Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers

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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.