Welcome to the Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. These weekly reports present the conditions on the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers via graphs, analyses, and stories. The reports track the rivers as they become too hot for migrating salmon, as well as the adult return of each individual salmon species.

Below are all the available reports from 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2016.

2024 

HOT WATER REPORT #12 - September 17 - In this final Hot Water Report issue, we will summarize this year’s high water temperatures in the lower Snake and Columbia reservoirs and the number of days each of the reservoirs experienced above the 68°F threshold. Issue 12 will provide a brief update from the Nez Perce Tribe’s Department of Fisheries Resources Management on the Quasi-Extinction Threshold for Spring/summer Chinook salmon and steelhead. Given the current returns for wild Snake River Spring/Summer Chinook, steelhead, and sockeye, these fish are far closer to extinction than recovery. 

HOT WATER REPORT #11 - September 9 - Welcome to the eleventh issue of the Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Click here for an update on current water temperatures in the lower Snake River from August 30 - September 9. In Issue 11, we will report on endangered Southern Resident orcas and the urgency to restore the lower Snake River through dam removal to bring salmon back to abundance along with restoring salmon habitats across the Columbia-Snake River Basin, and protecting marine habitats in order to protect Southern Residents from extinction.

HOT WATER REPORT #10 - August 30 - Welcome to the tenth issue of the Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Click here for an update on current water temperatures in the lower Snake River from August 24 - August 29. In Issue 10, Miles Johnson, Legal Director for Columbia Riverkeeper uncovers the critical role of the Clean Water Act in addressing dams’ hot water pollution to protect endangered salmon and steelhead from extinction and enable their recovery. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers now must put forward a new plan that examines all possible ways to cool the lower Snake River.

HOT WATER REPORT #9 - August 26 - Welcome to the ninth issue of the Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Click here for an update on current water temperatures in the lower Snake River from August 17 - August 23. In Issue 9, we report on toxic algal blooms recently found on the lower Snake River and tested positive for a liver toxin that is harmful to people and the river ecosystem and lethal to pets. These ‘blooms’ are visible across approximately 50 miles in two lower Snake reservoirs, and are expected to persist and expand in the months ahead. 

HOT WATER REPORT #8 - August 19 - Welcome to the eighth issue of the Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Click here for an update on current water temperatures in the lower Snake River from August 8 - August 16. In Issue 8, Idaho Rivers United reports on the current status of adult wild Snake River Spring/Summer Chinook, steelhead, and sockeye. Despite decades of effort and many billions of dollars in recovery spending, these fish remain on the edge of extinction. Wild fish return as adults today at just 0.1-2% of historic levels - far, far below their historic and recovery levels.

HOT WATER REPORT #7 - August 9 - Welcome to the seventh issue of the Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Click here for an update on current water temperatures in the lower Snake River from August 1 - August 7. Read more on how the lower Snake River dams’ energy production is limited and as climate change worsens, the dams will only become more unreliable, especially during summer and winter demands, and will remain costly to maintain and operate the four dams.

HOT WATER REPORT #6 - August 1 - Welcome to the sixth issue of the Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Click here for an update on current water temperatures in the lower Snake River from July 25 - July 31. Read more on how adult salmon and steelhead must migrate through eight dams and their lethally hot water reservoir and fish ladders. Hot water flowing in fish ladders at each dam cause salmon and steelhead to stop or substantially slow their migration, severely reducing their ability to complete their journey and spawn.

HOT WATER REPORT #5 - July 25th - Welcome to the fifth issue of the Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Click here for an update on current water temperatures in the lower Snake River from July 18 - July 24. Read to learn more about the current status of Snake River sockeye, in which they are seeking refuge from hot water temperatures in the lower Snake River by moving into a cooler Mid-Columbia River and an emergency salmon transportation effort to save sockeye from warming waters.  

HOT WATER REPORT #4 - July 17th - Welcome to the fourth issue of the Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Click here for an update on current water temperatures in the lower Snake River from July 11 - July 17. Read to learn more about the different water temperatures and their effects on juvenile and adult salmon, and we'll reflect on the importance of restoring a free-flowing lower Snake River to provide cold, clean, and healthy waters for salmon and steelhead.

HOT WATER REPORT #3 - July 10th - Welcome to the third issue of the Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Click here for an update on current water temperatures in the lower Snake River from July 3 - July 10. Read to learn more on historical and current wild Snake River salmon and steelhead returns and compare current returns to their established recovery goals to recover these populations to healthy and abundant levels and remove them from the Endangered Species Act list. 

HOT WATER REPORT #2 - July 3rd - Welcome to the second issue of the Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Click here for update on current water temperatures in the lower Snake River from June 26 - July 2 and to learn more about why the four lower Snake River dams are a large source of mortality for Snake River salmon and steelhead.

HOT WATER REPORT #1 - June 27th - Welcome to the first issue of the 2024 Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Click here to learn more about how the lower Snake River dams and their reservoirs cause warming water temperatures that harm Snake River salmon and steelhead. 

2023

HOT WATER REPORT #11 - September 18  - In this final Hot Water Report issue, we will summarize this year’s high water temperatures in the lower Snake and Columbia reservoirs, the number of days each of the reservoirs experienced above the 68°F threshold, and review the current return status for Snake River salmon and steelhead in comparison to their recovery goals. Given the current returns for wild Snake River Spring/Summer Chinook, steelhead, and sockeye, these fish are far closer to extinction than recovery. 

HOT WATER REPORT #10 - September 8  - Welcome to the tenth issue of the 2023 Hot Water Report. Read to view the Nez Perce Tribe’s Department of Fisheries Resources Management’s 2023 Snake River Basin Anadromous Fish Status Report Card that outlines (i) the historical returns for Snake River fish, (ii) forecasted 2023 returns for Spring/summer Chinook salmon and steelhead, (iii) Quasi-Extinction Threshold for Spring/summer Chinook salmon and steelhead and (iv) urgency to restore Snake River fish. 

