TALLAPOOSA RIVER FISH PASSAGE INFORMATION DOCUMENT MARTIN RELICENSING PROJECT FERC NO. 364 Prepared by: JANUARY 2011 TALLAPOOSA RIVER FISH PASSAGE INFORMATION DOCUMENT MARTIN RELICENSING PROJECT FERC NO. 364 Prepared by: JANUARY 2011 TALLAPOOSA RIVER FISH PASSAGE INFORMATION DOCUMENT MARTIN RELICENSING PROJECT FERC NO. 364 ALABAMA POWER COMPANY BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 2.0 DESCRIPTION OF THE BASIN AND FISH PASSAGE LIMITATIONS .......................2 3.0 BIOLOGICAL OBJECTIVES IDENTIFIED .....................................................................6 4.0 SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND .........................................................................................11 5.0 SCIENTIFIC UNKNOWNS ..............................................................................................29 6.0 OBSERVATIONS – RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................30 7.0 LITERATURE CITED ......................................................................................................31 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 2-1 LOCATION OF THE LAKE MARTIN HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT ON THE TALLAPOOSA RIVER, AL ..........................................................................................3 FIGURE 2-2 LOCATION OF ALABAMA PROJECTS ON THE TALLAPOOSA RIVER .............................4 FIGURE 2-3 LOCATION OF DAMS ON THE ALABAMA, COOSA, AND TALLAPOOSA RIVERS ...........5 LIST OF TABLES TABLE 3-1 ANADROMOUS, CATADROMOUS, AND DIADROMOUS FISH SPECIES COLLECTED IN THE ALABAMA RIVER .......................................................................6 TABLE 3-2 ANADROMOUS, CATADROMOUS, AND DIADROMOUS FISH SPECIES COLLECTED OR BELIEVED TO BE PRESENT DOWNSTREAM OF THURLOW DAM IN THE TALLAPOOSA RIVER ..............................................................................8 TABLE 3-3 TIER 1 MIGRATORY FISH SPECIES DOWNSTREAM OF THURLOW DAM IN THE TALLAPOOSA RIVER .................................................................................................9 TABLE 3-4 TIER 2 FISH SPECIES THAT ARE HOSTS FOR MUSSEL SPECIES ...................................9 TABLE 3-5 PERCID SPECIES PRESENT DOWNSTREAM OF THURLOW DAM IN THE TALLAPOOSA RIVER ...............................................................................................10 TABLE 4-1 ANADROMOUS, CATADROMOUS, AND DIADROMOUS FISH SPECIES COLLECTED IN THE ALABAMA RIVER .....................................................................15 TABLE 4-2 ANADROMOUS, CATADROMOUS, AND DIADROMOUS FISH SPECIES COLLECTED OR BELIEVED TO BE PRESENT DOWNSTREAM OF THURLOW DAM IN THE TALLAPOOSA RIVER ............................................................................26 i TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONT’D.) LIST OF APPENDICES APPENDIX A AMERICAN EEL CD INDEX-ALPHABETICAL ORDER (CD CATALOG CODE) APPENDIX B HISTORIC WALLEYE COLLECTIONS IN THE TALLAPOOSA RIVER DOWNSTREAM OF THURLOW DAM APPENDIX C DISTRIBUTION OF THE AMERICAN EEL IN THE TALLAPOOSA RIVER J:\535\008\Docs\Martin SP-1 Migratory Fish Tallapoosa Basin Literature Report 12-22-10.doc ii TALLAPOOSA RIVER FISH PASSAGE INFORMATION DOCUMENT MARTIN RELICENSING PROJECT FERC NO. 364 ALABAMA POWER COMPANY BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA 1.0 INTRODUCTION The Alabama Power Company (Alabama Power) is currently relicensing the Martin hydroelectric project on the Tallapoosa River, Alabama. The relicensing process includes a multi-year cooperative effort between Alabama Power and interested stakeholders to address operational, recreational, and ecological concerns associated with hydroelectric project operations. During the initial (scoping) phase of the relicensing process, Alabama Power consulted a wide variety of stakeholders, including state and federal resource agencies, non- governmental organizations and concerned citizens, by seeking their input on important relicensing issues. Stakeholders identified several issues to be addressed during this relicensing process, including fish passage on the Tallapoosa and Alabama Rivers. As part of the relicensing process, Alabama Power held several meetings with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and other stakeholders to further refine the fish passage issue. As part of these discussions, the USFWS identified preparation of a Fish Passage Information Document which would describe the fish passage issue and identify potential opportunities to enhance fish passage for anadromous, catadromous, and diadromous species on the Tallapoosa River. The purpose of this document is to present the framework for addressing fish passage in the Martin relicensing process. Specifically, this document outlines the information needed to address the fish passage issue: • What are the current limitations for fish passage on the Alabama and Tallapoosa Rivers? • What are the identified biological objectives for fish passage? • What biological/fish passage information do we currently have? • What biological/fish passage information do we need? • What is a reasonable initial approach to address fish passage? 