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NFC: Fw: [currents] River Currents for the Week of May 12, 2000



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River News for the Week of May 12, 2000

LOWER SNAKE RIVER DAM REMOVAL: Vice President Al Gore has "carefully
stayed
quiet on an issue that has divided many of his Northwest supporters,"
reports the Portland Oregonian (5/8). The issue at question is the
removal
of the four federal dams on the Lower Snake River. Presidential candidate
Bush has made his opinion obvious - that "breaching as a foolhardy gamble
with the region's economy." The issue will no doubt surface between the
candidates when Gore and Bush visit Oregon for the May 16 primary. As
reports the Oregonian, Gore is the only major candidate to avoid making
his
opinion public concerning removal of the dams, and says that he doesn't
want
to second-guess federal studies investigating dam breaching, but rather
seeks a solution that protects both fish and the region's economy. The
issue
will play a pivotal role in who wins the states of Oregon and Washington
in
the presidential election.

In a related story, the Knight-Ridder/Tribune (5/10) reports that the
Columbia and Snake Rivers Campaign generated more than 200,000 comments
from
Americans who are in favor of dam removal, reportedly outnumbering those
who
want to keep the dams in place.

Finally, operators of some dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers are
spilling extra water over the dams to help juvenile salmon to stay away
from
the frequently lethal dam turbines. As reports the Idaho Statesman (5/8),
increased spill reduces the amount of electricity generated by the dams,
but
the loss is expected to be made up through high spring runoff. The
Bonneville Power Administration is conducting the program at the
direction
of the National Marine Fisheries Service, the agency which oversees
recovery
efforts for federally protected salmon and steelhead. Dam operators must
exercise care in increasing flows over the dams since increased water
over
the dams releases dissolved atmospheric gases into the river, which can
result in an often-fatal disease in the fish similar to the bends in
humans.

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HORSEPASTURE RIVER: The American Canoe Association and the American
Whitewater Association have sued the owners of property along the
Horsepasture River in North Carolina to guarantee public access and avoid
a
third straight summer of paddlers being ticketed and fined for using the
river. As reports the Morning Star (5/8), the organizations have filed
suit
against L.B.M. Industries, a rock quarry operator with property adjacent
to
the river. The company claims that since it owns the land on either side
of
the river, that it owns the waterway as well, and has blocked public
access
to that section. The organizations claim that the company violated
federal
and state law by not allowing access to public waterways. The company
plans
to vigorously fight the suit.

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LITTLE MIAMI RIVER: Fish in the Little Miami River, a national scenic
waterway in Ohio, are at risk, since up to 70% of the river's water comes
from sewage treatment plants, reports the Dayton Daily News (5/9). A
study
by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency says the Little Miami River
is
often "so full of the byproducts of drugs that pass through human systems
that its fish are mutating," as revealed by University of Cincinnati
research. Too much treated sewage and farm runoff in the water is
resulting
in fish suffering from stunted fins, open sores and sexual defects.
Increased development in the watershed and continued pollution continue
to
threaten the health of the watershed.

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DELAWARE RIVER: Dredging of the Delaware River continues to draw
opposition
as two New Jersey Republicans add their names to the list of members of
Congress demanding an investigation of the $311 million plan to deepen
the
river. As reports USA Today (5/9), Representatives Frank LoBiondo of
Vineland and Jim Saxton of Mt. Holly have asked the General Accounting
Office of the Congress to determine whether the plan to deepen the river
by
five feet is worth the money, and whether the Corps has accurately
calculated the costs and benefits. The project is scheduled to begin in
the
spring.

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NW SALMON SALE: Columbia River treaty tribes are preparing to sell spring
chinook salmon for the first time since 1977, thanks to one of the best
fish
runs in decades. A panel of state, tribal and federal officials recently
approved the first commercial season for salmon sales after the Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife, which originally predicted 134,000
upriver
spring chinook, revised its forecast to 165,000 fish. The increase is
partially credited to a cooler, more nutrient-rich Pacific Ocean, reports
the Idaho Statesman (5/9). During the worst year on record, 1995, only
10,195 spring chinook bound for the upper Columbia Basin entered the
Columbia River. State regulators expect tribes to catch a total of 10,000
to
11,000 fish, with 2,000 to 3,000 of those being sold to the public.
Conservationists seem to support the sale, since the majority of fish
were
born in hatcheries.

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ILLINOIS RIVER PROJECTS: Lt. Gov. Corrine Wood of Illinois is seeking up
to
2.5 billion in federal funds to match state funds directed toward funding
for the restoration of the Illinois River, reports the Peoria Journal
(5/8).
The voluntary state program is seeking to enhance transportation for the
river and its tributaries, improved water quality, protect farmland and
open
spaces, protect and restore of habitat, and provide economic
opportunities
for agriculture. Recently, Woods declined to comment on whether she
supports
expansion of locks on the Illinois River. That expansion is now under
study
by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

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MARYLAND WATERS: The state of Maryland is viewing the successful
restocking
of shad populations in state waters as a sign that general river health
is
improving. As reports the Washington Post (5/11), shad have been
restocked
in the Patuxent and Choptank rivers since 1994 by the state Department of
Natural Resources to compensate for years of pollution, overfishing and
dam
construction.

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HYDROPOWER RELICENSING: Pend Oreille Public Utility District No. 1 is
applying to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a new
operating license for Box Canyon Dam, a 60-megawatt hydroelectric
facility
located on the Pend Oreille River in Washington. The district is
proposing
to spend about $17.5 million in the next 4 to 5 years to improve the
dam's
turbines and generating equipment, increasing the plant's rated
generating
capacity to 88 megawatts.  The plant currently serves about 7,400
electricity customers in northeast Washington. As reports the Journal of
Business-Spokane (5/8), the upgrades would likely increase the survival
rates of fish passing through the dam with improvement of the turbines. A
50
year term is being requested by the district.

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HYDROPOWER AND THE COWLITZ RIVER: Salmon and steelhead might benefit from
a
recent proposal agreed to by Tacoma Power officials that aims to restore
their runs on the Cowlitz River. Under the agreement, the utility will be
allowed to continue operation of its two hydroelectric dams there for
another 40 years. As reports the Knight-Ridder (5/11), the plan would
cost
electric ratepayers more than $60 million over four decades, but won't
immediately increase the price of power. Some public interest groups such
as
Friends of the Cowlitz have not signed the agreement, with concerns that
the
terms don't go as far as they'd like to see to restore the fish. The
agreement is not final, and FERC has been asked to put off their review
of
licensing recommendations for two months so that attorneys for all
involved
can draft a formal plan.

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NORTH PLATTE RIVER: A settlement has been reached between the states of
Wyoming and Nebraska after 13 years of litigation on how to monitor the
division of water from the North Platte River. Additional talks will be
necessary to iron out details, however, but the decision comes just as
the
states were to begin trial on the issue. According to the AP (5/11), the
agreement will "monitor and control the flow of the river to the benefit
of
both parties."

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