HOT WATER REPORT #9 - September 1 - Welcome to the ninth issue of the 2023 Hot Water Report. Read to learn more about this summer's adult returns for Snake River sockeye salmon. Unfortunately, hot water has prevented almost an entire generation of critically endangered Snake River sockeye from reaching their spawning grounds in Idaho. This year, just 24 natural-origin sockeye have been able to navigate through the lower Snake River dams and up to Idaho’s Stanley Basin to spawn. 

HOT WATER REPORT #8 - August 24 - Welcome to the eighth issue of the 2023 Hot Water Report. In Issue 8, we’re addressing how the lower Snake River dams’ impact Snake River salmon and steelhead and their freshwater ecosystems. This issue also reports the current estimated status of Snake River salmon and steelhead returns as of August 17, 2023.

HOT WATER REPORT #7 - August 18 - Welcome to the seventh issue of the 2023 Hot Water Report. For Issue 7, we have a special addition of a series of articles about Southern Resident orcas and the urgency to restore the lower Snake River through dam removal to bring salmon back to abundance and significantly increase the amount of salmon available to the Southern Residents.

HOT WATER REPORT #6 - August 9 - Welcome to the sixth issue of the 2023 Hot Water Report. In this issue, Miles Johnson, Legal Director for Columbia Riverkeeper, uncovers the critical role of the Clean Water Act in addressing dams’ hot water pollution, also known as heat pollution, to protect endangered salmon and steelhead from extinction.

HOT WATER REPORT #5 - August 3 - Welcome to the fifth issue of the 2023 Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Read the fifth issue to view hot water temperatures in the lower Snake and Columbia rivers from July 26 - August 2 and to learn more about how salmon and steelhead declines impact the commercial fishing families in the Pacific Northwest. 

HOT WATER REPORT #4 - July 27th - Welcome to the fourth issue of the 2023 Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Read the fourth issue to view hot water temperatures in the lower Snake and Columbia rivers from July 19 - July 25 and to learn more on how salmon and steelhead declines impact the Northwest recreational fishing economy.

HOT WATER REPORT #3 - July 19th - Welcome to the third issue of the 2023 Hot Water Report. Read to learn more on historical and current wild Snake River salmon and steelhead returns and compare current returns to their established recovery goals – the adult returns deemed necessary to recover these populations and remove them from the Endangered Species Act list. 

HOT WATER REPORT #2 - July 12th - Welcome to the second issue of the Hot Water Report. Read the second issue to learn about the water temperatures suitable for juvenile and adult salmon as well as lethal, and the urgent need to restore a freely flowing lower Snake River to provide cold, clean, and healthy waters for salmon and steelhead.

HOT WATER REPORT #1 - July 6th - Welcome to the first issue of the 2023 Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Click on the link above to read the hot water temperatures in the lower Snake and Columbia river from June 28 - July 5 and learn about salmon and steelhead’s role in NW biodiversity. 

2022

HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #11 - September 16th  

HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #10 - September 8th

HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #9 - September 2nd

HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #8 - August 18th

HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #7 - August 10th

HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #6 - August 3rd

HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #5 - July 27th

HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #4 - July 20th

HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #3 - July 13th

HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #2 - June 29th

HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #1 - June 22nd 

2021

HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #12 - September 8th

HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #11 - September 1st

HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #10 - August 25th

HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #9 - August 18th

HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #8 - August 11th

HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #7 - August 4th

HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #6 - July 28th

HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #5 - July 21st

HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #4 - July 14th

HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #3 - July 7th

HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #2 - June 30th 

HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #1 - June 23rd 

2020

HOT WATER REPORT 2020: #8 - September 2nd

HOT WATER REPORT 2020: #7 - August 26th

HOT WATER REPORT 2020: #6 - August 19th

HOT WATER REPORT 2020: #5 - August 12th

HOT WATER REPORT 2020: #4 - August 5th

HOT WATER REPORT 2020: #3 - July 29th

HOT WATER REPORT 2020: #2 - July 22nd

HOT WATER REPORT 2020: #1 - July 15th

2019

HOT WATER REPORT 2019: #1 - July 5th

HOT WATER REPORT 2019: #2 - July 12th

HOT WATER REPORT 2019: #3 - July 19th

HOT WATER REPORT 2019: #4 - July 26th

HOT WATER REPORT 2019: #5 - August 2nd  

HOT WATER REPORT 2019: #6 - August 9th 

HOT WATER REPORT 2019: #7 - August 16th

HOT WATER REPORT 2019: #8 - August 26th

HOT WATER REPORT 2019: #9 - August 30th 

2018

HOT WATER REPORT 2018: #1 - June 28

HOT WATER REPORT 2018: #2 - July 5

HOT WATER REPORT 2018: #3 - July 13

HOT WATER REPORT 2018: #4 - July 20

HOT WATER REPORT 2018: #5 - July 27

HOT WATER REPORT 2018: #6 - August 3

HOT WATER REPORT 2018: #7 - August 10

HOT WATER REPORT 2018: #8 - August 24

HOT WATER REPORT 2018: #9 - August 31

2016

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #4 - July 26

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #5 - August 2

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #6 - August 9

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #7 - August 16

I. INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Save Our wild Salmon’s Hot Water Report 2021. During the summer, this weekly report will provide an update on real-time water temperatures in the lower Snake and Columbia river reservoirs via graphs and analyses, a report on the highest weekly water temperature at the forebay/reservoir of each dam, and the status of adult returns for the different salmon and steelhead populations as they make their way back to their natal spawning grounds. We’ll share information from scientists, fishers, guides, advocates, and other experts about the challenges facing the Columbia and Snake rivers - and opportunities we have to restore healthy rivers and to recover abundant fish populations and the many benefits they deliver to the Northwest’s culture, economy, and ecology.

The once-abundant anadromous native fish populations that call the Columbia-Snake River Basin home are struggling to survive primarily due to multiple harmful effects caused by the system of federal dams and their reservoirs. The federal hydro-system creates conditions that harm and kill both juvenile and adult fish, including by elevating water temperatures in the large, stagnant reservoirs, especially in the summer months. As cold water species, these salmon and steelhead begin to suffer harmful effects when water temperatures exceed 68° Fahrenheit. The longer and higher temperatures rise above 68°F, the greater the harm, including disruption in their migration, increased metabolism, increased susceptibility to disease, reduced fecundity or reproductive potential (by reducing egg viability), and in the worst case - death.

