Fate of Feather River fish largely unknown
The condition of fish species in the Feather River is still to be determined a week after the Department of Water Resources halted flows from the flood control spillway at Lake Oroville.
Soon after the DWR shut off water releases from the spillway on Feb. 28,
a cooperative effort by the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife and DWR was made to save thousands of fish from lowering water levels along the Feather River.
Notable fish species affected were Chinook salmon and steelhead trout, which are raised and released at the Feather River Hatchery below Oroville Dam.
“The water quality in the river is so bad right now that we cannot really ascertain the fish in the river,” said Andrew Hughan, public informa- tion officer for Fish and Wildlife.
“We are hoping that with increased water flow, the quality of the water will increase and we can do some surveys to see how the general fish populations are doing. We have not seen any significant die-offs or other unusual events.”
Outflow to the Feather River has increased steadily, as DWR continues to restart turbines at the Hyatt Power Plant, which at full operation can release 13,000 cubic feet per second of water. The current rate, as of Wednesday night, was 8,815 cfs.
Hughan said it is hard to scientifically quantify how many fish were lost when the Feather River’s waters receded, but said it was probably in the thousands.
An official with the Feather River Fish Hatchery said the fish being raised currently managed to survive turbid water conditions and are doing well.
The hatchery official also said the loss of fish could not be readily determined. A better estimate may come years from now, as many of the species raised at the hatchery return after a number of years in the ocean.
When DWR halted releases from the emergency spillway, flows of 50,000 cfs to the Feather River came to a stop.
In accordance with state environmental requirements, DWR used releases from the Thermalito Diversion Dam and Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet.
On Feb. 28, releases from the Thermalito facilities were 2,500 cfs, which is well above the required 600 cfs.
“Meeting the environmental requirements has been factored in from the outset for the plan to address the debris pile,” said Lauren Bisnett, spokeswoman for DWR. “We are currently and will continue to be well above the minimum requirements.” Accounts Receivable......... Display Fax.......................