Biological Fish Injury and Survival Evaluation at the Regulating Outlet of Cougar Dam, Oregon
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Biological Fish Injury and Survival Evaluation at the Regulating Outlet of Cougar Dam, Oregon Contract No. W912EF-08-D-0005, Task Order DT04 FINAL Prepared For: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Portland District PO Box 2946 Portland, OR 97208-2946 Submitted: November 2018 Prepared By: Normandeau Associates, Inc. 1921 River Rd. Drumore, PA 17518 www.normandeau.com Biological Fish Injury and Survival Evaluation at the Regulating Outlet of Cougar Dam, Oregon Executive Summary The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Portland District sponsored an investigation in November 2017 at Cougar Dam, Oregon as part of the Willamette Valley Project Biological Opinion (BiOp) research needs. This investigation was designed to obtain direct survival and injury estimates on juvenile Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) passed through a Regulating Outlet (RO) at three different conditions at Cougar Dam (CGR) to be used to inform design considerations of volitional fish bypass systems at high intake head dams. There is one RO with two intakes at CGR; both intakes are located at elevation 1,485 fmsl. Intake No. 2 was tested in December 2009 and the present investigation tested intake No. 1 at two gate openings (originally it was proposed to test three gate openings). Cougar Dam is a 519 ft (158 m) tall rock fill hydroelectric dam. It has a gated concrete spillway and powerhouse with two turbines totaling 25 megawatts of electric power. The dam impounds the South Fork McKenzie River about 42 miles (68 km) east of Eugene, Oregon creating Cougar Reservoir which has storage capacity of 219,000 acre feet (270,000,000 m3). The purpose of CGR is to provide flood risk management, hydropower, water quality improvements, irrigation, fish and wildlife habitat, recreation, storage, and navigation. As in the previous (2009) study, Normandeau utilized its HI-Z Turb’N Tag (HI-Z) tag recapture methodology to complete the objectives identified in the Detailed Scope of Work (DSW). Test fish for this study were obtained by the USACE from the Oregon State University (OSU) Wild Fish Surrogate Lab. All fish were transported to CGR using Normandeau’s provided fish transport truck equipped with a compressed oxygen system to keep fish alive during transport. Normandeau’s HI-Z tag technique was utilized to recapture test fish after passing through the RO tunnel. Sensor Fish equipped with HI-Z tags were also released with HI-Z test fish by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to ascertain hydraulic and physical conditions of the passage route. The study was designed to release sufficient numbers of juvenile Chinook Salmon through the RO at two flow conditions (treatment) 1.3 ft RO headgate openings and 2.0 ft RO headgate opening to obtain survival estimates with a precision (α) level of ≤ ±0.03, 90% of the time and detection of a difference (∆) of 0.05 at α=0.05 and β=0.20 between survival estimates. The initial plan was to release a sufficient number of fish for each test condition (gate opening) at CGR to meet these goals; however, due to unexpected delays and time constraints all three test conditions could not be performed and the sample size was reduced for the 2.0 ft gate opening treatment. Direct survival at 1 and 48 hours (h) post passage was determined. The post passage condition of recaptured fish was evaluated by a malady-free metric, which accounted for fish free of visible injuries, loss of equilibrium, and/or > 20% scale loss. An injury-free estimate was also calculated which disregarded loss of equilibrium (LOE). Juvenile fish were equipped with two HI-Z tags and a radio transmitter then released through four-inch diameter hoses and pipes that directed them into the RO outlet tunnel that discharges i Normandeau Associates, Inc. Biological Fish Injury and Survival Evaluation at the Regulating Outlet of Cougar Dam, Oregon into a chute with guide walls that plunges at a steep angle (~70° slope) into a widened concrete plunge pool channel downstream. Upon project passage, the test fish were recaptured from the tailrace by one of two boats after the HI-Z tags inflated and buoyed the fish to the surface. All recaptured test fish were examined for injuries, tags removed, and then the fish were held in on-shore pools for 48 h post passage evaluation. A total of 227 treatment fish (size range 160 - 283 mm, mean 235 mm, total length) were released through the RO at 1.3 ft gate opening from 15-17 November and 51 juvenile treatment fish were released through the RO at 2.0 ft gate opening on 18 November. A total of 122 combined control fish (size range 173 - 279 mm, mean 233 mm) were released downstream of the plunge pool channel. Physical recapture of treatment fish ranged from 91.9% for the 1.3 ft gate opening to 96.1% for the 2.0 ft gate opening. Control fish recapture rate was 100%. The estimated 1 h survival for treatment fish passed at 1.3 ft gate opening was 97.3% (SE = 1.1%) and 88.2% (SE = 4.5%) for the 2.0 ft gate opening. Due to high control mortality (> 25%) the 48 h survival estimates were deemed unreliable and are referenced briefly in this report. The dominant physical injury type was ruptured or hemorrhaged eyes; 13.2% for fish passing through the RO at 1.3 ft gate opening and 8.1% for fish at the 2.0 ft gate opening. Operculum damage accounted for the next highest injury type; 7.7% at the 1.3 ft opening and 8.1% at the 2.0 ft opening. Injuries were primarily contributed to shear forces; however, concurrent Sensor Fish releases indicated only one incidence of shear. Malady-free rates of the treatment fish ranged from 48.5% (SE = 7.8%) for the 2.0 ft gate opening to 57.4% (SE = 3.9%) for the 1.3 ft gate opening. The injury-free rates were 83.2% (SE = 3.1%) and 88.6% (SE = 5.4%) for the 1.3 ft and 2.0 ft openings, respectively. The present study along with a previous study at the Cougar RO indicate that structures similar to the Cougar RO can provide valuable information that can be used to design volitional high head fish passage systems. The results of the live fish study and the hydraulic information from concurrent releases of Sensor Fish indicate that the RO chute likely contributed most to the observed injuries and making concrete bypass chutes as smooth as possible or covering them with a slick smooth coating should be considered. ii Normandeau Associates, Inc. Biological Fish Injury and Survival Evaluation at the Regulating Outlet of Cougar Dam, Oregon Survival Study Summary Framework Year: November 2017 Study site: Cougar Dam RO Objectives of study: Determine direct survival and malady-free estimates of juvenile salmonids upon passage through a Regulating Outlet at two different gate openings 1.3 and 2.0 ft Fish: Species: juvenile Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Life stage: juvenile, 2-year old Source: Oregon State University (OSU) Wild Fish Surrogate Lab Size (range & mean) Length (total length): range - 160 - 283 mm, mean 235 mm Tag Type/model: HI-Z Balloon Tags Weight (gm): 1.9 g iii Normandeau Associates, Inc. Biological Fish Injury and Survival Evaluation at the Regulating Outlet of Cougar Dam, Oregon Table of Contents Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................... i Acronyms and Abbreviations ................................................................................................................vii Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................. ix 1.0 Introduction and Background .................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Study Site Description ........................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Study Goals and Objectives .................................................................................................. 1 1.3 Sensor Fish .................................................................................................................................... 2 2.0 Methods ....................................................................................................................................... 8 2.1 Sample Size Requirements .......................................................................................................... 8 2.2 Source and Maintenance of Test Specimens ...................................................................... 8 2.3 Fish Tagging, Release, and Recapture ................................................................................. 9 2.4 Classification of Recaptured Fish ....................................................................................... 10 2.5 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................................ 11 3.0 Results ........................................................................................................................................ 23 3.1 Physical and Hydraulic Parameters .................................................................................. 23 3.2 Recapture Rates .................................................................................................................... 24 3.3 Fish Size and Recapture Times ........................................................................................... 24 3.4 Passage Survival ..................................................................................................................