Adult Steelhead Overshoot (Bypass) in the Snake River: Status of the Available Information

Middle Columbia Wild Adult Steelhead Tributary Bypass Workshop 19 November 2014 Water and Environment Center Walla Walla, Washington

Chris Pinney US Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District

• Outline: – Defer actual tributary overshoot estimates to WDFW (Joe) and UI (Chris) - principle concern is Tucannon River steelhead @ 35-63% depending on annual conditions. Spring Chinook also overshoot @ lower rate. – LSR Hydrosystem fish operation dates and durations. – PIT detection. – Fallback. – LSR Hydrosystem route survivals for adults. • AFEP proposals • Kelt (Colotelo et al. 2012, 2013; Wertheimer et al. 2005+) – Potential management responses once action warranted through 2014 FCRPS BiOp.

Tucannon River

Film Roll # 71V Snake River (Monumental Reservoir) OCT 1957 Arial #s 57 71 37 57 71 38 57 71 42 57 71 43

Indicates braided stream u/s first bend from confluence that forms into a single channel on d/s western side forming a braided alluvial delta that enters the Snake River. Keefer et al. June 2014 Letter Report. Keefer et al. June 2014 Letter Report. LSR Hydrosystem Fish Operation Dates and Durations

2014 Fish Passage Plan Start End Adult Facilities 3/1 12/31 Juvenile Facilities 3/25 12/15 pending freeze Spill 4/3 8/31 Adult Counting LGO (single ladder) & 4/1 10/31 IHR (2 ladders) Adult Counting LGR single ladder 3/1 12/30 (includes video) Adult Counting LMO two ladders 3/1 2/28 (includes video) LGR Steelhead Passage Summer-to-Winter 2014 LGR Steelhead Passage Winter-to-Spring 2014 Expansion of PIT Detection-TDA, LGO, LMO, IHR Adult Trap Expansion of PIT Detection- LMO Existing PSMFC Array

13 Expansion of PIT Detection- LGR likely January 2016

U/S Exit Tunnel D/S Weirs above Junction Pool 2014 Adult Ladder PIT Detections = Adult Steelhead Re-ascension due to Fallback from available routes (spill ending 8/31) 2014 Juvenile Bypass PIT Detections = Adult Steelhead destined for Separator due to Fallback from Turbine Screening (spill ending 8/31) Fallback • Defer to UI (Chris) and NOAA-F (Blane) for specifics since current evaluation continue for tracking conversion estimates via various studies for all BiOp stocks. Range ~5 – 50% depending water year and temperatures. 2014 % Fallback % Fallback % Fallback (re-ascend (spill dates) (no spill PIT) dates) LGR 5% 1.7% 3.3% LGO 4% 2.1% 4.9% LMO 18% 12.9% 3.3% IHR 6% 2.4% 3.0% • Winter has predominantly 1 d/s route to tailwater – turbine units with bypass screens prior 15 Dec so can count number crossing smolt separators, but without bypass screens post 15 Dec so no count. Fallback Keefer et al. 2014 Fallback Keefer et al. 2014 LSR Hydrosystem Route Survivals

- "Direct Injury and Survival of Adult Steelhead Trout Passing a Turbine and Spillway Weir at McNary Dam". Normandeau 2014. Released balloon tagged adults (TL 495- 740mm, 591mm) from Round Butte Hatchery into turbine unit 12 (N=130) and the TSW (N=88) in spillbay 20. 48 hour survival estimates were 90.7% (+/- 5.0%, 95% CI) for turbine and 97.7% (+/- 3.2%, 95% CI) for TSW passed fish. McNary Dam Steelhead Kelt and Adult Surrogate Route Passage & Survival Estimates

Spillway Passage SW 76.2% Passage 17.1% Turbine Passage Bypass Spill 2.4% Survival Passage 93.1% 3.8% SW Survival 97.2%/ 97.7% Turbine Survival 80.0%/ 90.7%

2012 Kelt JSATS Bypass Survival 2014 Ad Rainbow Direct Injury 100.0%

Mean (range) Discharge/ Mean % Spill: 10yr ave 2012: 349.2 (279.5-414.4) kcfs/ 55.0: 266.1 kcfs Ice Harbor Dam Steelhead Kelt Passage & Survival Estimates

Bypass Passage Turbine Passage NA% Spillway Weir Passage NA% NA%

Spillway Passage NA% Turbine Survival NA%

Spillway Weir Survival Bypass Survival NA% NA%

Spillway Survival NA%

Mean (range) Discharge/ Mean % Spill: 10yr ave No Study in 2012 or 2013 Lower Monumental Dam Steelhead Kelt Passage & Survival Estimates

Turbine Passage 4.6%/6.8% Bypass Passage 6.9%/5.4% Spillway Weir Passage 68.0%/71.1% Spillway Passage 20.5%/16.0%

Turbine Survival 58.3%/84.2%

Spillway Weir Survival Spill Survival 98.3%/92.7% 92.6%/82.6% Bypass Survival 100.0%/93.8%

Mean (range) Discharge/ Mean % Spill: 10yr ave 2012: 100.6 (49.8-192.6) kcfs/ 30.7: 92.1 kcfs 2013: 66.9 (41.5-131.5) kcfs/ 41.2: 95.6 kcfs Little Goose Dam Steelhead Kelt Passage & Survival Estimates

2012 / 2013 Turbine Passage Spillway Passage Spillway Weir Passage 4.5%/5.2% 24.7%/15.6% 60.8%/66.7% Bypass Passage 10.1%/6.8%

Spill Survival 94.3%/82.1% Turbine Survival Bypass Survival Spillway Weir Survival 96.7%/93.7% 77.9%/84.2% 96.6%/88.0%

Mean (range) Discharge/ Mean % Spill: 10yr ave 2012: 97.4 (48.4-178.4) kcfs/ 33.1: 90.1 kcfs 2013: 64.9 (40.8-130.1) kcfs/ 30.3: 93.4 kcfs Lower Granite Dam Steelhead Kelt Passage & Survival Estimates

2012 / 2013

Spillway Passage 25.8%/12.5%

RSW Passage 57.3%/79.9%

Turbine Passage 6.5%/1.4%

Bypass Passage 5.6%/4.9% Spill Survival 90.6%/70.6%

RSW Survival 90.1%/66.7%

Turbine Survival 87.5%/100.0%

Juvenile Bypass Survival 85.7%/33.3%

Mean (range) Discharge/ Mean % Spill: 10yr ave 2012: 101.5 (48.4-186.3) kcfs/ 33.1: 92.8 kcfs 2013: 66.0 (40.4-137.3) kcfs/ 33.3: 96.2 kcfs Potential Management Studies/Opportunities

- Develop minimal but adequate winter surface spill regime for downstream passage other than turbine with monitoring of route survivals (i.e., Are McNary and LSR kelt estimates for turbine vs SW representative? Is RSW better route than deep spill?), effectiveness, distribution and fate via PIT to determine if increasing seasonal fallback is warranted, others? - Institute FPP fish passage season turbine unit priorities during the winter “non-passage/low passage” period. Currently unrestricted for juvenile or adult passage criteria. - Concurrently further restrict/minimize single ladder Project (LGR and LGO) adult passage outages for winter maintenance and inspection from existing 1-2 months to 1-2 weeks = longer winter PIT record in addition to longer passage connectivity period.