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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2017)
Page 4C OUTSIDE East Oregonian Saturday, April 15, 2017 THE $1 BILLION QUESTION Oregon plan to reintroduce fish above Hells Canyon Dam raises concerns in Idaho By JOHN O’CONNELL Capital Press 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 Water fl ows from Hells Canyon Dam on March 27. Idaho Power is seeking a new federal license for its three dams in the Hells Canyon complex on the Idaho-Oregon border, but the utility is caught in the middle of a fi ght be- tween the states over Oregon’s plan to reintroduce endangered steelhead and salmon upstream of Hells Canyon. Fish passage dispute Idaho agricultural leaders are reacting to Oregon’s plan to reintroduce endangered steelhead and salmon above the Hells Canyon Complex of dams as a condition of relicensing of the project. 82 Joseph 350 Wallowa Lake WALLOWA- WHITMAN NAT’L FOR. Riv er WALLOWA-WHITMAN NATIONAL FOREST Halfway Po wde r River 86 ho Ore Ida EAGLE CAP Snow WILDERNESS Basin Project Area Richland e. Or ho Reservoir Ida irrigators could face new requirements 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 comply with confl icting Idaho and Oregon Clean Water Act certifi cations. State vs. state Idaho offi cials saw the potential for a battle over fi sh 71 ORE. Hells Canyon Dam . Eagle Cap 9,595 ft. Area in detail HELLS CANYON NAT’L REC. AREA Enterprise Sn a ke HELLS CANYON — Idaho farmers who rely on Snake River water for irrigation fear they could one day be stuck with a $1 billion-plus bill for a plan by the state of Oregon to help endangered fi sh. As a condition of relicensing Idaho Power Co.’s three Hells Canyon dams on the Idaho-Oregon border, Oregon leaders have proposed reintroducing endangered steelhead trout and salmon into Pine Creek, which originates in Oregon and spills into the Snake River upstream of Hells Canyon Dam. Under Oregon’s draft Clean Water Act certifi cation proposal, Idaho Power would be expected to trap the fi sh upstream of the dam and truck them for release downstream, enabling them to migrate to the Pacifi c Ocean. Marilyn Fonseca, hydro- power program coordinator for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, said her state has developed a phased-in fi sh reintroduction plan spanning two decades and would expand into other tributaries based on the expe- rience at Pine Creek. Fonseca said Oregon considers fi sh passage to be an integral part of meeting the state’s own U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-approved water-quality standards. Should Oregon eventually reintroduce steelhead and salmon in tributaries upstream of the nearby Brownlee Dam, endangered fi sh would have access to a broad reach of the Snake River through Idaho, forcing the state to manage the system for the new endangered species. That would raise the bar on water- quality standards and place additional demands on the river’s fully allocated storage and natural-fl ow water rights. Snake River water users upstream predict they’d face a cascade of new expenses and regulations. “It’s not a reach to say this could potentially impact every use of water in Southern and Eastern Idaho,” said Norm Semanko, the outgoing executive director of the Idaho Water Users Association. The association represents nearly all of the water users in the state. Attorney Al Barker, who represents Boise Valley and Owyhee Reservoir water users, objects that Oregon’s draft certifi cation would allow that state to unilat- erally make decisions on introducing endangered fi sh into tributaries of a shared waterway. Even if Oregon were to limit fi sh reintroduction to Pine Creek, Barker said Endangered Snake River salmon PAYETTE NATIONAL FOREST Oxbow Dam Brownlee Dam N 5 miles Alan Kenaga/Capital Press reintroduction as far back as 2003, when Idaho Power fi rst applied for a new federal license to operate the Hells Canyon dams. The legisla- ture passed laws requiring 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 neigh- boring 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 discussions and research, there’s really nothing like this.” In response to Oregon’s plan, the Idaho Legislature recently 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 gesture, the Legislature also passed a joint memorial expressing its opposition to fi sh reintroduction due to the “drastic impacts on irrigated agriculture, industry, water supply and electric genera- tion.” Eaton said he is encour- aged that Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown have begun negoti- ating to resolve their states’ differences. 