The Columbia River

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing about climate adaptation, resilience, and mitigation strategies in the Columbia River basin. The Columbia, which winds through British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington state, is an important source of food, drinking water, irrigation, recreation, and clean energy for the Pacific Northwest. However, the effects of climate change have created and exacerbated problems like estuarine habitat loss, toxic algal blooms, low water levels, and diminished fish populations, highlighting the importance of finding science-based solutions to these issues.

This briefing also discussed the outcomes of the Uncommon Dialogue, which brought together tribes, national and local government, the hydropower industry, and river conservation stakeholders to identify shared approaches to steward river health and safety while ensuring hydropower operations provide clean, affordable energy. Panelists discussed the role of federal investments in the Columbia River’s resilience and health, including Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding.

Highlights

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Rivers supply about 70% of drinking water and provide habitat for over 80% of species in the United States. The Columbia River is the largest salmon-producing river in the lower 48 states, although fish population numbers have dropped dramatically. The Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative—a collaboration of Pacific Northwest states and tribal nations—has developed a strategic approach to salmon recovery.  The Environmental Protection Agency’s National Estuary Program was established in 1987. The program, which also covers the Lower Columbia Estuary, yields a 17-to-1 return on investment, by leveraging funds from local, state, and private sources for estuary restoration. Community-driven climate resilience projects are key to mitigate flooding, restore habitat, and address sea level rise.

Jeremy Takala, Chair, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission

•     The Columbia River is the largest salmon-producing river in the lower 48 states. The river once supported up to 18 million salmon annually, but today there are only about two million, with just 250,000 having originally spawned in the Columbia.
•     It is estimated that hydroelectric dams reduce salmon and steelhead runs by up to five million fish each year.
•     Through the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative, Oregon, Washington, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Nez Perce Tribe, and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon (often referred to as the initiative’s six sovereigns) work together to develop a strategic approach to salmon recovery.
•     Under the 1855 treaties, the Yakama, Umatilla, Nez Perce, and Warm Springs Tribes have fishing rights in the Columbia River and its tributaries.
•     The Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative has six main objectives
  • Restore salmon and steelhead to healthy and abundant levels to be consistent with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Columbia Basin Partnership Taskforce goals,
  • Improve ecosystem function by considering all species in comprehensive planning,
  • Implement near-term solutions (like fish ladders at hydro dams) to halt the further decline of fish populations,
  • Invest in the clean energy transition while honoring commitments to tribal nations,
  • Secure regulatory compliance, authorizations, and appropriations to implement the objectives, and
  • Honor treaty and trust obligations.
•     This work has advanced through a 2023 memorandum of understanding between the U.S. federal government and the six sovereigns called the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement. It secured federal commitments to salmon recovery, but political and funding challenges remain.

 

Miles Johnson, Legal Director, Columbia Riverkeeper

•     Columbia Riverkeeper is focused on helping people enjoy the benefits of the river—like swimming, boating, fishing, and eating fish—without fear of contamination. 
•     In the Pacific Northwest, salmon is not just a fish species, but also a cultural and economic symbol for tribal nations and communities along the Columbia River.
•     Toxic pollution threatens fish and human health, with fish advisories in different parts of the river warning against consuming certain resident fish (i.e., fish that spend their whole lives in the river).
•     The Bradford Island Superfund site at Bonneville Dam contains some of the highest polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) contamination levels in the United States.
•     The Yakama Nation led an effort, involving Columbia Riverkeeper and members of Congress from the Pacific Northwest, to recognize the site as a priority for cleanup. Yet, getting a site designated for Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) cleanup is just the first step. Columbia Riverkeeper is working with communities that fish and otherwise engage with the river to ensure they are part of the cleanup decision-making.
•     The Hanford Nuclear Site, in south central Washington State along the Columbia River, is the most contaminated site in the Western Hemisphere. Toxic and radioactive waste from the atomic weapons program is leaking into the soil and groundwater.
•     Cleaning up Hanford is a multi-generational challenge. Columbia Riverkeeper has been focused on cleanup efforts at the site for the past 25 years, including through student education and working directly with tribal communities.
•     The Trump Administration has proposed abandoning Hanford cleanup efforts, which would pose human health and environmental risks.

 

Jackson Blalock, Marine and Estuarine Resilience Program Manager, Pacific Conservation District

•     Pacific Conservation District is carrying out community-driven climate resilience projects on the Lower Columbia River in partnership with the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership and Washington Sea Grant.
•     The projects are designed to mitigate flooding, restore habitat, and address sea level rise, and are supported, in part, by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s National Coastal Resilience Fund.
•     Pacific and Wahkiakum Counties in Washington, where the projects are taking place, have some of the highest rates of people living in flood plains in the state. There have been 18 federally-declared disasters due to flooding since 2005.
•     Pacific Conservation District facilitated public workshops to identify 12 local projects addressing climate resilience and habitat conservation, including protecting the road along the river and helping residents move upland out of harm’s way.
•     Coastal resilience work requires long-term investment and federal support, especially for communities with limited resources.

