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of summer flows essential for salmon survival, rather than risk 

 reduced generation of valuable winter power. To make matters 

 worse, the federal agencies simply failed to provide more than 40 

 percent of the already deficient Snake River budget until 1990. 



The lesson from this failure is clear. To rebuild salmon 

 stocks, the federal agencies must provide what fish need — a 

 firm level of flow or velocity in spring and summer high enough 

 to ensure timely downstream migration for salmon, not a 

 compromise of a compromise. Unfortunately, the Power Council 

 still has not acted fully on that lesson. In 1990, it declined 

 to set flow or travel time objectives. It called instead for a 

 combination of flows and drawdowns that could, if fully 

 implemented, meet adequate flow targets. The agencies have 

 implemented the budget, but nothing more. The new budget could 

 achieve 220,000 cubic feet per second, the lowest Columbia River 

 flow target acceptable to the fish agencies, in only about half 

 of the historic vears of record and would rarely provide more 

 adequate flows. The agencies face no penalty or requirement to 

 take alternative steps if they fail to carry out the reservoir 

 drawdowns that are essential to fulfilling the promise of the 

 plan. In short, the Strategy as presently configured lacks 

 strong incentives for compliance. 



Most of the weaknesses described above primarily effect Strategy 

 implementation, not the integrity of the measures it contains. 

 If the federal agencies were to implement the Strategy with 

 diligence in its present form, I believe the region would be well 

 on the way to rebuilding beleaguered salmon stocks. 



Recommendation: Take steps to ensure adequate flow or travel- 

 time objectives. 



2. Is implementation of the Strategy for Salmon on track for 

 timely completion? How well are federal and state agencies 

 coordinating their activities with each other and with the 

 Council to achieve timely implementation? 



Bonneville and the Bureau met the "immediate" requirements for 

 flows in the Salmon Strategy this year. However, neither the 

 Council, the National Marine Fisheries Service, other fish 

 agencies and tribes, nor even the operating agencies view those 

 flows as adequate to rebuild the stocks. The Bureau is unlikely 

 to be able to provide the same flows in some dry years without 

 taking additional steps. The agencies are far behind schedule in 

 implementation of other river operation changes critical to 

 success of the Strategy. 



Specifically, the agencies have made little voluntary progress 

 toward implementing a prototype Lower Snake reservoir drawdown, 

 despite the lack of any evidence of infeasibility. Nor have they 

 made headway in the schedule for lowering the John Day pool . The 



