Jan. 10, 2014: Federal agencies and their partners have finalized the 2014-2018 FCRPS BiOp Implementation Plan, outlining specific actions that will be taken to protect Columbia River Basin salmon and steelhead under NOAA Fisheries' biological opinion for operation of the federal hydropower dams on the lower Columbia and Snake rivers.
The Implementation Plan shows that actions identified and described by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Bonneville Power Administration – collectively known as the Action Agencies – in hydro, habitat, hatcheries, predation management and research, monitoring and evaluation will meet BiOp targets by 2018.
|
| q The IP sets out specific 2014-2018 tributary and habitat projects to reach BiOp requirements to benefit fish by 2018. The Comprehensive Evaluation showed that many of the BiOp requirements have already been met. In the next five years, we will implement projects as needed to meet them all.
|
| Wild steelhead returned just months after habitat improvements were made in Idaho's Yankee Fork . Fry were spotted a few months later. | |
| q It sets out a testing framework and timeline for assessing the progress of the FCRPS dams in meeting the BiOp performance standards for juvenile fish dam passage survival. It includes a plan for additional structural improvements at the dams through 2018. |  |
| | Spillway weirs at McNary Dam (first and third spillbays from the right) allow juvenile fish to pass the dam at the surface of the water, where they typicallly swim. |
It identifies specific actions to address key emerging issues that the Comprehensive Evaluation identified, including cormorant predation in the estuary, estuary habitat implementation, and adult fish survival through the hydrosystem.