Phase I Assessment Report Storage Dam Fish Passage Study Yakima Project, Washington Technical Series No. PN-YDFP-001 U.S. Department of the Interior September 2003 Bureau of Reclamation Pacific Northwest Region Boise, Idaho Revised April 2005 U.S. Department of the Interior Mission Statement The mission of the Department of the Interior is to protect and provide access to our Nation’s natural and cultural heritage and honor our trust responsibilities to Indian tribes and our commitments to island communities. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Mission Statement The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation is to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public. Yakima Dams Fish Passage Assessment Goal Statement The goal of the Yakima Dams Fish Passage Assessment is to determine the feasibility of building fish passage facilities at Yakima Project storage dams, recommend construction where feasible, and develop and recommend alternatives at sites where passage is not feasible. This document should be cited as follows: Phase I Assessment Report, Storage Dam Fish Passage Study, Yakima Project, Washington, Technical Series No. PN-YDFP-001, Bureau of Reclamation, Boise, Idaho, February 2003. COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN RIVER MILE INDEX YAKIMA RIVER Xeche!;,; River Cle jm Hi"", WASHINGTON Middle Fork To""""o/ Ri~"f Kocl!es$ ,~ '!:!:-a;; ! Loke Rive No{!e= Cfuk 191.0 .,,,,,{"'I \/ Little Noch"s Rive, Norfh Ferll Man(J$f(lsll ene/( ~) Sfwth Fork ELLENSBURG Amertcan MaM!stosh Ct""" Riv;1r Norfh Fork W..nqs Creek Umfo",Jm Cre"k SW//l Ferk Bllmping Wenqs CrB 1/ Rive' Bumping Loke Sill/OW Cree" Tieton Reserlloir 50<1'" Fork Cawic"" Crt1fJII I~;::' ~;! 'II SOU'h Fod ril;!on River S(}JJfll Fork AMonum Cr8"k TOPPENISH rn SUNNYSIDE ao.4 EID [jj MABTON I:3Z3S1a·PMO·E 7·14·64 YAKIMA DAMS FISH PASSAGE PHASE I ASSESSMENT REPORT CONTENTS SUMMARY.............................................................................................................................Summary – 1 1. INTRODUCTION — PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND.................................................................1 1.1 Purpose.........................................................................................................................................1 1.2 Background..................................................................................................................................2 1.3 Fish Passage and Keechelus Safety of Dams Construction.........................................................4 1.4 Project-wide Assessment .............................................................................................................5 2. CURRENT PROJECT OPERATIONS ...............................................................................................7 2.1 Yakima Project Description.........................................................................................................7 2.2 Project Purposes...........................................................................................................................7 2.3 Water Supplies and Demands ......................................................................................................8 2.4 Operational Considerations and Constraints (CCs) ...................................................................10 2.5 Operating Seasons......................................................................................................................11 3. STORAGE FACILITIES, OPERATIONS, AND DESCRIPTIONS ................................................15 3.1 Overview....................................................................................................................................15 3.2 Snowpack, the “Sixth Reservoir” ..............................................................................................16 3.3 Reservoir Storage Carryover .....................................................................................................16 3.4 Keechelus Dam and Keechelus Lake.........................................................................................16 3.5 Kachess Dam and Kachess Lake ...............................................................................................18 3.6 Cle Elum Dam and Cle Elum Lake ...........................................................................................19 3.7 Bumping Lake Dam and Bumping Lake ...................................................................................20 3.8 Tieton Dam and Rimrock Lake .................................................................................................21 3.9 Clear Creek Dam and Clear Lake ..............................................................................................22 4. FISHERIES AND FISH PASSAGE CONSIDERATIONS ..............................................................25 4.1 Overview....................................................................................................................................25 4.2 Fish Species Affected by Yakima Storage Reservoirs ..............................................................26 4.3 Passage Timing Requirements for Upper Basin Fish Species...................................................28 4.4 Benefits of Providing Fish Passage ...........................................................................................30 5. TRIBUTARY HABITAT CONDITIONS.........................................................................................31 5.1 Overview....................................................................................................................................31 5.2 Tributary Habitat Conditions by Reservoir ...............................................................................32 i YAKIMA DAMS FISH PASSAGE PHASE I ASSESSMENT REPORT 6. PASSAGE CONCEPTS ....................................................................................................................37 6.1 Introduction................................................................................................................................37 6.2 Fish Passage Design Considerations..........................................................................................37 6.3 General Information...................................................................................................................38 6.4 Upstream Fish Passage Concepts ..............................................................................................39 6.5 Downstream Fish Passage Concepts..........................................................................................41 7. UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM FISH PASSAGE OPTIONS BY DAM................................47 7.1. Keechelus Dam – Upstream and Downstream Fish Passage Options.......................................48 7.2 Kachess Dam – Upstream and Downstream Passage Options ..................................................50 7.3 Cle Elum Dam – Upstream and Downstream Passage Options ................................................51 7.4 Bumping Lake Dam – Upstream and Downstream Passage Options........................................52 7.5 Tieton Dam – Upstream and Downstream Passage Options .....................................................54 8. DISCUSSION — INTEGRATING BIOLOGICAL, ENGINEERING, AND OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS.........................................................................................................................57 8.1 Findings .....................................................................................................................................57 8.2 Additional Issues and Concerns................................................................................................60 9. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................63 9.1 Conclusions................................................................................................................................63 9.2 Recommendations......................................................................................................................65 10. REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................67 10.1 Federal Agencies........................................................................................................................67 10.2 Other Agencies and Entities ......................................................................................................69 11. PARTICIPANTS ...............................................................................................................................71 12. GLOSSARY, ACRONYMS, ABBREVIATIONS............................................................................73 FIGURES There are figures and maps in Appendix B; there are drawings and figures in Appendix D. TABLES Table 2-1. Operating Periods and Seasons; Yakima River Basin 15-Month Operation Year..................11 Table 2-2. Yakima River Basin 15-Month Operation Year......................................................................13 Table 3-1. System Storage Capacity and Average Annual Runoff on September 30 ..............................15 Table 4-1. Fish Species Found in the Five Major Storage Reservoirs in the Yakima River basin...........27 ii YAKIMA DAMS FISH PASSAGE PHASE I ASSESSMENT REPORT Table 4-2. Upstream Migration or Passage Timing for