1 2.0 DESCRIPTION OF THE BASIN AND FISH PASSAGE LIMITATIONS The Tallapoosa River is located in a sub-basin of the Mobile River basin that begins in western Georgia and flows southwesterly through east central Alabama (Figure 2-1). The headwaters of the Tallapoosa and Little Tallapoosa Rivers begin in Paulding and Carroll counties, Georgia and enter Alabama in Randolph County southwest of the City of Atlanta to form the main stem of the Tallapoosa River. From this point, the Tallapoosa meanders southwesterly through four Alabama Power owned hydroelectric projects (R. L. Harris Dam, Martin Dam, Yates Dam, and Thurlow Dam) before joining the Coosa River to create the Alabama River. The four dams are located on the Tallapoosa River at: R. L. Harris Dam - River Mile (RM) 139.1; Martin Dam - RM 60.6, Yates Dam – RM 52.7, and Thurlow Dam – RM 49.7 (Figure 2-2) (APC 2008). In addition to the dams, a natural bedrock outcrop – Tallassee Falls – exists at RM 49 to RM 47. Over this two river mile section, the river channel drops approximately 9 ft in elevation. This change in elevation was likely a natural barrier to fish movement. Although the nearby Alabama River is considered a critical navigation route for commercial barge traffic, the Tallapoosa River does not contain locks on any of the dams that would allow passage for motorized boats of any kind. However, flows from the Tallapoosa River contribute significantly to navigational and environmental flows necessary to sustain operations in the Alabama River. The confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers form the Alabama River near Wetumpka, Alabama. In order to improve navigation on the Alabama River, three locks and dams at Robert F. Henry, Millers Ferry, and Claiborne were built and opened to navigation in 1972 (Figure 2-3). Robert F. Henry Lock and Dam forms R.E. “Bob” Woodruff Lake and is located in Lowndes and Autauga counties. Millers Ferry Lock and Dam forms William “Bill” Dannelly Lake and is located in Wilcox County. Claiborne Lock and Dam, located in Monroe County, is the southernmost dam on the Alabama River. The 82 miles below Claiborne Lock and Dam to the confluence of the Alabama and Tombigbee Rivers are the last undammed sections of river habitat in Alabama and support high species diversity and abundance. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2009). 2 FIGURE 2-1 LOCATION OF THE LAKE MARTIN HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT ON THE TALLAPOOSA RIVER, AL 3 FIGURE 2-2 LOCATION OF ALABAMA PROJECTS ON THE TALLAPOOSA RIVER 4 FIGURE 2-3 LOCATION OF DAMS ON THE ALABAMA, COOSA, AND TALLAPOOSA RIVERS (Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2008) 5 3.0 BIOLOGICAL OBJECTIVES IDENTIFIED The biological objectives should address three main areas: • Which species are targets for fish passage on the Tallapoosa River (e.g., diadromous/catadromous/anadromous fishes, mussel hosts, percid species that have experienced severe habitat fragmentation)? • What are the fish passage goals for the selected species (e.g., upstream and downstream for the American eel)? • What are the long-term restoration goals for the selected species (e.g., restore connectivity/reduce fragmentation)? In 1996, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) prepared a Section 1135 Preliminary Restoration Plan for the Alabama River in response to a request from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The plan states that there are 144 species of fish in the Alabama River (Mettee et al. 1996), but there are 32 migratory species (Table 3-1) that may benefit from fish passage at Claiborne Lock & Dam. Species of special concern are the Gulf sturgeon, Alabama sturgeon, paddlefish, Alabama shad, and the American eel. As described in Section 2.0, there are currently no fish passage facilities at the Claiborne Dam other than the boat lock facility. TABLE 3-1 ANADROMOUS, CATADROMOUS, AND DIADROMOUS FISH SPECIES COLLECTED IN THE ALABAMA RIVER (USACE 2001) SPECIES OF MOVEMENT SPECIES SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS CONCERN Gulf sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi) x Anadromous Alabama sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus suttkusi) x Diadromous mooneye (Hiodon tergisus) Diadromous paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) x Diadromous alligator gar (Lepisosteus spatula) Diadromous American eel (Anguilla rostrata) Catadromous Alabama shad (Alosa alabamae) x Anadromous skipjack herring (Alosa chrysochloris) Diadromous Southeastern blue sucker (Cycleptus Diadromous meridionalis) Alabama hog sucker (Hypentelium etowanum) Diadromous