August 20, 2002

Environmental Watch: BPA buys 308 acres for fish habitat

CLE ELUM -- The Bonneville Power Administration has purchased 308 acres at the confluence of the Cle Elum and Yakima rivers to benefit summer steelhead and bull trout.

The land, purchased from land company Sapphire Skies for $2 million, contains wetlands, side channels, mature cottonwood trees and old growth Douglas fir, all of which help provide spawning and rearing habitat for the fish, the BPA said.

Both summer steelhead and bull trout are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

In a statement, BPA administrator Steve Wright said, "The Sapphire Skies property acquisition is an example of a project selected over other measures because of its scientific merit and cost effectiveness during these tight financial times."

Because of the wild power market swings over the past year, BPA is projecting a possible deficit of up to $1 billion by 2006. Environmental advocates are worried that the power agency will abandon its spending on habitat restoration and land acquisition to mitigate the impacts of hydroelectric dam operation.

Martin joins Adolfson as planner

SEATTLE -- Adolfson Associates Inc. has hired Karmen Martin as a project planner.

Martin has over seven years experience in Western Washington working on state and federal environmental assessments, the Endangered Species Act and shoreline restoration and protection.

Based in Seattle, Adolfson Associates also has an office in Portland. The firm, founded in 1987, specializes in natural resource management, planning and environmental evaluations.

Luncheon to include hatchery tour

ISSAQUAH -- The East King County Convention and Visitors Bureau will hold its annual membership luncheon at the revamped Issaquah fish hatchery.

After being threatened with closure nearly 10 years ago, the 70-year-old hatchery has been remodeled to provide environmental and historical education about salmon and the environment.

The program will include presentations by the Friends of Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (FISH) and an overview of local salmon restoration projects. Special guests include Steve Bell, executive director of FISH; Suzanne Suther, director of the Issaquah Chamber of Commerce; and Issaquah Mayor Ava Frisinger.

The event will be held Tuesday, Sept. 10, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The $16 cost includes a "gourmet picnic box lunch." The deadline for registration is Friday, Sept. 6. The event will be held outdoors, rain or shine.

Eugene utility spends $40M on fish work

LEABURG, Ore. (AP) -- Migrating fish in the McKenzie River soon will have an easier time navigating past a dam and hydropower plan between Leaburg and Walterville as a result of $40 million in upgrades now under way.

A new fish ladder at Leaburg Dam, a state-of-the-art fish screen in the Walterville Canal and other improvements will make passage less treacherous for native Chinook salmon and bull trout, which the federal government has listed as threatened species.

The work will continue next summer. It also could help summer steelhead, a non-native species in the river supported primarily by hatcheries.

Eugene Water & Electric Board also will replace turbines that generate electricity, remodel and automate the powerhouses on the Leaburg and Walterville canals, raise the level of Leaburg Lake to increase power generation, and add trails and other recreation attractions.

Most of the work is required in exchange for renewing EWEB's 40-year federal license to operate the Walterville and Leaburg power plants, built in 1911 and 1930 respectively. The plants provide about 6 percent of Eugene's electricity.

When the upgrades are completed, adult fish traveling upriver will be far less likely to get sidetracked in the canals, where they can lose precious time in the pursuit of upriver spawning beds.

The new fish ladder at Leaburg Dam also will help fish swim over the dam.

For salmon fry coming downstream, a revamped screen at the head of the Leaburg Canal and a new $7 million screen on the Walterville Canal will deflect the small fish from the turbines and send them back to the river.

Trade association to pay for DEQ study

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- A special interest group has offered to pay the state Department of Environmental Quality up to $126,000 for the staff required to revise Oregon's rules on water clarity in rivers and streams.

The DEQ says the agreement with the Northwest Pulp and Paper Association is legal, but conservationists say it constitutes a conflict of interest.

The association wants the state to review and potentially revise its water quality standards, particularly the 25-year-old turbidity standard, said Llewellyn Matthews, association executive director.

"We had hoped that the DEQ would have had the resources itself to keep the standards updated," she said. "Frankly, the budget situation is such that the DEQ can't take on the work unless there are some resources to cover it."

The state Receipts Authority Act of 1997 allows the department to accept payments to "expedite or enhance a regulatory process." In the past five years, a handful of businesses and manufacturers have paid the agency to speed work on wastewater pollution permits.

But the agreement with the pulp and paper association marks the first time the agency will accept payment to review a water quality standard, Matthews said.

The department will use the money it receives from the pulp and paper industry to hire staff to survey other states' turbidity standards and to investigate scientific research about turbidity and its effects on aquatic life.

The DEQ will not put any money into the project, but Matthews said she didn't think staff would feel beholden to the interest group because of the funding situation.

Conservationists, however, are upset by the agreement, which they say is a veil for loosening water quality standards.

Eight conservationist groups wrote to DEQ Director Stephanie Hallock this week in protest. Giving the industry the right to pull its funding with little notice gives industry officials significant control over the process, they said.

"The NWPPA has repeatedly advocated for less protective water quality standards," said Brent Foster, attorney for Willamette Riverkeeper, a conservation group based in Portland.

DEQ officials emphasized that any proposed revision of the turbidity standard would be reviewed by the agency's water quality advisory committee, which includes members from conservation groups, as well as from industry and local government.