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»8lle S/Sa'SS Pag« 5 



We are cx)noem0d that the NMFS pfopcsed plan recommefxM: 3prinfl 

 Itows as th* highest priority tor use of avajlaW« reaefvoir storage. TTte NMFS 

 plan rsle^atos wfiat w« be^idve to be the highest pfionty. the use of readfvoir 

 storage tor augmentation in tti© summer, to 'conserving som0 water for flow 

 augmentation tn July and Auguat." 



The Recovery Team has recomrrwnded trtat first priority be grven to 

 augrr^r^tirtg flows in the summer to axj taS chinook saimon juveniles because: 

 {1 ) there is son^ evidence that flows oi 50 kefs aid fish (lA^ng throogh the 

 reservoirs tn the summer. (2) flows are fikefy to be betow 50 kefs durtr^g mtx:h of 

 Xt>6 summer mtgratlcn season in y«are w<th average or bebw average runoff, (3) 

 ftows during the spring migr^on are lx3th coaler and Wgher tftfibn in summer and 

 (4) thte warm reeervoir temperature6 m the sumnner ccukj be redLK:ed by drafting 

 cooler wa»r from reservoir st^age. There is evtdeoce thei flows may be 

 adequate during the spring rrvgration in most years and that much of the water 

 that is currentJy drafted in the spring ccuko t>e bener used to berwftt adults and 

 fail Chinook juvenj tea in the summer. Only in y«rs of extremety tow runoff woukJ 

 s^nifkarrt amounts of augmentation be needed in the spring. 



We beheve the NMFS Plan for use of stoned water in augment (towe is not 

 ade<^iateiy deecrS^ed. We agree with the genefEd goai of using flew 

 augmertation to attempt to incrBase survivai, but when arid how much to 

 augnr«nt Is tefi to the Techrttcal Managenwnt Team (TMT) with urxdear guidance 

 on priorities, irrterpretatton of inconsietent necommendations and application of 

 flow obfectives. Row augmentation in the spring stVDuJd be rt^intonized and used, 

 if needed, primarily during the teter part of April and May virhen most of the 

 saimcn and steetwad are moving downstream. If targe numbers of Chinook 

 amve at U^vtrer Grar»te Dam in April and flows are bw, It may be r^ecessafy to 

 augment flows untif natural runoff increases. The Te^n racomfrteods thai ttie 

 highest phorrty for tfie use of the water In Oworshak Reservoir shoukj be for tali 

 Chinook in late June, July and August For this reason, the Team reoommerrts 

 that hiMFS nrtaximize the r«fHI probabiity for [Xvorshaic Reservoir so thact the fuU 

 storage cap^Qiuty is available <Juring the summer. 



