4003.E AAS 4/8/93

EHJM 4003 - S COMM AMD

By Committee on Energy & Utilities

                            ADOPTED AS AMENDED (by s3182.1) 4/8/93

    Beginning on page 1, after line 9, strike all material through "Washington." on page 3, line 2, and insert the following:

    "WHEREAS, As many as fifteen million wild salmon used to return annually to the Columbia-Snake River system; and

    WHEREAS, Currently only about two million five hundred thousand salmon return each year; and

    WHEREAS, Wild salmon are important to the environmental and cultural heritage of the citizens of the State of Washington; and

    WHEREAS, Certain species of salmon have been designated as threatened or endangered under the authority granted by the Federal Endangered Species Act; and

    WHEREAS, Fisheries biologists from a variety of disciplines have identified a range of causes of mortality at each stage of the salmon's life cycle, and have agreed that recovery measures must address causes of mortality at each stage of the life cycle; and

    WHEREAS, Your Memorialists recognize that successful implementation of the comprehensive regional salmon recovery plan will require sacrifices by all economic stakeholders and substantial investment by the citizens of the region; and

    WHEREAS, The Columbia-Snake River system provides substantial economic benefits to the citizens of the State of Washington in the areas of agriculture, navigation, fisheries, energy, industry, recreation, and flood control; and

    WHEREAS, Stream flow augmentation is generally believed to provide biological benefits to migrating salmon, but there is continued uncertainty regarding the biological benefits to salmon of flow augmentation achieved by drawing down reservoir levels below minimum operating pool; and

    WHEREAS, Drawdowns below minimum operating pool on the Snake River, conducted in March 1992 for the limited purpose of evaluating impact to physical structures and facilities, caused the loss of resident fish, altered wildlife habitat, and increased risks of predation, disrupted navigation, and caused physical property damage to public and private facilities; and

    WHEREAS, Salmon migrating upstream to spawn are unable to pass through fish ladder systems when reservoirs are maintained at levels substantially below minimum operating pool; and

    WHEREAS, Drawing down Columbia-Snake River system reservoirs below minimum operating pool for extended periods causes substantial economic impacts, including increased costs for Washington's agricultural producers and shippers which jeopardize their ability to compete in global markets; and

    WHEREAS, Maintaining reservoir levels at minimum operating pool, with modifications to existing irrigation pump stations on the John Day reservoir, enables the river system to support critical economic activity;

    NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the officials charged with developing the regional salmon recovery plan carefully consider the biological needs of endangered salmon species, and before drawing down reservoirs below minimum operating pool as part of the regional salmon recovery plan, give the strongest consideration to the economic impact of such drawdowns on the citizens of the State of Washington; and

    BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the United States, the Director of the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington."

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