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 allowed to make any changes to the certifi cations, and Idaho Power will be obliged to follow 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 backing off of (reintroduc- tion) or anything like that, but I think they might be reassessing priorities about where they want to focus their efforts.” Brian Hockaday, a spokesman for Brown, said the governor is committed to collaborating with Idaho to resolve the issue, and conver- sations are ongoing. “We’re considering all viable options and taking a look at new approaches,” said Hockaday, who declined to offer details of possible compromises. The cost Several years ago, Seman- ko’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 reintro- duction would cost irrigators upward of $1 billion to make improvements such as retro- fi tting 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 astro- nomical,” Semanko said. “I think it’s interesting that we haven’t heard a single retort or rebuttal to the notion that if these fi sh are reintroduced above Hells Canyon, there would be major Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act requirements placed upon the residents, farmers, businesses and industries in Southern and Eastern Idaho.” Idaho’s Committee of Nine, which represents watermasters of the major federal irrigation projects on the Upper Snake River, and the Idaho Irrigation Pumpers Association have also come 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 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 trans- port them for release below Hells Canyon Dam. Irrigators say they are already 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 director of Idaho Rivers United, a nonprofi t organiza- tion dedicated to preserving Idaho waterways, contends reintroduction 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 salmon and steelhead upstream of the Hells Canyon dams relegates expansion of reintroduction into other tributaries to a longterm possibility, at best. Burrowing rodents threaten Central Oregon canals By AUBREY WIEBER The Bulletin BEND — Drive along the Pilot Butte Canal in Redmond in the spring and you’ll see ground squirrels scurry frantically back and forth across the road. Chubby rock chucks sprint from rock to rock. Both types of rodents pop up, run around and then disappear into burrows. The underground dens and tunnels provide protection from predators and the elements, but they also risk causing millions of dollars in damage to urban develop- ments. Rodents living along canals pose a huge threat, irrigation district offi cials say. Their tunnels can cause a breach of the canal, sending surging water through neigh- borhoods and other urban developments. As a result, keeping tabs on the furry critters and the integrity of the canal is a full-time job for eight “ditch riders” employed by the Central Oregon Irrigation District. Larry Roofner, operations manager for COID, drove along a portion of the canal sitting just above the soon- Ryan Brennecke /The Bulletin via AP In this April 10 photo, Larry Roofener, operations manager for the Central Oregon Irrigation District, talks about how animals burrowing into the high fi ll areas of canals can cause breaching risks while giving The Bulletin a tour of the Pilot Butte canal in Redmond. to-be Triple Ridge housing development Monday. This is one of the higher-risk areas and is monitored daily. “We have concern there,” Roofner said. “It carries about 300 cubic feet of water (per second). If that were to breach, there could be damage to what was previously irrigated land but is now a new subdivision and Ridgeview (High) School.” To try and prevent a breach, ditch riders keep high-powered pellet guns in their vehicles and will shoot rodents when possible. In addition, Roofner said the district contracts with exter- minators to kill burrowers, usually through trapping, though he said they can use whatever means they deem necessary. The district is tasked with maintaining roughly 450 miles of canals throughout the region, and rodent abatement is a part of that. However, not all see it that way. Oakley Taylor, 61, lives just outside city limits to the southeast of Bend. Last week, she was told by a neighbor that the district was shooting river otters in the canal near her house with a rifl e. It turned out to be muskrats being shot with a pellet gun, but nonethe- less Taylor was upset. She called the district, as well as the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Offi ce. “They just wanted to come out to the neighborhood and shoot these muskrats or otters or whatever,” Taylor said. Roofner said he talked with Taylor, explaining that his employees were not killing the animals for sport — as well as the devastation a breach could cause. Taylor said she appre- ciated the conversation but thinks the district should make more of an effort to inform people living near the canals of the abatement and doesn’t see why the rodents need to be killed. “It’s sad, and I guess that is going to be more of the clash between animals and humans, and that isn’t going to go away,” she said. Taylor is right. When the district’s two canals were fi rst built, the areas surrounding them were far more rural. But now in many places, such as Triple Ridge, they sit above residential areas, and a breach can cause serious damage to hundreds of homes. And the rodents can be ruthless; Roofner recalled digging up an area to fi nd ground squirrels had “honey-combed” the earth on the edge of the canal. But a more wild- life-friendly solution appears to be on its way. ShanRae Hawkins, spokesperson for the district, said it is working toward piping irrigation water rather than sending it down in open ditches. Hawkins said so far the district is in the engineering planning phase, and there is no timeline for piping. It would be a more effi cient way to transport water and would also stop rodents from burrowing into the water supply, which becomes more important as urban density around the canals increases, as it has around Reed Market Road in Bend. A breach in that area, where the water fl ows at 500 cfs, would be devastating, Roofner said.