27 



100,000 acre-feet of their own water, in August. The combined effect in the lower 

 Columbia River of the reservoir releases more than doubled from 1991 to 1993. The 

 totals being about 4.5 million, 8.0 million, and 10.5 million acre-feet respectively in 1991, 

 1992, and 1993. 



Special flows from Libby dam were made available for two weeks in June in a test to 

 determine if the Kootenai River white sturgeon would spawn While final test results are 

 still being evaluated, the extra 400,000 acre-feet of water made available for the test did 

 resuh in two eggs being recovered by researchers from the Idaho Department of Fish and 

 Game and the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho. The test demonstrated that spawning did occur 

 and the information gathered will be used in future operations. 



Other reservoir operations were also modified to improve flows. The four lower Snake 

 River reservoirs (Lower Granite, Little Goose, Lower Monumental, Ice Harbor) remain 

 drawn down to within 1 foot of minimum operating pool where they have been since 

 April 1 and are expected to remain through October. The John Day Reservoir was also 

 drawn down to near minimum irrigation pool. 



Additional juvenile migration enhancement measures included spill at Ice Harbor, John 

 Day (per the 1993 Fisheries Service's Biological Opinion), The Dalles, and Bonneville 

 dams. At Ice Harbor, spill was increased above levels called for under the Fish Spill 

 Memorandum of Agreement of 1989 and was extended through August. We also 

 developed guidelines helping to ensure that any fish passing through the turbines would 

 face as Uttle mortality as possible. 



In total, the operations for 1993, including flows, met or exceeded both the standards of 

 the Fisheries Service Biological Opinion and the Council's Strategy for Salmon. 