These harmful hot water episodes above 68 degrees in the Columbia and Snake Rivers are increasing in duration, frequency, and intensity. Our changing climate is making a very bad situation for the Northwest’s iconic fish worse. Our region and nation must take urgent action to lower these high temperatures - or scientists tell us that we will lose these species forever. Restoring a freely flowing lower Snake River by removing its four federal dams is our best and very likely only option for lowering water temperatures in this 140-mile stretch of river in southeast Washington State. Restoring the Snake River is one essential part of what must be a larger regional strategy to protect and rebuild healthy, abundant salmon and steelhead populations in order to benefit other fish and wildlife populations, including critically endangered Southern Resident orcas, to honor tribal rights, and to ensure prosperous communities across the Northwest.

Will you be on the river this summer? Do you have a story or photo you would like to share? Please send them to Martha Campos

The Hot Water Report is a joint project of the Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, Washington Sierra Club, Columbia Riverkeeper, Idaho Rivers United, National Wildlife Federation, Snake River Waterkeeper, Northwest Steelheaders, Defenders of Wildlife, and Endangered Species Coalition.

II. READING THE DATA - Lower Snake and Columbia River Temperatures

The daily mean temperature at the four reservoir forebays (immediately upstream from the dam) in the lower Snake River (above) and the lower Columbia River (below) for 2021 is represented with solid lines and their 10-year average (2011-2021) temperatures with dashed lines of the same color. The dotted line across the graph represents the 68°F “harm threshold” for adult and juvenile fish. Salmon and steelhead begin to suffer harmful effects when water temperatures exceed 68° Fahrenheit. The longer temperatures remain above 68°F and the higher the temperatures rise above 68°F, the more severe the potential effects, including: increased metabolism, increased susceptibility to disease, reduced fecundity or reproductive potential, and/or death.

Water temperatures remain high - and harmful to salmon and steelhead - in the lower Snake and lower Columbia River reservoirs: On the lower Snake River, the Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, and Little Goose reservoirs have all peaked over the threshold (68 degrees) this week. The Ice Harbor Dam has consistently maintained mean temperatures above 71°F, and with a high mean temperature of 72.32°F on July 18, 2021. The Lower Monumental Dam had high mean temperatures of 71.06°F on July 17, 2021. This week, the Lower Granite reservoir is the only one with water temperatures below the 68°F threshold. Temperatures in Lower Granite’s reservoir in the summer months are typically slightly cooler than the three downstream reservoirs on the lower Snake because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers traditionally releases cold water from the Dworshak Dam (just upstream into the Clearwater River) in July and August. However, this year, due to the extreme heatwave in the Pacific Northwest, the Army Corps began to release “43-degree Fahrenheit (6-degree Celsius) water from Dworshak Dam on June 22. These releases are continuing in July and are helping to prevent the water temperature from reaching 68 degrees Fahrenheit in the Lower Granite Dam reservoir near Lewiston (ID) and Clarkston (WA). Despite these cold water releases from Dworshak reservoir this summer, all reservoirs downstream from Lower Granite Dam continue to experience temperatures above 68°F. As long as these four dams remain in place, the benefits of Dworshak’s cold flows are limited and serve only as a short-term solution to cooling water behind Lower Granite Dam. EPA models show that a freely flowing lower Snake would carry these cooler waters all the way downstream to its confluence with the Columbia River near the Tri-Cities (WA) (see Issue 2 for more information).

On the lower Columbia River, current reservoir temperatures are above the 10-year averages for this time of the year, and all reservoirs registered temperatures above 69°F. On July 19, 2021, The Dalles Dam had the highest mean temperature of 71.96°F. From July 17 to July 20, the John Day Dam had the second highest mean temperature of 71.60°F.

A note on the lower Snake River Water Temperature Graph: The mean water temperature data from these reports comes from the USGS Current Conditions for Washington State and the 10-year average water temperature data comes from the Fish Passage Center. USGS began recording water temperatures at Ice Harbor and Lower Monumental on June 16, 2021, Little Goose on June 19, 2021, and Lower Granite on June 18, 2021. Although we are not able to compare spring water temperatures to summer water temperatures, we can see June temperatures rising above the 10-year average and all water temperatures in the lower Snake River are above 60°F.

III. WEEKLY HIGH TEMPERATURES: 7/14-7/20

On the lower Snake River this week, the reservoir behind Ice Harbor Dam registered the highest temperature at 73.22°F - significantly above the level that coldwater fish require. Lower Monumental Dam had the second highest temperature at 71.42°F.

On the lower Columbia River, all reservoirs registered high temperatures above 69°F for multiple days. The Dalles Dam had the highest temperature this week at 72.32°F, followed closely by the John Day Dam with a high temperature of 71.96°F.

Temperature data included in these reports come from the USGS Current Conditions for Washington State and the Fish Passage Center. Graphs and tables were assembled by SOS Staff.

IV. Columbia-Snake fish need help! Salmon and fishing groups, State of Oregon and Nez Perce Tribe call on court to help critically endangered salmon and steelhead.

On July 16, 2021, Earthjustice representing the National Wildlife Federation, American Rivers, Idaho Rivers United, Institute for Fisheries Resources, NW Energy Coalition, Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Sierra Club, Columbia Riverkeeper, Idaho Conservation League, and Fly Fishers International as plaintiffs, requested a motion for a preliminary injunction against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to address violations of the Endangered Species Act.¹ The plaintiffs are asking the U.S. District Court in Portland to order the federal dam agencies to implment specific changes (i.e. "injunctive relief") to how the dams are managed and operated starting in 2022 in order to “reduce irreparable harm to, and increase the survival of, Endangered Species Act-listed salmon and steelhead in the Columbia and Snake Rivers.”¹

This latest round of litigation is challenging the Trump Administration’s 2020 Record of Decision for Columbia River dam operations and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ reliance on the 2020 Biological Opinion (Federal Salmon Plan) for the Federal Columbia River Power System.¹ The State of Oregon has also filed a similar motion for injunctive relief and with the support of the Nez Perce Tribe.²

