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OPAL SPRINGS FISH PASSAGE UPDATE
Agreement Reached on Opal Springs Dam Fish Passage.
Agreement would open more than 100 miles of fish habitat on Crooked River.
 The Deschutes Valley Water District (DVWD), owner and operator of Opal Springs Dam, has recently reached a Settlement Agreement with the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Trout Unlimited concerning fish passage at the Opal Springs Hydroelectric Project. This agreement establishes a path forward for the voluntary installation and operation of a fish ladder by the project operator.
About the Project:
Opal Springs Dam is located on the Crooked River, a tributary to the Deschutes River, near Bend, Oregon. The dam is located at river mile 7, just upstream from the confluence of the Crooked River and the Deschutes River, which meet at Lake Billy Chinook.
The Opal Springs diversion and impoundment was originally constructed in the 1920 for purposes of providing mechanical lifting power to deliver Opal Springs water to the District’s service area. In 1982 the District received a 50 year license from FERC to expand the project and increase hydropower production. Fish passage was not required as a part of this 1982 FERC license. The license expires in 2032.
Need for Fish Passage:
The Opal Springs Dam currently serves as a complete barrier to upstream migration, blocking access by migrating fish to the entire lower Crooked River subbasin. Providing passage around the dam at Opal Springs will provide access to approximately 108 miles of upstream habitat.
Until recently, this barrier impacted extant populations of native redband and migratory bull trout, as anadromous fish have been unable to migrate beyond Portland General Electric’s (PGE) Pelton Round Butte Dam complex lower on the Deschutes system. However, as a part the recent relicensing of the Pelton Project, PGE is undertaking a reintroduction program to restore populations of salmon and steelhead to the system above their project.
In light of this reintroduction, populations of steelhead and chinook salmon will soon be returning to the Upper Deschutes Basin, looking to migrate into upstream habitat on the Crooked River for the first time in more than 40 years. Addressing fish passage at Opal Springs has become increasingly viewed as a critical step in ensuring the success of this reintroduction effort. Fish passage at the project would restore connectivity between the Crooked and Deschutes rivers for the redband and migratory bull trout populations, as well as populations of salmon and steelhead returning as part of the reintroduction program.
Key Elements of the Settlement Agreement:
- Volitional Passage System (Fish ladder): The agreement includes construction and operation of a volitional upstream fish ladder with design criteria aimed at supporting safe, timely and effective passage of steelhead, Chinook, bull trout and resident trout populations (redband).
- Pool Raise / Water Bank: The agreement contemplates raising the existing elevation by up to an additional 6 feet. This will allow for improved power generation and will simultaneously allow for more flexible management of water to help aid in fish passage as needed.
- Monitoring and Evaluation: The agreement sets performance standards for passage success and includes a M&E plan for assessing the performance of the facilities.
- Adaptive Management: The agreement includes a tiered adaptive management framework for evaluating the M&E results and for triggering identified additional measures or responsive actions as needed based upon those results.
- Fish Work Group: The settlement parties will have the opportunity to advise and contribute to decision making during implementation of the agreement. Trout Unlimited will be a part of this work group.
Next Steps:
The settlement parties have agreed to work together to help raise a portion of the funds needed to construct the project as called for in the agreement. There is a two-year period provided to secure this funding. If funds are secured in that time, the project owner will submit the agreement to FERC as the basis for a proposed amendment to their existing license. If funding is not secured by that time, the parties will work together to determine next steps. Once the agreement is filed with FERC, FERC will open a license amendment proceeding, which will include public review and comment periods for members of the public to weigh in along with parties to the settlement, who will offer support for the settlement agreement.
On December 21, 2011, DVWD filed an Initial Consultation Document with FERC (available for review at http://www.longviewassociates.com/opalsprings.html), which is the start to three-stage consultation preparing for the FERC amendment application. A Joint Meeting is being scheduled for February 7, 2012. The meeting will be held at the Culver Fire Hall at 2:00 pm
Joint Meeting on Opal Springs Passage Amendment
Culver Fire Hall, 200 SW 1st Street, Culver Oregon
February 7, 2012 -- 2:00pm
Future of the Crooked River:
This agreement, if implemented, will re-establish migration between the Deschutes and Crooked River systems. This agreement will serve as a significant first step toward reestablishing populations in the upstream areas. This agreement will allow operator, agencies, and the public to watch and learn about the behavior and responses of fish to this project, allowing for the development of necessary information and experience to help inform adaptive management decisions as the project matures and to better inform the relicensing process in 2032.
For additional information you can read the attachments at the bottom of this article, and please contact Kate Miller at (503) 827-5700 x. 16, or kmiller@tu.org with any additional questions you may have. Additional information also available at the following websites: http://www.longviewassociates.com/opalsprings.html http://www.dvwd.org/
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