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flows for salmon, find ways to acquire at least another 1 million acre-feet of water in the 

 Snake River Basin to help salmon, explore an interatate agreement to protect augmented 

 flows from appropriation, and investigate other measures. 



The states have taken a number of steps to respond: 



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• Idaho, Washington and Oregon hav&taken temporary steps to cease (in Idaho's 

 case) or limit (in the case of Oregon and Washington) new water diversions in 

 anadromous fish areas. The states also have sought funding for additional 

 enforcement activities, with varying success. Washington has developed a 

 Trust Water Rights" program to protect conserved water so that it stays in the 

 stream to benefit fish and other instream uses. Oregon has adopted a more 

 protective water availability standard for new water permit applications. 



• The state water managers organized a Snake River Water Committee, which 

 has prepared a work plan to evaluate options for securing at least an additional 

 million acre-feet of water for salmon. The work plan is still awaiting 

 Bonneville funding. 



• Since early 1992, water managers of the four Northwest states have met 

 regulariy to discuss interstate a8p>ects of water management, the possibility of 

 an interstate agreement to protect salmon flows, and the need for a regional 

 water availability assessment. 



The Council asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take the lead in 

 coordinating water quality issues relating to Columbia River fish and wildlife. In response, 

 EPA completed a water quality summary report in June 1992. The report recommends 

 several steps to address water quality issues, including: coordinated, basin-wide data 

 management: research and evaluation on water quality problems affecting fish and wildlife, 

 and a project to address water temperatiue problems in the Grande Ronde River in Oregon. 

 Tlie EPA has continued to coordinate these activities tluough the Columbia River Water 

 Management Group. However, federal funding is needed to continue this work. 



These are beginning steps, on which we hope to build. We still are far from having 

 coordinated water administration of the Columbia-Snake system. Improved interstate 

 management and enforcement will require continuing commitments by the states, and 

 support from the fedend government. Issues remain regarding mainstem water availability, 

 the nature and extent of existing water diversions, the states' ability to protect fish flows 

 from diversion, and the role of market factors, conservation incentives and regulation in 

 increasing stream flows. Funding to help develop coordinated management and analytical 

 tools will be required. Changes in federal and state policy may be needed to provide and 

 protect increased flows for salmon. Progress in identifying and addressing water quality will 



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