To “reduce irreparable harm” to salmon and steelhead, the plaintiffs are asking the Court to require the Army Corps of Engineers to:

1. increase spring spill for 24 hours per day to the maximum level that meets but does not exceed state water quality standards at the dams on the lower Columbia and lower Snake Rivers, beginning in 2022;
2. restore summer spill at all eight dams to the levels set in prior BiOps (or federal salmon plans)  through August 31st, beginning in 2022;
3. provide continuous 24-hour spill from September 1 to the beginning of the following spring spill season at all eight projects through the operation of at least one spillway weir or other surface passage route, beginning in 2022;
4. operate the four lower Snake River reservoirs at lower levels, (also known as "drawdown" or minimum operating pool elevations) from March 1 through August 31, beginning in 2022; and,
5. develop and submit to the Court by September 1, 2022, an implementation plan to operate the four lower Columbia River reservoirs (above McNary, John Day, The Dalles, and Bonneville dams) at their minimum operating pool elevations from March 1 through June 15, beginning in 2023.”¹

In summary, conservation and fishing plaintiffs seek increased spill starting next spring (2022) to help endangered salmon and steelhead populations navigate the federal dams and reservoirs in the lower Columbia and Snake rivers.² Spill sends water and fish over the tops of dams - rather than through power turbines or dam bypass systems that increase fish mortality. Years of scientific study demonstrate that spill increases the survival of out-migrating juvenile fish, reduces mortality, and leads to increased adult returns in the years that follow.

Similarly, restoring spill during the entire summer migration season will help to “preserve as much of the diversity of summer migrating juveniles as possible, limit harm to them, and increase their resilience in the future.”¹ The voluntary spill from September 1 to the beginning of the following spring spill season will support the migration of late and early juveniles and serve benefits to Endangered Species Act-listed adult steelhead in the Columbia and Snake River basins that otherwise experienced harm by the limited spill.1

The plaintiffs also seek “drawdown” (lowered reservoir levels) to help speed fish migration through reservoirs with hot water temperatures. Science confirms that lowering reservoir levels “increases the speed with which water moves through the reservoirs.”¹ A faster current reduces the amount of time required for juvenile salmon to pass through the reservoirs and can also reduce water temperatures in these reservoirs to some extent, and increases the survival rates for endangered juvenile salmon and steelhead.¹ The faster juvenile salmon and steelhead pass through a reservoir, the greater the chance to avoid predators like bass and pikeminnow, whose populations have increased significantly due to the large warm, stagnant waters created by the dams.

For Snake River fish that must pass through eight dams and reservoirs to get to and from the ocean, spill and the lowered reservoir levels has the potential to significantly increase survival rates. As we have seen, temporary and short-term solutions like the release of “43-degree Fahrenheit (6-degree Celsius) water at Dworshak Dam” has helped to prevent the water temperature from reaching 68 degrees Fahrenheit and higher. Specifically, this week, we have seen consistent temperatures of 66°F - 67°F at the Lower Granite Dam’s reservoir.

Unfortunately, despite the release of cool waters from the Dworshak reservoir, harmful water temperatures have reached the Columbia and Snake Basin, with high water temperatures of 73.04°F at the Little Goose reservoir on June 27th and a high temperature of 72.32°F at the Ice Harbor reservoir on July 10th. This week, on July 18th, the fish experienced another high temperature at the Ice Harbor reservoir of 73.22°F, which hot water temperatures severely impacts the survivability of these fish. Each year, approximately 50-70 percent of young Snake River fish are killed in the dams and reservoirs en route to the Pacific Ocean.

Spill and reservoir drawdown are two methods that help aid the migration of endangered salmon and steelhead and increase their survival in the near-term. However, the best available science strongly supports lower Snake River dam removal as necessary to protect these populations from extinction and restore them to abundance. The plaintiffs view the requested injunction as “an emergency stop-gap measure and not enough alone to prevent extinction.”² A reservoir-free lower Snake River will deliver considerably cooler waters, restored spawning and rearing and migrating habitats - and big benefits to migrating juvenile and adult salmon and steelhead populations that will lead to increased survival and reproductive success.

References:
1. NWF’s Motion For A Preliminary Injunction And Memorandum In Support: National Wildlife Federation, Et Al. v. National Marine Fisheries Service, Et Al.
2. Earthjustice: With Snake River Salmon Facing Deadly Heatwave, Conservation & Fishing Groups Seek More Spill from Dams to Aid Fish (July, 16, 2021)

LINKS TO RECENT NEWS:

• AP News: Lawsuit seeks more spill over Columbia Basin dams for salmon (July 16, 2021)
• Idaho Statesman: If dams go, then what? Saving salmon, power grid means finding answers now, leaders say (July 16, 2021)

 Martha Campos is the Hot Water Report Coordinator with Save Our wild Salmon this summer while she resides on Kizh/Tongva ancestral lands in California. Martha holds a BA from the University of California, Davis in Native American Studies (and two minors: Environmental Policy, Analysis, and Planning and Climate Science and Policy) and is a queer, non-binary person of color with ancestral roots in Mexico.

Issue 7 - August 16th, 2019

Welcome to the Hot Water Report, Week 7. This weekly report during Summer 2019 will present conditions - including water temperatures and status of salmon and steelhead returns - on the lower Snake and Columbia rivers via graphs, analyses, and stories. The harmful effects on struggling fish populations caused by federal dams and their reservoirs is now being exacerbated due to our warming, changing climate.

Each week’s report gives a real-time update on water temperatures in the lower Snake and Columbia River reservoirs, the highest weekly temperature in each reservoir, and the status of adult returns for different species as they make their way back toward their natal spawning grounds. We’ll hear from scientists, tribal fishers, fishing guides, and salmon and river advocates about challenges facing the Columbia and Snake rivers - and the opportunities to improve their health and begin to rebuild healthy, resilient fish populations and the many benefits they deliver to Northwest culture, economy and ecology.

High sustained summer reservoir temperatures are now routine in the basin during the summer months. Salmon and steelhead begin to suffer harmful effects when water temperatures exceed 68° Fahrenheit. The longer temperatures remain above 68° and the farther the temperatures rise above 68°, the greater the harm, including increased energy expenditure, increased susceptibility to disease, reduced fecundity or reproductive potential, and/or death. 

