Environmental

PGE reports record adult salmon returns to Westside hydropower project

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PGE reports record adult salmon returns to Westside hydropower project
(photo courtesy Portland General Electric)

Returning salmon and steelhead broke several records this fall at Portland General Electric’s Westside Hydropower Project on the Clackamas River.

The Westside project consists of six dams that impound water for powerhouses with a total capacity of 192 MW. They range in age from the 1.7 MW Timothy Lake powerhouse, which began operating in December 2018, to the 44 MW Faraday powerhouse built and commissioned in 1907.

This combination of achievements is in part a culmination of efforts over the past 17 years to modernize and improve fish passage systems, according to a release. In addition to investments in state-of-the-art facilities, PGE has worked alongside partners in the Clackamas River Basin to enhance habitat for the fish and wildlife that depend on a thriving river ecosystem.

Together, these actions are contributing to historic returns of adult coho and chinook salmon, which migrate to the Pacific Ocean as juveniles and swim back to the Clackamas River as adults. More than 17,000 adult coho returned to North Fork Dam this fall, marking the third consecutive year of record coho returns. Additionally, PGE biologists counted the largest return of wild spring chinook salmon to the Clackamas River since data collection began in 1958, passing nearly 5,000 fish above North Fork Dam.

PGE’s investments in passage systems for adult salmon and steelhead includes a new fish ladder, more efficient adult trap and state-of-the-art hands-free sorting facility. Together, these improvements have allowed fish to pass upstream quickly and with reduced handling, allowing them to access the cooler waters of the upper Clackamas Basin earlier in the year when conditions are more beneficial to both spawning and survival.

“With more returning adults spawning upstream, we’re seeing larger generations of juvenile fish headed to the ocean to start the cycle over again,” said Nick Ackerman, senior biologist for PGE at the Westside Hydropower Project. Compounded by recent adult returns, more juvenile fish passed through PGE’s bypass system than ever before this year. An improved pipeline ensures that fish pass through the project quickly, allowing them to complete their migration when the lower Willamette River is cooler and predators are less active.

In addition to infrastructure investments and habitat enhancements, favorable marine conditions for the past three years have helped fish grow bigger at a faster pace during their time in the Pacific Ocean, improving their chances of survival before the journey back home to the Clackamas, PGE said.

“We’re grateful to everyone working alongside us to create healthier habitats in the Clackamas Basin, including environmental nonprofits, Tribes and fisheries managers like the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and NOAA Fisheries,” said Ackerman. “PGE is proud to see its commitment to environmental stewardship paying off for native fish.”

Portland General Electric is a fully integrated energy company that generates, transmits and distributes electricity to over 900,000 customers in 51 cities across the state of PGE is a fully integrated energy company based in Portland, Ore., that serves about 900,000 customers with a service area population of 2 million Oregonians in 51 cities. PGE owns 16 generation plants across Oregon and other Northwestern states.