t h a t w a t e r
q u a l i t y s u f f e r s d u e to i r r i g a t i o n p r a c t i c e s
th e p u s h f o r i n c r e a s e d i r r i g a t i o n p r o j e c t s
p r e v a i l s . D u r i n g th e e x t r e m e d r o u g h t y e a r
o f 1977 th e f o llo w in g a r t i c l e w a s a f r o n t
p a g e i t e m in th e T r i - C i t y H e r a l d , a P a s c o ,
K e n n e w i c k , a n d R i c h l a n d , W a s h in g to n p u b ­
lic a tio n :
" W a t e r to i r r i g a t e t h r e e h u n d r e d a n d f o r ­
ty t h o u s a n d a c r e s w i l l b e r e s e r v e d in th e
S n a k e a n d C o l u m b i a R i v e r s b e tw e e n th e T r i -
C itie s an d Jo h n D ay D am u n d e r a p ro p o s e d
W a s h i n g t o n S t a te w a t e r m a n a g e m e n t p o l i c y
. . . . T h e p r o p o s e d p r o g r a m w o u ld e s t a b l i s h
t h e f o ll o w i n g o r d e r o f p r i o r i t y f o r r i v e r -
w a t e r u s e (1 ) E x i s t i n g w a t e r r i g h t s ; (2 )
I r r ig a tio n , d o m e s tic , s to c k w a te rin g an d
m u n i c i p a l u s e ; (3 ) N a v i g a t i o n ; (4 ) I n d u s t r i a l
a n d t h e r m a l p o w e r p l a n t c o o li n g ; (5 ) I n -
s t r e a m f lo w s ( f i s h , r e c r e a t i o n ) ; (6) H y d r o ­
e le c tr ic p o w er.
'" W o w " e x c l a i m e d R u s s S m it h , P a s c o
p r e s i d e n t o f th e s ta te A s s o c ia tio n of I r r i ­
g a t i o n D i s t r i c t s . 'I 'm s u r p r i s e d t h e y 'v e
c h a n g e d h o r s e s a s f a r a s th e y h a v e . T he
l a s t t h in g I s a w , i n s t r e a m f lo w s ( f i s h , r e c ­
r e a t i o n ) w e r e a b o u t on to p . I 'm p l e a s e d
t h e y 'v e m o v e d i t d o w n . . . . '"
J i m O y a la h a s b e e n a p a r t - t i m e c o m m e r ­
c i a l g i l l n e t t e r on th e C o l u m b i a R i v e r f o r
f i f t e e n y e a r s . H e h a s a M a s t e r 's d e g r e e in
O c e a n o g r a p h y f r o m O r e g o n S t a te U n i v e r ­
s i t y in M a r i n e R e s o u r c e M a n a g e m e n t . He
p r e s e n t l y w o r k s f o r K n a p p to n T o w b o a t
C o m p an y an d fis h e s c o m m e rc ia lly fo r s a l ­
m o n in A l a s k a .
G o r d o n B a ld w in
M ARCH
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Sea Sprite Motel
T E V I S
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Open Every Day
Lazy Susan Cafe
MO 97/Hemlock
Cannon Beach,
ph. •» 36-2016
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____ PO Bo» 6 6 , Tolovana V ^ rk , O regon 97145 ____
A Specially Breakfast & Lunch Restaurant
Coaster Square
Cannon Beach
------------------------(3OJ) 4 3 6 -2 2 6 6 _______________
S. H E M L O C K , C A N N O N B E A C tT ^ p O P E N
F R L , S A T ., S U N .
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H A IR A N A L Y S IS
* C O M P L E T E D I E T A N A L Y S IS
NORTH COAST NATUROPATHIC CLINIC
Haystack Square, Cannon Beach 436 1125
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