System Operations Advisory Committee Pulse Flow Recommendations

Presented by

Patrick Monk,

Fish Biologist

At least 100 smolts (all species combined) were counted (Chandler JV raw count) passing Prosser Dam on three consecutive days (indicating smolt outmigration has begun); and

Significant Fish Passage Event = Composite Smolt Passage > (CSP + CSP + CSP ) x 2
N N-3 N-2 N-1
3
A Significant Fish Passage Event (SFPE) is said to have occurred if the Composite Smolt Passage (CSP) on Day N is greater than twice the moving average CSP for the previous three days. CSP is the sum of daily estimated passage past Prosser Dam for all wild and hatchery smolts by species.

A significant fish passage event, measured at the Chandler Juvenile Fish Evaluation Facility, has not occurred during the previous ______ day (see temperature ranges above) monitoring interval (indicating that smolt migration in the lower Yakima River has stalled); and
During the previous _____ day monitoring interval, there has been a continuous decline in mean daily flow measured at Parker (PARW), when the _____ day mean flow is between 2,000 and 600 cfs; or

Increase the flow at the Parker gage (PARW) by 1,000 cfs as rapidly as possible;
Maintain pulse at PARW for 48 hours;
Decrease the discharge and return to the applicable Title XII target flow at PARW, following established ramping rates when reducing releases from storage.

Yearling species were gone, fall chinook have different behavior
Pulse was not of sufficient duration or magnitude
Artificially created “freshet” with reservoir water doesn’t have all migration cues (example from Teanaway)
???