68 



region proceed on the expectation that these measures will be implemented unless 

 shown to be structurally or economicedly infeaslble. biologically imprudent, or 

 otherwise inconsistent with the Northwest Power Act. The Council initiated two 

 major ainalytlcal efforts on drawdowns. First, the Council established a drawdown 

 committee, which oversees the Corps' investigation of John Day and Lower Snake 

 drawdowns. Second, the Corps, National Marine Fisheries Service and others are 

 designing a biological test of the lower Snake drawdown, tentatively scheduled for 

 1996. The Council intends to review the results of these intensive plcmning efforts 

 this year. 



These additional measures could be expensive and controversial. We 

 cautioned that a business-as-usual approach means the region will face too many 

 unnecessary delays in the implementation of these measures, unless ongoing 

 evaluation precludes such implementation. The measures could take years or 

 even decades unless the region adopts more creative and aggressive means to 

 obtain required evaluation and monitoring information, and make the essential 

 preparations for action. It is important to keep in mind that, without these 

 measures, it appears highly unlikely that the region can rebuild ssdmon 

 populations to the levels called for in the Council's Strategy. 



We are encouraged that the Recovery Team recommended many of the 

 immediate downstream survival improvements called for in our Strategy. The 

 Team's recommendations for continued flow augmentation, improvements in 

 transportation and careful assessment of bypass alternatives are compatible with 

 our Strategy emd fit well with previously discussed efforts underway in this area. 

 However, the Team is equivocal on certain improvements. We believe the region 

 needs to overcome institutional inertia on additioned mainstem survival measures 

 if we are to get off the Endangered Species Act treadmill. 



The Team omitted a measure that is in our Strategy — investigation of the 

 drawdown of Lake Umatilla, the reservoir behind John Day Dam. Because the 

 region has not chosen an exclusive transportation path over in-river migration, 

 the ability to operate John Day Dam at its minimum operating pool could benefit 

 non-transported Snake River salmon and Columbia FUver migreints as well. 

 Omitting John Day drawdown firom a salmon rehabilitation effort at this time is 

 inappropriate. 



16 



