Pelton agreement bodes well for fish

Those who dream of one day seeing steelhead and perhaps even Chinook salmon in Squaw Creek as it runs through Sisters will mark Tuesday, July 13, as an historic day.

Some 22 parties including Portland General Electric (PGE), the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and the U.S. Forest Service, Sisters Ranger District, were to sign a landmark Pelton-Round Butte Dam relicensing agreement on Tuesday that will make it possible to restore historic fish runs in Squaw Creek and other tributaries of the Deschutes River.

The dam project, which is located on the Deschutes River about six miles west of Madras, was built in the late 1950s and early 1960s and is the largest hydroelectric project completely within Oregon's boundaries.

Rod Bonacker of the Sisters Ranger District has been involved in the intense, complex negotiations toward a new 50-year federal license for the past decade.

According to Bonacker, the agreement, which includes significant provisions for fish passage and habitat restoration, means there is "a very, very strong likelihood of seeing steelhead ... in town."

Chinook are less likely to be seen in Sisters, but it is possible, Bonacker said.

That is the hoped-for result of a remarkable technological solution to a problem that has plagued fish passage since the '60s.

According to the Forest Service, when the cold waters of the Metolius River mingle with the warmer waters of the Deschutes and Crooked rivers, swirling eddies form that keep fish from swimming to the fish intake at the dam for passage past the obstruction.

The original fish passage plan was abandoned in 1966 and the last migrating fish passed through the project area in 1968.

With the new relicensing agreement, the Tribes and PGE will fund the collection of a $60-million, 270-foot-tall Selective Water Withdrawal Tower about 700 feet upstream from Round Butte Dam, affixed with a 130-foot-wide disc for capturing migrating fish.

The tower will redirect currents and collect fish from different levels of Lake Billy Chinook.

Bonacker acknowledged that the tower is experimental, but there is a high degree of confidence that, after five years of testing and development, the tower will do its job and make it possible to pass fish downstream to the sea. Returning fish will be captured and trucked upstream past the dam.

"It's never been done before," he said. "It's been modeled both mathematic- ally and physically pretty extensively."

In conjunction with fish passage, the agreement lines out funding for projects to restore habitat -- principally water flows -- to allow the return of fish to Squaw Creek and Trout Creek.

"The biggest piece of this ($135 million in funding) is going to go to water -- projects that put more water in-stream," Bonacker said.

That means lots of investment in Squaw Creek -- historically important spawning grounds.

"Squaw Creek is really critical to the success of steelhead," Bonacker said.

Bonacker noted that Squaw Creek is a year-round stream in Sisters now, thanks to the efforts of irrigators and donors to return water to the creek. Much more is needed, but the stream is well on its way to being hospitable to fish.

Why does that matter?

Sisters stands to gain economic benefits from a steelhead run in Squaw Creek. Bonacker notes that there are businesses in town from fly shops to boat builders that are directly tied into the economy of fish. And an active fishery in Sisters could only add to the appeal of the area for tourists and residents alike.

But Bonacker emphasizes less prosaic things when he talks about the return of steelhead -- focusing on an unquantifiable enhancement of the spirit.

"I think steelhead and salmon are part of the larger mystique of the Northwest," he said. "It's what makes the Northwest unique in the nation.

"You can't look at a stream the size of Squaw Creek with a steelhead in it and not be impressed by the sheer scale of the fish."

Such gains come at a cost. PGE is funding projects with money that would, for the most part, go to shareholders. And the utility will be required to manage water for fish rather than focusing solely on optimal use for power generation.

But PGE seems to have gone into the relicensing process willing to do this work.

"I think PGE has a very strong sense of their role in river and salmon management in the Northwest," Bonacker said. "They have a tremendous impact, but they recognize that impact."

Bonacker said that, "The people we worked with in this process are very committed to making fish passage work."

The agreement will provide other benefits to the Sisters Ranger District. PGE will pick up the tab for improvements in recreational facilities at Lake Billy Chinook, including Perry South and Monty Campgrounds and the Street Creek boat launch.

The ranger district will get extra law enforcement help through Jefferson County and funding to improve the currently poor emergency communications capacity in the lake area.

The district will also receive funds to maintain Forest Roads 11 and 1170 and the licensees will take over the burden of weed management in the project area.