Its, Er .11,31 The Biological and Technical Justification for the Flow Proposal of the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority Prepared jointly by the members of the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority 2501 S.W. First Ave., Suite 200 Portland, Oregon 97201-4752 February, 1991 The Biological and Technical Justification for the Flow Proposal of the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority Prepared jointly by the members of the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authoritv 2501 S.W. First Ave., Suite 200 Portland, Oregon 97201-4752 Februarv, 1991 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF TABLES .................. V SUMMARY ............. .................................................. vi 1. BACKGROUND I A. Introduction 1 B. Historical Perspective 2 ..................................... ................. II. IDENTIFICATION OF THE NEED FOR FLOW 8 A- Juvenile Salmonids 8 1. Migratory Behavior 9 a. Biology ...................................................... 9 b. Control ............................................................ of Migratory Behavior 10 .......... .... .................... 2. Physiological Development @ ............................................... 12 a. Delay and Residualism 13 b. ............................................... Salinity Preference and Tolerance 15 c. "Windows" BioloQical ....................................... of Timeliness and Their Management Implications 16 ........... 3. Predation Losses and Flow 18 a. Time ............................................... Residence Effects on Predation Losses 18 b. Effects .............................. Temperature on Predation Losses 19 c. ............................... Water Velocity - 19 ............................ ....................... 4. Conclusions ...... ................................................... 20 B. Adult Salmonids 20 I. Migratory Behavior.............................................. .......... I I ')I a. Migratory Tiraina... ........................ ......................... - 1 21 b. - ............................. Bioenergetics of Spawning ..................... the Migration )I c. Spawning and Incubation ................................. ............................................. 21 2. Flow Effects on Passage 23 a. ................................................. Reservoir Passage 23 b. Dam Passage ................................................... 25 c. Reach Passage ...................................................... ..................................................... 26 3. Water Quality Associated with Flows ?6 a. Temperature .................... ....................... ............................... 26 4. Conclusions .......................................................... 28 C. Species Other 28 1. Biology ............................................................ 29 Spawning........ ................................................ a. 29 b. Larval Stage.........................................................and Flow ............................................... 29 i TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Liu III. FLOW AND WATER VELOCT 31 A. .................................. Water Particle Movement .......... 31 r I. Storage ...................................... Replacement Method - ........ 31 2. Average Velocity Method ............................................ ................................................ 33 B. Smolt Movement 36 1. ... ..................... ............ Smolt vs. Water Particle Travel Time .................. 36 ............................ .......... C. Ways Increased to Meet Water Velocity Needs ................................... 39 1. Reservoir Drawdown ................................................... 39 D. Conclusion ............................ ................................. 40 IV. JUSTIFICATION OF FLOWS PRESENTED IN THE FLOW PROPOSAL 43 A. Fish Flow Objectives7@@ ............. ...................................................... 43 B. Justification for Flows 43 1. Spring (April I ............................................15) - June ........ 44 2. Summer 16 ................................................ (June - August 31) 5* 3. Fall ............................................. (September I - November 30) 4. Winter (December I March 30) ......................................... - .......................................... 53 C. Conclusions ............................................................. 55 V. CITED REFERENCES ...................................................... 56 LIST OF FIGURES Page L Generalized effect of hydroelectric operations on mainstem Columbia River flows at The Dalles, Oregon 5 .......................................................... 2. Travel time of juvenile spring chinook salmon from Lower Granite Dam to John Day Dam and the calculated water particle travel time as related to flows at Ice Harbor Dam 11 ................................................................ 3. Mean gill ATPase activity (p moles P, - mg Prot-' - h-1) of hatchery and wild steelhead during the spring migration, 1989 14 . 1 ............................................... 4. Gill microsomal Na', K'- stimulated adenosine activity of yearling steelhead as a function of the time of year and temperature 17 . ...................................... 5. Streatriflow and timing adult chinook of and sockeve salmon runs . 22 ....................... 6. Hydrographs of daily average flow at Vernita Bar in the Hanford Reach of the mid-Columbia River (RM 392) during spawning, incubation and emergence of upriver fall chinook salmon ..................................................... 24 7. Water particle travel time, in davs, through: (A) lower Snake River: (B) mid-Columbia River River; and (C) lower Columbia reservoirs 32 ..................................... 8. Water particle travel time, in days, through: (A) lower Snake River; (B) mid-Columbia River; and (C) lower Columbia River reservoirs ' showing pre-project (free-flowing) and post-project water movement . 34 .............................. I ................ 9. Water particle velocity, in miles per hour (mph), for: (A) lower Snake River; (B) mid-Columbia River: and (C) lower Columbia River reservoirs. compared to pre-project water particle velocities 15 .............................................. @ 10. Water particle travel time, in days, from the head of Lower Granite reservoir to Bonneville Dam at various streamflows, compared to water particle travel time under pre-project river conditions. 37 . @ .................................. ......... 11. Water particle travel time, predicted fish travel time, and observed fish travel time vs flow ................................................................ 38 12. Water particle travel time, predicted fish travel time, and observed fish travet time vs flow for subyearling chinook salmon in John Day reservoirs 40 ...................... 13. Water particle travel time, in days, for various strearnflows through Lower Granite reservoir : 41 ............................................... ............. 14. T evels of flow augmentation . ................................................... 42 15. Travel Time, in days, of Snake River: (A) yearling chinook and (B) steelhead 46 .............. 16. Survival of Snake River: (A) yearling chinook and (B) steelhead 47 ........................ iii LIST OF FIGURES (continued) 17. Travel time, in days, of Snake River: (A) yearling chinook and (B) steelhead 48 ............... 18. Survival of Snake River: (A) yearling chinook and (B) steelhead 49 ...................... 19. Travel time, in days, vs flow in John Day Pool ............... ........................ 50 20. Smolt-to-adult (SAR) return of spring chinook and mean flow at Lower Granite Dam (April 20-May 30) for (A) Rapid River Hatchery and (B) Marsh Creek releases 1977-1987 52 .... 21. Snake River wild/natural "B' steelhead passage as a function of average September flow and temperature. ........................................................ 54 iv LIST OF TABLES Pa2e 1. Maximum consumption rates (smolts/predator/dav ) of northern squawfish upon @ salmonid prey at various temperatures ............................................ ')o 2. Fish flow in recommendations, kcfs: minimum instantaneous/dailv average 44 .................. v SUMMARY The anadromous salmon the Columbia of River Basin are: chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawYcha), coho (0. kisutch), sockeye (0. nerka), chum (0. keta) salmon, and stcelhead (0. mykiss). They have evolved over millennia to migrate from fresh water to salt water habitats in the higher water velocities that occurred during spring freshets. Part physiological of their transition to prepare them for downstream migration and saltwater entry includes a decrease in swimming ability, which aids rapid migration to salt water during the high velocities of the spring freshets. The timing of changes in physiological condition and higher flows combine to form a "biological window". This biological window is a limited time period during which a fish has the optimum physiological capability to survive the transition to salt water. The development the hydroelectric of system on the Columbia and Snake rivers dramatically increased the cross-sectional the river, area of decreasing the water velocities which occurred Nvith the natural runoff. In addition, the operation the hydroelectric of system shifted naturally high spring flows to the fall and winter months. The construction of mainstem hydroelectric projects also resulted in site specific project passage mortalities