By the OGJ Online Staff
HOUSTON, Apr. 4�Facing the potential for power shortages, federal agencies will not release water through spillways at dams in the US Northwest to assist juvenile salmon in their spring migration to the sea.
Spilled water can�t be used to generate electricity, and that is a critical consideration this year, which is shaping up as the driest or second-driest on record in the region, according to the Northwest Power Planning Council.
Water spills at dams and river flow targets, both of which are intended to help threatened and endangered species of salmon and steelhead migrate to the ocean, are recommended by the National Marine Fisheries Service in its 2000 Biological Opinion on dam operations. But exceptions are permitted during emergency conditions.
During years with normal rainfall, hydropower accounts for about 70% of Washington state's electricity. Low water levels have cut deeply into available supplies and led to fears the region could be faced with blackouts this summer and next winter.
The hydro system will be operated without spill for at least 2 weeks. Water saved by not spilling is sufficient to generate 1,000 Mw�enough to serve a city the size of Seattle, the Bonneville Power Administration said.
BPA acting administrator Steve Wright called the decision �very painful,� but said it was necessary because the drought has put the reliability of the region�s electricity system in peril.
�The Northwest faces one of the driest years in over 70 years of record,'' said Wright. �Current estimates are that natural stream flow at The Dalles will be roughly half of average. Spilling water now will worsen the shortage and drive electricity prices up even higher.''
In an operational plan to be released Apr. 13, the federal agencies will describe what levels of spill may be available for spring and summer migrants over the April-August period. The four-state Northwest Power Planning Council has determined the region will be short of electricity this spring and fall, unless steps are taken immediately to both reduce demand and conserve water in the Columbia River.
Larry Cassidy, chairman of the Northwest Power Planning Council, said the region could lose nearly 8,000 Mw of electricity, if the full spill and flow program outlined in the biological opinion is implemented. He estimated replacement power could cost $1.4 billion.
The council has estimated curtailing all bypass spill would be enough to generate 1,600-1,700 Mw in April; 2,200-2,500 Mw in May; 2,300-2,600 Mw in June; 1,700-1,850 Mw in July; and 1,300-1,600 Mw in August.
Earlier this year, the council, whose members include Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, asked the federal river and dam operating agencies to include the organization in discussions about how to operate Columbia and Snake river dams this spring and summer during the ongoing power crisis.
BPA said the National Marine Fisheries Service concluded not spilling will decrease the fish survival rate 0-15%, depending on the stock and the proportion that can be transported by barge and truck. For Snake River stocks, which can be transported in high numbers, the additional mortality is only 0-2%, it said.