230 



DRAFT 



"Since 1964. . . and through 1990 a total of 525, 000 steelhead smolts were 

 saved [referencing live box catches on 29 fish screen bypasses in the 

 John Day system]. If the 300 total screens divert fish at a similar rate to 

 the 29 sampled screens, this would equate to over 5.5 million steelhead 

 smolts saved by the fish screens operated on the John Day River". 



The logic used to estimate 5.5 million steelhead smolts saved by screening ([300/29] • 

 535,000 = 5,534,482) has a significant problem. The authors assume that any given 

 fish is caught only once in any of the 29 traps, when in fact, any given fish could be 

 trapped many times as it moves downstream past more and more diversions. If each 

 fish was caught twice, their 5.5 million fish estimate would be cut in half. If each fish 

 was caught five times, the estimate would be reduced by 80% to approximately one 

 million fish. 



"Oregon has relatively strict and straightforward regulations on fish 

 screen protection (ORS 498. 248 and ORS 509. 615). These statutes 

 require that water diverters provide and maintain screens. . . at owner 

 expense... the solution does not appear to require additional regulation, 

 but rather enforcement. Funding for enforcement. . . appears to be the 

 major problem' . 



The authors are unaware of substantial statutory changes that occurred in the fish 

 screening laws nearly two years ago. The statutory provisions they cite were debated 

 during the 1991 Oregon Legislative Session and were significantly amended effective 

 July I, 1991. 



House Bill 3457 created a new cost-sharing program for fish screening which includes 

 an implementation schedule for 3100 of the 3240 water diversions identified for 

 screening. The new law specifically prohibits the Department from requiring water 

 diverters to screen their diversions unless it is under the provisions of the new program. 



Page 60, 2.1.6. Effectiveness of Fish Screens 



"ODFW approach velocity criteria are 0.5 _^s for fry and l.OJpsfor 

 fingerlings (Pearce and Lee, 1991). " 



The velocity criteria cited by the authors (from a document that is not listed in the 

 references) is outdated and is not currently being applied by ODFW. For the past 

 several years, ODFW has been using approach velocity criteria of 0.4 fps for fry and 

 0.8 fps for fingerlings. 



Page 61, 2.1.7. Downstream Juvenile Passage - Mainstem Columbia-Snake 

 Projects 



"Maximum hydraulic generating efficiency for vertical axis Kaplan 

 turbines at most Columbia-Snake projects is 90-92 percent. " 



A-24 