If you are unfamiliar with the location of the lower Snake and Lower Columbia rivers and their dams, find them on this map.

Will you be on the river this summer? Do you have a story or photo you would like to share?  Please send them to Angela Moran. 

The Hot Water Report is a joint project of the Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, Idaho Rivers United, Idaho Conservation League, Sierra Club, Friends of the Clearwater, Columbia Riverkeeper, Pacific Rivers, American Rivers, and Natural Resource Defense Council.

MEAN DAILY WATER TEMPERATURES ON THE SNAKE AND COLUMBIA RIVER

The daily mean temperature at the forebay - the upstream side of each dam - is represented with solid lines, while the 10-year average (2009-2019) for each reservoir is represented by the dashed line of the same color. For this initial report, 10-year historic data was only available for 4 of the 8 dams we will be monitoring. Finally, the dotted line across the top of the graph represents the upper end of the 68° F “comfort zone” for juvenile and adult salmon. 

Harmful water temperatures continue in the lower Snake and lower Columbia river reservoirs: Temperatures on the lower Snake River are continuing their upward trajectory, although luckily this week the increase was not as dramatic as it has been in the previous weeks. That being said, three of the four reservoirs had average temperatures that were well above the safe 68°F threshold for salmon. The reservoir at Lower Granite, the furthest upstream and the one that receives cool water benefits from cold water inflow from Dworshak reservoir, spent most of the week below this threshold, but still is primarily at temperatures that exceed the 10-year averages.

Columbia River temperatures have also begun to slow their dramatic increase. However, all reservoirs experienced average temperatures that were at least 2.5°F over the safe threshold of 68°F. And remember, the longer and higher that temperatures remain above this threshold, the more the negative impacts on salmon accumulate.

WEEKLY HIGH TEMPERATURES

High temperature trends this week are eerily similar to what we saw last week, with seven of the eight dams reaching temperatures above what is considered safe for salmon and steelhead every day this past week. The first three dam reservoirs on the lower Snake River beat out their high temperature records for this year. And although temperatures this week along the Columbia did not exceed the blisteringly hot ones observed last week, each of the reservoirs remained well above the safe 68° degree threshold.

Temperature data included in these reports come from the USGS Current Conditions for Washington State. Graphs and tables were assembled by SOS Staff.

FEATURED FISH: Steelhead (continued)

This week, we will continue our look at steelhead returns to the Columbia Basin. In Issue 6, we compared at year-to-date returns for this year and the 10-year-average. This week, we will see how returns this season so far have compared to the 10-year-average as well as last-year’s alarmingly low levels.

Forecasts for this year are less than 50% of the 10-year average, but we’ll be lucky if we see even that many fish return. Last year’s combined forecast for steelhead was 182,400 fish, but the actual return to the Columbia Basin was far lower at 94,000 fish (with roughly 75% hatchery-origin).

So far, steelhead returns to both Bonneville Dam (on the lower Columbia) and Lower Granite Dam (on the lower Snake) are trending lower than last year, and are dramatically depressed when compared to 10-year averages. As of August 15th, both dams have only had return rates of 30% of what is typically seen by this date. Unless we see a sudden upswing in steelhead returns (unfortunately not likely), the 50% prediction set by fisheries managers may prove a lofty goal.

ORCA AND SALMON

Last week, orca scientists declared that three more southern resident orcas – one from each pod - are missing and presumed to be dead, bringing the entire population down to only 73 individuals. J17 was the mother of Tahlequah (J35), who spent 17 days last summer carrying and mourning her dead calf. K25 had been displaying signs of starvation since last winter, orca scientists stated, and there had been concerns regarding his survival for some time. But the death of L84 may be the most tragic of all, as his death marks the loss of an entire matriline.

These three deaths, and Southern Resident orcas’ struggle for survival today, is largely attributed to a lack of food – particularly chinook salmon. 

Chinook are the foundation of the Southern Resident orca diet. Orca scientists have determined that, at a minimum, the current population needs 317,000 chinook per year to sustain current numbers. But with chinook runs occuring at record low rates, the orcas will continue to struggle to find enough to eat. Furthermore, these fish are getting smaller - in the last 34 years the average chinook has shrunk by 20% in weight. This is forcing the orcas to hunt longer and harder in order to meet their nutritional needs.

Southern Resident orcas have historically been found in the waters surrounding the San Juan Islands in the Salish Sea during the summer months, feeding mainly on chinook returning to the Fraser River. This summer, however, the orcas have only rarely seen.

Scientists hope the whales have found - and are feeding on - abundant salmon elsewhere, but this has not been confirmed and remains hopeful speculation. Around the region, chinook returns have been at an all-time low. “We have seen chinook populations decline for the past number of years, but this year is the worst. It is a real challenge and a great concern,” said Jocelyn Lubczuk, spokeswoman for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada told the Seattle Times.

Northwest people and policymakers must commit to making some big, bold changes - and quickly - if we are going to recover abundant salmon populations and protect the Southern Resident orcas from extinction. Scientists have told us that without many more salmon, we will lose the Southern Residents forever. Due to its historic productivity, large amounts of high quality habitat and high restoration potential, the restoration of chinook salmon in the Columbia Basin - and in the Snake River Basin in particular - is a critical, urgent piece of this puzzle.

