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1995 COLUMBIA RIVER SPILL IMPLEMENTATION 



• SPILL IS BEING IMPLEMENTED ACCORDING TO : 



TERMS OF THE 1995 NMFS BIOLOGICAL OPINION 



STATE VARIANCE ON DISSOLVED GAS STANDARDS 



*120% TAILRACE - 115% FOREBAY OVER 12 HOUR PERIOD WITH 125% 

 INSTANTANEOUS MAXIMUM 



SYSTEM WIDE PHYSICAL MONITORING OF DISSOLVED GAS LEVELS 



SYSTEM WIDE BIOLOGICAL MONITORING OF GAS BUBBLE SYMPTOMS 



'ACTION LEVELS TO REDUCE SPILL, 15% OF FISH EXHIBIT ANY BUBBLES ON 

 UNPAIRED FINS OR 5% OF FISH EXHIBIT BUBBLES COVERING 25% OF THE 

 SURFACE OF AN UNPAIRED FIN. 



' ACTION LEVEL TO REDUCE SPILL WHEN ANY MONITORED ADULT FISH 

 EXHIBITS GAS BUBBLE SYMPTOMS. 



• THE PHYSICAL MONITORING PROGRAM 

 DISSOLVED GAS LEVELS ARE MONITORED BY THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS 



CONTINUAL MONITORING IS CONDUCTED IN THE TAILRACE AND FOREBAY OF EACH 

 PROJECT 



REDUNDANT AND BACK UP MONITORS ARE ALSO OPERATED 



GAS LEVELS ARE RECORDED AT EACH SITE 4 TIMES PER HOUR 



RIVER TRANSECT DATA IS COLLECTED IN CONJUNCTION WITH RESEARCH 



BIOLOGICAL MONITORING 



MONITORING PLAN WAS ESTABLISHED BY DISSOLVED GAS TECHNICAL WORK GROUP 

 AND ON THE BASIS OF RESEARCH RESULTS 



OCCURS AT ALL MAINSTEM DAMS WHERE SAMPLING TAKES PLACE 



ADULT SAMPLING TAKES PLACE AT LOWER GRANITE AND BONNEVILLE DAMS 



RESEARCH SAMPLES FISH IN THE RESERVOIRS 



SAMPLING CRITERIA IS BASED UPON RESEARCH RESULTS 



EXTERNAL LATERAL LINE AND PAIRED FINS ARE EXAMINED, ALL SITES 



GILLS ARE EXAMINED AT THREE SITES AND THE RESERVOIRS 



RESULTS OF PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL MONITORING 1995 



DISSOLVED GAS HAS EXCEEDED THE STATE STANDARDS AT SOME SITES, DUE 

 PRIMARILY TO UNCONTROLLED SPILL RESULTING FROM HIGH RIVER FLOWS AND 

 TURBINE OUTAGES RATHER THAN THE FISH SPILL PROGRAM 



BIOLOGICAL MONITORING HAS SHOWN THAT THE ESTABLISHED ACTION LEVELS HAVE 

 NOT BEEN REACHED 



RESERVOIR SAMPLING HAS NOT DOCUMENTED FISH WITH SYMPTOMS 



DAM SAMPLING HAS DOCUMENTED LESS THAN .7% FISH WITH SYMPTOMS 



' PAIRED AND UNPAIRED FINS, GILL LAMELLAE, DAM AND RESERVOIR SITES 



NET PEN RESEARCH BELOW BONNEVILLE AND ICE HARBOR IS SHOWING ANTICIPATED 

 LEVELS OF RESPONSE BASED ON DISSOLVED GAS LEVEL AND EXPOSURE TIME 



ADULT SAMPLING HAS NOT SHOWN FISH WITH DISSOLVED GAS SYMPTOMS 



OVERALL THE CONDITION AND MOVEMENT OF THE FISH MIGRATION IN RESPONSE TO 

 THE SPILL PROGRAM HAS BEEN EXCELLENT 



