The Columbia River, at 1,243 miles long, is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest and is the fourth-largest river in the United States. Originating from the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia, Canada, it ends in the Pacific Ocean in Oregon, with the largest flow of any river draining into the Pacific. High flow occurs in the late spring and early summer due to snow melt upstream, with low flow being in autumn and winter, causing major water shortages at the hydroelectric plants along the river. Fourteen dams exist along the main stem of the river, with many more on tributaries. The dams and hydroelectric plants on the Columbia River make up one third of the potential hydropower in the United States. As well as supplying energy to the
…show more content…
Beavers, deer, elk, bears, bighorn sheep, and rattlesnakes live along the river, along with waterfowl, ospreys, hawks, falcons, and eagles. Salmon, steelhead, shad, sturgeon, and a variety of warmwater species are the most common fish. The abundance of salmon in the river was noted by early explorers to the region and, by 1881, 30 canneries along the river supplied world markets with salmon, especially Great Britain. The salmon were caught in nets, traps, and wheels. However, from a record 21,500 tons of caught salmon in 1883, the salmon catch in the river has declined about ten percent. Despite considerable efforts from organizations like the Northwest Regional Power Council and Bonneville Power Administration to increase the annual salmon run, doubt exits as to whether fish populations can be restored or even maintained. Impediments to the fish population’s survival include migration barriers posed by dams and power-generators, inundation leading to the loss of spawning grounds, naturally spawned fish being displaced by fish grown in hatcheries, supersaturation of water due to floodwater trapping nitrogen as it drops over spillways, and the loss of the natural current of the river, which guides spawning fish. The region is no longer able to sustain large populations, especially of salmon and beavers. Despite fish ladders, designed for the spawning of salmon upstream, the salmon population …show more content…
Since then, almost all of the river’s 1,290-foot fall has been converted into eleven “stair step” dams. Many other dams have been built on the river’s tributaries, all equipped with fish-passage facilities. Three upstream storage reservoirs in British Columbia were created by the Columbia River Treaty between the United States and Canada in 1964. All hydro-electricity power plants along the river are connected by high-voltage, federally owned transmission lines, which connect to a power network spanning the Pacific Northwest. The river’s development has not been without controversy. The division of responsibility in maintaining the river’s development between public and private agencies has been a problem, as well as sharing power-generating revenues and costs with Canada, the loss of traditional Indian fishing sites, and the interest rates of government investments in hydroelectric power. Ultimately, human development has degraded the quality of the Columbia River for fish and animal life, while the greater influence of global warming means that the health of the river may only get worse. As one of North America’s most prominent waterways, one can only hope that increased awareness of the river’s problems will lead to
Beavers, deer, elk, bears, bighorn sheep, and rattlesnakes live along the river, along with waterfowl, ospreys, hawks, falcons, and eagles. Salmon, steelhead, shad, sturgeon, and a variety of warmwater species are the most common fish. The abundance of salmon in the river was noted by early explorers to the region and, by 1881, 30 canneries along the river supplied world markets with salmon, especially Great Britain. The salmon were caught in nets, traps, and wheels. However, from a record 21,500 tons of caught salmon in 1883, the salmon catch in the river has declined about ten percent. Despite considerable efforts from organizations like the Northwest Regional Power Council and Bonneville Power Administration to increase the annual salmon run, doubt exits as to whether fish populations can be restored or even maintained. Impediments to the fish population’s survival include migration barriers posed by dams and power-generators, inundation leading to the loss of spawning grounds, naturally spawned fish being displaced by fish grown in hatcheries, supersaturation of water due to floodwater trapping nitrogen as it drops over spillways, and the loss of the natural current of the river, which guides spawning fish. The region is no longer able to sustain large populations, especially of salmon and beavers. Despite fish ladders, designed for the spawning of salmon upstream, the salmon population …show more content…
Since then, almost all of the river’s 1,290-foot fall has been converted into eleven “stair step” dams. Many other dams have been built on the river’s tributaries, all equipped with fish-passage facilities. Three upstream storage reservoirs in British Columbia were created by the Columbia River Treaty between the United States and Canada in 1964. All hydro-electricity power plants along the river are connected by high-voltage, federally owned transmission lines, which connect to a power network spanning the Pacific Northwest. The river’s development has not been without controversy. The division of responsibility in maintaining the river’s development between public and private agencies has been a problem, as well as sharing power-generating revenues and costs with Canada, the loss of traditional Indian fishing sites, and the interest rates of government investments in hydroelectric power. Ultimately, human development has degraded the quality of the Columbia River for fish and animal life, while the greater influence of global warming means that the health of the river may only get worse. As one of North America’s most prominent waterways, one can only hope that increased awareness of the river’s problems will lead to