http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/134674183_fishkill12m0.html Dam repairs leave salmon dying in river
By Craig Welch
Seattle Times staff reporter
Hundreds, if not thousands, of juvenile salmon were stranded and killed this week on the White River after the Army Corps of Engineers rapidly reduced the flow so that repairs could be made on a dam operated by Puget Sound Energy.
Chinook, wild coho and chum fry and smolts by the dozens suffocated in crowded pools near the river's edge Wednesday after the corps dropped water levels 85 percent in 12 hours. Other fish — including at least one adult migrating steelhead — were found dead on gravel bars and in the mud.
The Puyallup Tribe collected at least 300 dead fish, and fisheries workers believe thousands more probably were killed on the 24-mile stretch of river.
"It's a horrible time of year to be doing something like this," said Russ Ladley, resource protection manager for the tribe. "They've been rearing in there all spring, and April is when you have almost all species emerging from the gravel. I'm shocked."
No one knows precisely how many fish protected under the Endangered Species Act perished. When flows were returned to normal, "all the evidence was washed away," Ladley said.
The Corps of Engineers reduced the flow of water below Mud Mountain Dam Tuesday night at the request of PSE, which needed to send workers into the water to repair a diversion dam. Portions of that dam, part of a 90-year-old hydropower project at Lake Tapps, had blown out during earlier winter storms.
"I've heard enough that I'm very concerned. It's very unfortunate, and I want to figure out what went wrong and fix it," said Ken Brettmann, hydraulic engineer for the corps.
Even though water flows were low less than half a day, fisheries workers believe the rapid drawdown left fish too little time to move from braided sections near the banks to where water remained at the center of the river.
Brettmann said the federal agency had consulted with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife about how fast it could safely drop river levels, and had done as the state experts suggested.
"This was carefully coordinated with all the appropriate agencies," he said. "They had concerns about us doing this work in March, so we did it in April, and we followed their guidelines on how quickly to lower the flow."
But Greg Hueckel, assistant director for habitat at Fish and Wildlife, said his agency told the corps it would prefer the work not be done at all, though the state had no power to stop it.
"We told them this was during a time when, quite frankly, we just don't want people in the water," he said. "Any time you mess around with flows on a river when there are juveniles there, it's a risk. But ... they say the work needs to be done, and they're going to do it, and all we can do is advise."
Ladley, the tribal resource manager, added that there isn't a good time to do repair work on the river, which is a tributary to the Puyallup River.
"Wild steelhead adult migrations peak in May, with spring chinook hot on their heels," he said. "Then we get fall chinook, then we get coho followed by chum. So for us it's like, 'Do you want to cut off a finger on your right hand or your left?' There is no good time."
Hueckel said it's not entirely clear yet whether the corps actually followed the state's "ramping rate" guidelines on how slowly to restrict the river flows, but said even if the corps did follow them, the issue is with the dam itself — which has to be repaired often — not the guidelines.
"Let's deal with the real problem here: a diversion dam that's nearly 100 years old," he said. "We know this thing is a problem. That dam is so bloody old that they have to keep doing work on it."
Roger Thompson, PSE spokesman, said the dam is a maintenance nightmare, losing wooden panels when water gets too high. He said PSE would replace it at a cost of $15 million to $20 million, but only if it can reach agreement with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on other measures in connection with its operating license.
"You wouldn't want to make that kind of investment and then be forced to shut down the project," Thompson said.
The FERC offered to renew the license several years ago, but PSE rejected the accompanying environmental demands. In a report last fall, the National Marine Fisheries Service said water diversions to Lake Tapps must be limited to protect salmon.
Craig Welch: 206-464-2093 or cwelch@seattletimes.com
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