Canadian Columbia River basin: fish passage lost
Will Warnock, CCRIFC Canadian Columbia River upstream from US Border – the baseline Chinook
Sockeye
Steelhead
Freshwater migratory Chinook salmon • Numerous stocks (ocean and stream type) – would qualify as mul ple ESUs • Highest biomass; historically abundant (>500,000/yr) • Furthest migra on (2000km for upper stock) Sockeye salmon
• Historically abundant in Arrow Lakes (annual runs upwards of 1M) • Used Whatshan and Slocan Lakes in addi on • Kokanee remain, but unlikely to be residualized anadromous stock Steelhead
• Restricted to lower Canadian basin tributaries, but locally abundant (upwards of 100K) Freshwater migratory and other anadromous
? ? Major First Na ons fishing areas 1930’s Ede family collection Ex rpa on and ecosystem impact
• Anadromous fish ex rpated in early 1940s with comple on of Grand Coulee Dam • Keystone species for the trophic structure of the Columbia Basin – nutrient and food web impacts to the ecosystem and the people that depend on them
Post - Grand Coulee Dam
• Canadian Columbia River hydropower development progresses with the 1973: Mica Dam historic distribu on of salmon forgo en • No facili es provide 1983: Revelstoke Dam passage • Bio c and abio c
condi ons highly 1951: Whatshan Dam altered – system 1968: Hugh radically different Keenleyside Dam 1944: Brilliant Dam 1979: Seven Mile Dam 1954: Waneta Dam Abio c changes 7000 Columbia River upstream from US border
• Opera ons – currently for 6000 1938-1967 1968-2012 maximized power and flood 5000 control 4000 – Flow (lower peak, higher winter 3000
flow) Discharge (m3/s) – Increased temp Arrow 2000 downstream, decreased temp 1000 0 upstream Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec • Riverine to lacustrine Month – Historic spawning, rearing and tradi onal fishing loca ons inundated • Other impacts of cumula ve urban, linear, industrial and watershed development – Water and habitat quality/quan ty
Bio c changes • Increased produc vity of some resident fisheries – Kokanee, some bull trout, some rainbow trout • Decreased produc vity of some resident fisheries – White sturgeon, some bull trout, some rainbow trout • Nutrient impoundment • Floodplain wetland and riparian loss • Species introduc ons/invasions List of non-na ve fish species in the Pend D’Oreille at Boundary Dam • Pumpkinseed • Smallmouth Bass • Largemouth Bass • Black Crappie • Goldfish • Tench • Northern Pike • Black bullhead • Yellow perch • Walleye • Lake Whitefish • Hatchery origin rainbow trout • Hatchery origin kokanee • Brown trout • Brook trout • Lake trout A closer look: Waneta and Seven Mile Dams Barriers to historic habitat in the Pend D’Oreille/Salmo for steelhead, sturgeon, chinook salmon and fluvial bull trout
Photo: Thomas Gardiner Waneta Dam • 76 m max high concrete structure; 62 m max head • Confined valley 475m upstream of Columbia • Mul ple ownership of facility and expansion (BC Hydro, CPC, Teck, CBT, For s) • 450 MW + 335 MW exp • Operated as run-of- river (small fluctua on of water levels) with 9 km long reservoir (WRT of hrs) A closer look: Waneta and Seven Mile Dams Barriers to historic habitat in the Pend D’Oreille/Salmo for steelhead, sturgeon, chinook salmon and fluvial bull trout
Photo: Thomas Gardiner Seven Mile Dam • 10 km upstream from Waneta • Seven Mile – 80m high concrete structure; 61m max head • 848 MW • Confined valley • Owned by BC Hydro • Operated as run-of- river with 18km long reservoir (WRT of days). Brilliant Dam Barrier to historic habitat in the Kootnenay/Slocan for steelhead, chinook salmon, sockeye, sturgeon and fluvial bull trout • 43 m high concrete structure; 30m max head • Confined valley 2.7km upstream of Columbia • CPC/CBT ownership of facility and expansion 145 MW + 120 MW exp • Operated as run-of- river with 15 km reservoir (WRT of hrs- days) Hugh Keenleyside Dam Barrier to historic habitat in the Columbia for chinook salmon, sockeye, sturgeon and fluvial bull trout
• 52m high concrete and earthfill structure; 24m max head. Head variable with reservoir height • Impounded natural lake system; li le mainstem riverine habitat above. • Broad valley • BC Hydro ownership of facility; CPC/CBT ownership of expansion; CRT dam • 0 MW +185 MW expansion • Operated as storage reservoir – highly fluctua ng water levels (normal ~10-15m). Oligotrophic with WRT of ~months (depends on season and opera ons) • Naviga on lock Revelstoke/Mica Dams Barriers to historic habitat in the upper Columbia for chinook salmon, white sturgeon, fluvial rainbow and bull trout
Revelstoke • 175m high concrete and earthfill structure. • Narrow, confined valley • BC Hydro ownership of facility • 2480 MW + upcoming expansion (1 unit) • Operated as run-of-river with rela vely stable, large ultra oligotrophic 130km reservoir for maximized head. WRT of ~ 2-3months Revelstoke/Mica Dams Barriers to historic habitat in the upper Columbia for chinook salmon, white sturgeon, fluvial rainbow and bull trout
Mica • 240m high earthfill embankment; 183m max head. • Tallest dam in US or Canada! • Narrow, confined valley • BC Hydro ownership of facility; CRT dam • 1805 MW (+2 unit upcoming expansion) • Operated with large ultra oligotrophic storage reservoir (~200km) with 50m normal opera ng range. WRT of yrs Summary – drainage and available contemporary habitats