Links:

CBB: Snake River Sockeye Run Lowest In More Than A Decade, Currently 6 Percent Of 10-Year Average (August 8, 2019)

CBB: Upriver Steelhead Forecasts Down, B-Run 24 Percent Of Average; Idaho Considers Extending Fall Chinook Fishing Areas In Clearwater (August 8, 2019)

Seattle Times: Three southern resident orcas missing, presumed dead (August 7, 2019)

Previous Links:

The Spokesman Review: Idaho Steelhead Forecast Remains Poor (July 26, 2019)

Idaho Statesman: The first sockeye arrives at Redfish, but biologists worry few will follow. Here’s why (August 3, 2019)

Seattle Times: Three southern resident orcas missing, presumed dead (August 7, 2019)

Boise Weekly: Salmon Runs in 2019 Expected to Be Lower Than 2017, 2018 (August 7, 2019)

Columbia Basin Bulletin: River Managers Clarify Priorities On Using Dworshak’s Cool Water For Salmon Into September; Lower Granite Sockeye Passage Dismal So Far, Only 19 Fish (July 18, 2019)

Report: Revenue Stream: An economic analysis of the costs and benefits of removing the four dams on the lower Snake River (2013)

Columbia Basin Bulletin: More Salmon/Steelhead To Columbia River Than Last Year, But Forecasts Mixed Among Species (March 15, 2019)

Boise Weekly: 'The Most Complex Natural Resource Issue In The West'  Part 1 of a three-part series on Lower Snake River dam removal (April 24, 2019)

Alaska Public Media: Record warm water likely gave Kuskokwim salmon heart attacks (July 12, 2019)

CBB: Corps releases Dworshak water to cool Lower Granite tailwater for Salmon; Low sockeye run downgraded by one-third (July 11, 2019)

Idaho Statesman Editorial: Tear down these Snake River dams. A natural river saves fish and money (July 20, 1997)

Idaho Fish & Game: Very few sockeye salmon returning to Idaho (July 9, 2019)

CBB: Treaty Fishing To Begin For Summer Chinook, Sockeye; Run Forecasts Down From Last Year’s Actual Returns (June 12, 2019)

CBC: Southern resident killer whales last seen in poor health now missing (July 9, 2019)

Lewiston Morning Tribune: Spring Chinook Season Comes to a close (June 5, 2019)

Seattle Times: Chinook bust on the Columbia - Spring returns worse than forecast on Northwest’s largest river (May 30, 2019)

Seattle Times: Washington State to Regulate Federal Dams on Columbia, Snake to Cool Hot Water, Aid Salmon (January 31, 2019)

Seattle Times: Hunger, the Decline of Salmon Adds to the Struggle of Puget Sound’s Orca (February 24, 2019)

Past reports are archived here: Hot Water Reports - Compiled

Issue 2 - July 12, 2019

Welcome to the Snake and Columbia River Hot Water Report, Week 2. This weekly report during Summer 2019 will present conditions - including water temperatures and status of salmon and steelhead returns - on the lower Snake and Columbia rivers via graphs, analyses, and stories. The harmful effects on struggling fish populations caused by federal dams and their reservoirs is now being exacerbated each year due to our warming, changing climate.

Each week’s report will give an update on water temperatures in the lower Snake and Columbia River reservoirs, the highest weekly temperature of each dam, and the status of adult returns for each species as they make their way back toward their natal spawning grounds. We’ll also hear from scientists, tribal fishers, fishing guides, and salmon and river advocates about challenges facing the Columbia and Snake rivers - and the opportunities to improve their health and begin to rebuild healthy, resilient fish populations and the many benefits they deliver to Northwest culture, economy and ecology.

If you are unfamiliar with the location of the lower Snake and Lower Columbia rivers and their dams, find them on this map.

Will you be on the river this summer? Do you have a story or photo you would like to share?  Please send them to Angela Moran. 

The Hot Water Report is a joint project of the Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, Idaho Rivers United, Idaho Conservation League, Sierra Club, Friends of the Clearwater, Columbia Riverkeeper, Pacific Rivers, American Rivers, and Natural Resource Defense Council.

MEAN DAILY WATER TEMPERATURES ON THE SNAKE AND COLUMBIA RIVER

The daily mean temperature at the forebay - the upstream side of each dam - is represented with solid lines, while the 10-year average (2009-2019) for each reservoir is represented by the dashed line of the same color. For this initial report, 10-year historic data was only available for 4 of the 8 dams we will be monitoring. Finally, the dotted line across the top of the graph represents 68° - the upper end of “comfort zone” for juvenile and adult salmon. 

Over the past week, temperatures have begun to even out across the lower Snake River. As central Idaho snowpack melts, the typically cooler, upstream reservoirs begin to resemble the more downstream reservoirs (see below summary on the Columbia Riverkeeper report for more information). Note that Little Goose dam has already peaked above the 68° threshold, the first of any in the system this year.

The Columbia River dams continue to climb and all have converged within 0.5° of each other this week. Although not as significantly as in mid-June, Bonneville and McNary dam are still continually registering daily temperatures above the 10 year average.

WEEKLY HIGH TEMPERATURES

Little Goose, the second dam on the Snake River when moving east from the Columbia, has already had 2 days above 68°. Meanwhile, the entire Columbia River system had its hottest day on July 10th, with all dams reaching temperatures 1° or less below 68 degrees.

Temperature data included in these reports come from the USGS Current Conditions for Washington State. Graphs and tables were assembled by SOS Staff.

FEATURED FISH: Summer Chinook

ESA recovery goal is 80,000 wild origin spring/summer chinook to Lower Granite Dam for 8 consecutive years.

*Wild salmon numbers are calculated as a proportion of total returns  

While “spring” and “summer” chinook salmon are grouped together under the Endangered Species Act, they are counted separately by the Fish Passage Center. It is crucial that in looking at the data we recognize that wild salmon make up a smaller portion of the total return every year, with hatchery-origin fish constituting over 80% of the run in some years. (See Issue 1 of the 2019 Hot Water Report for information on spring chinook).

Summer chinook begin to return to the Snake and Columbia basin in mid-June, with the termination of the run in late July. Like spring chinook, these fish can be a major food source for endangered Southern Resident orcas. Snake River summer-run chinook salmon spawn approximately one month later than spring-run fish and tend to spawn lower in elevation, although their spawning areas often overlap with those of spring-run spawners. 

Typically, just 8% of summer chinook that pass Bonneville Dam make it through the river system to Lower Granite Dam on the lower Snake. Furthermore, summer chinook returns to Lower Granite are just half of what they were at this time last year. These ong-migrating fish already face difficult navigation through fish ladders and predators in their homeward migration. Even under perfect conditions, this is a trying journey. As water temperatures rise above levels suitable for salmon, deleterious health impacts further increase salmon mortality along their journey.  

