The Columbia River Hydropower and Flood Risk Management

John Shurts NW Power & ConservaBon Council Portland, Oregon August 2016

Columbia River – Unregulated flows

average unregulated flows at The Dalles

500000

400000 Natural

300000

200000

100000 Cubic Feet per Second per Feet Cubic

0 Variation in Annual Runoff Volume

60

40

20

0

-20 Percent from Average

-40

-60 1929 1932 1935 1938 1941 1944 1947 1950 1953 1956 1959 1962 1965 1968 1971 1974 1977 1980 1983 1986 1989 1992 1995 1998 2001 2004 2007 2010 Monthly Shape of River Flow and PNW Electricity Demand 600

500 Demand River Flow

400

300

200

100

0 Jul Oct Oct Apr Jan Jun Mar Feb Nov Dec Aug Sep May

5 1948 Portland, Oregon slide 7 Columbia River Treaty 1964

Kinbasket Lake (Mica Dam)

slide 10 Libby Dam/Lake Koocanusa, Kootenai River slide 11 Grand Coulee Dam/Lake Roosevelt Canadian Outflows for Power and Flood Control on Planning Basis

Arrow+Duncan Treaty Outflows (60-yr Avg.) 140000

120000 Unregulated

100000 04AOP Regulated

80000

60000

40000

20000

Arrow+Duncan Outflow in cfs in Outflow Arrow+Duncan 0 SEP FEB JAN DEC OCT NOV MAR MAY JULY NorthwestJUNE

15-Apr 30-Apr 15-Aug 31-Aug Power and slide 13 Conservation Council Natural and Regulated Flows (At The Dalles Dam, averaged over 80 years)

600 Natural 500 Regulated

400

300 KCFS 200

100

0 Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug PNW Installed Capacity with NW Market Supply Biomass 2% Total installed capacity is 61,300 MW. Nuclear Wind Coal 2% 12% 12% Hydro makes up a over half of the region's total installed capacity.

Natural gas 16%

Hydro 56% Variability in PNW Hydro Generation

25,000 75% of PNW electricity, 20,000 51% of PNW on average electricity, driest year 15,000 D W E A E M 10,000 V T A D N R G

Average Megawatts Average 5,000 D Y

0 Dry Average Wet Load

16 1948

Northwest Power and 1996 Conservation Council Reservoir Storage & Runoff Volumes

200

Wet (193) 150

Avg (134) 100

50 Dry (78) Volume (Maf) (Maf) Volume Canada USA 0 Annual Runoff Storage

18 Columbia River Flood Control Benefits

1300 165 Maf 1200 Values of Maf are for 1100 The Dalles April- 1000 August Runoff

900 134 Maf

800

700 Regulated 600 Unregulated 500 The Dalles Flow (kcfs) Dalles Flow The 400

300

200

100

0 1997 1894 1996

Year Event River Flow at The Dalles Dam (Averaged over all Water Conditions)

600

Natural 500 Regulated Pre-1980 400 Regulated Today

300

Flow (Kcfs) Flow 200

100

0 Jul Oct Apr Jan Feb Jun Mar Sep Dec Nov Aug May Average Regulated Outflows at The Dalles Dam

Current Treaty 450 FC No Treaty 450 FC Treaty 600 FC 21 Average Regulated Outflows at The Dalles Dam

Norm Norm Current Summer Dry Year flows Elev. 22 Northwest Power and slide 23 Conservation Council

Kootenai River – “meander reach” downstream of Bonners Ferry, Idaho

slide 25 Columbia River Estuary Hydropower -- benefits

Flood risk management

Ecosystem funcBon -- storage/flows

DomesBc ma`ers -- flood risk assess -- floodplain habitat

Flood Risk Assessment Facing loss of regular access to 9 million acre feet of flood control storage in BC Analyze effects on operations of US storage Inventory and analyze existing floodplain data… – Floodplain Mapping and Surveying – Levee Assessments – Economic Surveys Assess operational, structural and non-structural alternatives to flood risk mgmt. Corps responsibility – when?

Northwest Power and Conservation Council Ecosystem funcBon/ mainstem habitat/ floodplain funcBon and connecBvity (pp. 42-43)

Mainstem system water management: InvesBgate the potenBal to further improve ecosystem funcBon and floodplain connecBvity (pp. 64-65)