of the Okanogan Rivero It is over 10 miles long and has three forks abovs 

 the lower 2 miles o During the summer all of the stream flow is diverted.,, 

 leaving the lower water course dry. This creek is of no value for ans=- 

 dromous fisho 



20c Wespelem River c-- (April 26, 1937g Jobes and BaltzOo) This 

 streajn joins the Columbia approximately 15 miles below Grand 'Coulee Damo 

 It is 25 miles long and flows through a narrow canyon in a rugged hilly 

 areao The watershed is typically arid, and the gradient is moderate to 

 steep. During the spring high-water period the Columbia River backs up 

 into the ^espelem for over ZOO yards© The stream flow was measured at 

 38 CofoS There is an 8 foot falls 2,100 yards above the mouth that is 

 passable to fish only vrith considerable di:f^f iculty. There is an impass = 

 able 15 foot high falls 50 yards above, and the survey was concluded at 

 a 55 foot falls located 2 50 yards farther up stream. Two steelhead were 

 seen below the falls, but ho salmon runs are reported. There is little 

 spawning area below the falls, and the stream is of little value as a 

 fish producer. 



PART 2 



YAKIMA RIVER SYSTEM 



Introduction 



The Yakima River is one of the largest tributaries of the Columbia 

 River© Its drainage area is 5,000 square mileso Prior to the settla<= 

 ment and development of the Yakima Valley this river system was unquestion^ 

 ably a tremendous fish producer, owing to the extensive spawning and rearing 

 areas for chinook, silver, and blueback salmon as well as steeslhead troutw 



The construction of irrigation dams made large sections of spawning 

 area inaccessible and resulted in the extermination of the 'bluebaci: salmon 

 populations. The extensive diversions of water for irrigation resulted 

 in such serious losses of dovmstream migrating fingerlings that the aban= 

 dance level of the runs decreased to only a fraction of their former sise. 

 In addition to the losses of fingerlings down unscreened diversions there 

 was a loss of both seaward migrants and adults as a result of low flows 

 caused by the diversion of water. 



Within the past two decades all of the major and many of the minor 

 diversions have been s creened, and some attempt has been made to provide 

 increased flows through release of stored water during critical periods of 

 fish migrationo Because of this screening program put into effect by the 

 State and Federal fishery agencies, the Yakima is still an important fish 

 producer, and has considerable potential value. 



16 