COLUMBIA RIVERKEEPER REPORT: Removing dams will reduce lower Snake River water temperatures

In 2015, extreme water temperatures driven by hot weather and a low snowpack killed more than 250,000 salmon in the Columbia and Snake rivers. This incident of mass mortality inspired SOS member organization Columbia Riverkeeper to publish a report that evaluated what the water temperatures of the lower Snake would have been during the summer of 2015 if its four federal dams did not exist.

Using an earlier EPA water temperature model, Columbia Riverkeeper found that each of the four reservoirs behind the dams increase the river temperature by about 2 °F. The reservoirs create large, stagnant water pools which steadily absorb heat from the sun. When waters from one reservoir move downstream to the next, these already warmed waters are stopped once again by the next dam and continue to heat up. The model indicates clearly that this effect would be absent from free-flowing lower Snake River.

A reservoir-free lower Snake River flows freely and does not absorb the same amount of solar radiation. Considerably cooler waters deliver big benefits to migrating juvenile and adult salmon and steelhead populations – leading to increased survival and reproductive success. A free-flowing lower Snake River also has the additional benefit of cold waters that are released from behind the Dworshak reservoir upstream on the Clearwater River in the hot summer months.

The Dworshak reservoir collects cold snowmelt from high in the mountains of central Idaho and stores it in a deep, cool reservoir. An important operation of Dworshak dam today is to deliver cold water into the Clearwater River, which then enters the Snake River near Lewiston, Idaho. As long as the dams remain in place, the benefits of Dworshak’s cold flows are limited to this one reservoir behind Lower Granite dam near Lewiston (ID) and Clarkston (WA). However, as water incrementally warms behind each reservoir, the cold-water benefits from Dworshak are quickly lost.

Today, the lower Snake River routinely suffers weeks and/or months of hot water with temperatures  above – and often well above - 68°F (the upper end of the comfort zone for coldwater fish like salmon and steelhead). However, by restoring this 140-mile stretch of river through dam removal, models in the Columbia Riverkeeper report show that while temperatures in a freely flowing river may spike above 68 degrees periodically, they will quickly return to cool temperatures that salmon and steelhead need to survive and thrive. Cold summer flows from Dworkshak further help keep temperatures healthy for fish all the way downstream to where the Snake River joins the Columbia River in south-central Washington State near the Tri-Cities.

In summarizing findings of the study, Miles Johnson, senior attorney at Columbia Riverkeeper, notes that, "removing the four Lower Snake River dams would keep the river cooler and help salmon reach their spawning areas. This is critical for healthy salmon and a healthy river – especially as the changing climate tightens its grip on our waters in the Northwest. It's time for bold action to protect the Northwest's fishing traditions, orcas, and salmon. It’s time to restore the lower Snake River." 

A 2016 court ruling that invalidated the federal government’s latest Columbia-Snake salmon plan as inadequate and illegal highlighted, among other things, the government’s failure to account for the growing impacts of a changing climate on the already endangered wild salmon and steelhead populations of the Snake and Columbia rivers. Federal agencies in charge (Bonneville Power Administration, Army Corps of Engineers, NOAA-Fisheries) have consistently failed to develop any effective strategy to maintain cool, salmon-friendly water temperatures in these reservoirs in summer months. And, there is no evidence today that the government’s next plan – required by law, ordered by the court and now in development – will address these temperatures issues either.

Links:

Idaho Fish & Game: Very few sockeye salmon returning to Idaho (July 9, 2019)

CBB: Treaty Fishing To Begin For Summer Chinook, Sockeye; Run Forecasts Down From Last Year’s Actual Returns (June 12, 2019)

CBC: Southern resident killer whales last seen in poor health now missing (July 9, 2019)

Previous Links:

Lewiston Morning Tribune: Spring Chinook Season Comes to a close (June 5, 2019)

Seattle Times: Chinook bust on the Columbia - Spring returns worse than forecast on Northwest’s largest river (May 30, 2019)

Seattle Times: Washington State to Regulate Federal Dams on Columbia, Snake to Cool Hot Water, Aid Salmon (January 31, 2019)

Seattle Times: Hunger, the Decline of Salmon Adds to the Struggle of Puget Sound’s Orca (February 24, 2019)

Past reports are archived here: Hot Water Reports - Compiled

Issue 1 - July 1, 2019

Welcome to the Hot Water Report 2019. This weekly report during Summer 2019 will present the conditions - like water temperatures and status of salmon and steelhead returns - on the lower Snake and Columbia rivers via graphs, analyses, and stories. The harmful effects on struggling fish populations caused by federal dams and their reservoirs is now being exacerbated each year due to warming waters and a changing climate.

Each report will provide an update of water temperatures in the lower Snake and Columbia river reservoirs, the highest weekly temperature at the forebay of each dam, and the status of adult returns for each species as they make their way back in search of their natal spawning grounds. We’ll also hear first-hand from scientists, tribal fishers, fishing guides, and salmon and river advocates about challenges facing the Columbia and Snake rivers - and the opportunities to improve their health and begin to rebuild healthy, resilient fish populations and the many benefits they deliver to the Northwest’s culture, economy and ecology.

In 2015, hot waters caused by low snowpack and high temperatures killed more than 250,000 adult salmon returning to the Columbia Basin. High sustained summer reservoir temperatures are now routine in the basin during summer months. Salmon and steelhead begin to suffer harmful effects when water temperatures exceed 68° Fahrenheit. The longer temperatures remain above 68° and the farther the temperatures rise above 68°, the greater the harm, including increased metabolism, increased susceptibility to disease, reduced fecundity or reproductive potential, and/or death. 

Furthermore, one of the key threats facing the region’s critically endangered Southern Resident orca is a lack of prey. These incredible mammals depend mainly on chinook salmon, which comprise roughly 80 percent of their diet. As numbers of chinook salmon dwindle in Northwest coastal waters - and especially Snake River spring chinook - the Southern Residents population has also plummeted. Just 75 individual whales survive today - they are struggling to survive and reproduce; they need more food.

Will you be on the river this summer? Do you have a story or photo you would like to share?  Please send them to Angela Moran. 

The Hot Water Report is a joint project of the Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, Idaho Rivers United, Idaho Conservation League, Sierra Club, Friends of the Clearwater, Columbia Riverkeeper, Pacific Rivers, American Rivers, and Natural Resource Defense Council.

MEAN DAILY WATER TEMPERATURES ON THE SNAKE AND COLUMBIA RIVER

The daily mean temperature at the forebay - the upstream side of each dam - is represented with solid lines, while the 10-year average (2009-2019) for each reservoir is represented by the dashed line of the same color. For this initial report, 10-year historic data was only available for 4 of the 8 dams/reservoirs we monitor. Finally, the dotted line across the top of the graph represents the 68° “comfort zone” for juvenile and adult salmon. 

Apart from a dip in mid April, temperatures in the forebays have either hovered at or above the 10-year average, with notable spikes occurring in mid-May and late June.

The lower Columbia shows considerably less fluctuation as it has a higher volume, lower grade, and a more temperate climate than the lower Snake.

WEEKLY HIGH TEMPERATURES

Ice Harbor Dam registered the highest instantaneous temperature on the Snake River this week at 65.3° with The Dalles Dam just downstream registering the high for the Columbia at 64.58°.

Temperature data included in these reports come from the USGS Current Conditions for Washington State. Graphs and tables were assembled by SOS Staff.

RESERVOIRS, NOT RIVERS

Above average spring temperatures have become the norm on the lower Snake River, as the large reservoirs created for shipping traffic slow the river to a crawl and absorb solar radiation. 

A free flowing river is varied and dynamic with pockets of cold water that fish navigate between as they rest, hunt, or travel. Lower Snake river reservoirs, however, spread water temperatures uniformly throughout, effectively eliminating cold water refuges that are an essential part of healthy, resilient salmon habitat. Along the whole 320 miles of slackwater from Bonneville Dam to Heller Bar on the Snake River, where the river flows free once again, there is precious little cold water in summer. As climate change pushes regional temperatures higher and reduces snowpack in Northwest mountains, we can expect migration conditions - and salmon mortality - to worsen.

FEATURED FISH: SNAKE RIVER SPRING CHINOOK

ESA recovery goal is 80,000 wild origin spring/summer chinook to Lower Granite Dam for 8 consecutive years.

*Wild salmon numbers are calculated as a proportion of total returns  

As the first major salmon run of the year, spring chinook hold special significance for many Northwest Native American Tribes and their first salmon ceremonies. Fisheries scientists see them as an initial indicator of the overall status and condition for adult returns in any given year.

Chinook, or King salmon, are the largest and richest of the salmonid species and are thus prized by many commercial and sport fishers. They are also notably the primary food resource (roughly 80 percent of their overall diet) of the critically endangered Southern Resident orcas. Columbia Basin chinook spend up to seven years in the ocean and are caught as far away as the waters of northern Japan before returning to freshwater to spawn. 

The Snake River Basin once produced nearly half of the two million adult spring chinook that flooded into the mouth of the Columbia River each year. Much of this Snake River Basin habitat is still in excellent condition. Upstream of the lower Snake River dams are cool waters flowing through millions of acres of wilderness and thousands of miles of pristine rivers and streams. Due to its historic productivity, protected status, high elevation (thus cool temperatures) and excellent condition today, fisheries biologists highlight this basin for its very high recovery potential.

Spring chinook returns this year were below even the record-low numbers forecasted. This has resulted in fishing closures on the lower Columbia in Washington and lower Snake in Idaho and Washington (see links below). 

ORCA AND SALMON

The urgent plight of critically endangered Southern Resident orcas has recently captured the attention of millions of people in the Northwest and the nation. Last summer, the region watched with breaking hearts as J35 (Tahlequah) bore her dead calf for 17 days through the waters of the Salish Sea in a public procession of grief. This unique community of whales is suffering first and foremost from a lack of prey.

These whales need a plentiful supply of salmon year-round., The Columbia Basin – and especially the Snake River – historically produced the largest numbers of Spring Chinook anywhere on the West Coast – and provided critical food for orcas in the winter months when other Chinook populations are especially scarce. In its 2008 Orca Recovery Plan, NOAA acknowledges that orcas’ historic reliance on Columbia Basin chinook and describes its population declines as “[p]erhaps the single greatest change in food availability for resident killer whales since the late 1800s...”

Orca scientists have documented the orca malnutrition with aerial photographs. These images reveal many of the whales suffering from a condition known as “peanut head,” where the outline of the whale’s typically blubber-covered skull becomes visible. 

Without a commitment in the Northwest to make some big changes very soon to restore and reconnect freshwater habitat critical to salmon recovery, orcas will continue to struggle to find sufficient quantities of chinook needed to survive and begin to recover. Over the course of this summer, the Hot Water Report will periodically check in on these whales whose fate is so deeply intertwined with the salmon. 

Links:

Lewiston Morning Tribune: Spring Chinook Season Comes to a close (June 5, 2019)

Seattle Times: Chinook bust on the Columbia - Spring returns worse than forecast on Northwest’s largest river (May 30, 2019)

The Daily News: Orca advocates join lower Snake River dam removal debate (Apr 29, 2019)

Seattle Times: Hunger, the Decline of Salmon Adds to the Struggle of Puget Sound’s Orca (February 24, 2019)

Past reports are archived here: Hot Water Reports - Compiled

By Geoffrey Redick <http://www.knkx.org/people/geoffrey-redick>, Bellamy Pailthorp <http://www.knkx.org/people/bellamy-pailthorp> & Ed Ronco <http://www.knkx.org/people/ed-ronco>

September 15, 2018

There's one coal-fired power plant left in Washington state. But it won't be burning coal for much longer: It's scheduled to shut down or to switch to natural gas by 2025.

The company that runs the plant, TransAlta, has plans to open a solar farm on one of the open-pit mines that used to provide coal to the plant. If plans hold, it would be the largest solar project in the state.

KNKX environment reporter Bellamy Pailthorp went to the site, and she talked with host Ed Ronco about the project.

http://www.knkx.org/post/how-washingtons-last-coal-plant-could-become-states-largest-solar-project