 

Elaine Placido, Executive Director, Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership

•     The National Estuary Program, housed within the Environmental Protection Agency, was established in 1987 through an amendment to the Clean Water Act to safeguard the country’s most significant estuaries, along with the communities and economies that depend on them. Congressional investment in the National Estuary Program yields a 17-to-1 return, by leveraging funds from local, state, and private sources for estuary restoration.
•     The Congressional Estuary Caucus is engaged in supporting the work of the National Estuary Program.
•     The Columbia River Basin Restoration Program, authorized by Congress in 2016, received $79 million from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (P.L. 117-58) to support projects like stormwater infrastructure. The Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership is leading more than a dozen green infrastructure projects with this support right now.
•     The Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership works along 146 river miles of the Columbia, from the estuary to the Bonneville Dam. Its mandate is to convene, collaborate, and guide the restoration of the estuary. Its education programs—which include canoeing, tree planting, and water quality monitoring—have reached about 100,000 students since 2000.
•     The Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership tries to address the lack of long-term habitat monitoring and research. Funding for the Columbia River Basin Restoration Program is supporting this effort. Researchers are studying how the greenhouse gas cycle works on the Lower Columbia River to design projects to maximize carbon sequestration so they can be eligible for the carbon market.
•     Since 2000, the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership has restored over 5,000 acres of habitat and supported partners in restoration projects across 35,000 acres.
•     The Steigerwald Reconnection Project is the largest habitat restoration project on the lower Columbia River. It seeks to improve flood management at Camas-Washougal Port, recreational access, and salmon habitat.

 

Sarah Dyrdahl, Northwest Region Director, American Rivers

•     Rivers supply about 70% of drinking water and provide habitat for over 80% of species in the United States, yet freshwater species are declining twice as fast as land species.
•     Dam removal is the fastest way to restore rivers, as seen on the Klamath River, where salmon returned immediately after the last dam was removed.
•     The Kellogg Creek Restoration Project in the Willamette River Basin in Milwaukie, Oregon, aims to remove an obsolete dam, restore fish passage to 17 miles of river, modernize infrastructure, and create a community-driven green space.
•   Collaborators on this project have secured over $25 million in funding for Kellogg Creek restoration, including $15 million from the IIJA for design and sampling work and $10 million from the local Metro Regional Government for construction.
•     The Yakima Basin Integrated Plan is another example of collaborative work to build a future for water, wildlife, and working lands. The process of creating and implementing the plan has brought groups together as partners who were previously at odds. The plan has seven elements: reservoir fish passage, structural and operational changes, surface water storage, groundwater storage, habitat and watershed protection, enhanced water conservation, and market reallocation. 
•     The Uncommon Dialogue, facilitated by the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, brings together NGOs, hydropower companies, and government agencies to support the three Rs approach to dams:
  • Rehabilitate dams for safety and environmental performance.
  • Retrofit powered and non-powered dams for modern energy generation and energy storage.
  • Remove obsolete dams harming ecosystems, impacting public safety, and impeding recreation.
•     Over 500,000 dams exist in the United States, many of which have outlived their utility. Managing or removing these dams requires large-scale collaborative solutions.

 

Q&A

 

Q: How do your organizations find a balance between river health, the health of communities along the river, and the need for affordable, reliable, and zero-carbon energy?

Johnson

•     It is important to strike a balance between generating hydropower and protecting the remaining salmon and steelhead populations that are in bad to critical condition.
•     There are so many dams on the Columbia River and its tributaries, and some of those are now less profitable or obsolete. In these cases, the dams would be good candidates for removal.
•     Hydropower is also not a completely greenhouse gas-free source of energy because reservoirs behind dams emit carbon dioxide and methane.

Blalock

•     One of the Pacific Conservation District’s main goals is balancing community and wildlife needs. This starts with listening and building trust. It can take years and even generations.
•     Dams impact sediment flows and other conditions downstream, in the estuary and in the ocean. Coastal towns like Ilwaco and Chinook, Washington, have relied on fisheries for centuries and are currently impacted directly by declining fish populations.
•     Dams and control structures impact coastal erosion and accretion, contributing to shoreline changes in Pacific County, Washington, and in Oregon. Pacific County has the fastest eroding shoreline on the U.S. West Coast.

Placido

•     The Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership is focused on completing as many restoration projects as possible.

Dyrdahl

•     There will be increased energy demand in the Northwest, and the region needs to plan for this reality.
•     Technology is modernizing by the day, which can lead to previously unavailable solutions. Leaning into these emerging opportunities to reach a balance between clean, affordable energy infrastructure and healthy communities and rivers is essential.
•     The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission’s energy vision document outlines how to approach these issues.

 

Q: What is a status update on the Columbia River treaty?

Johnson

•   Save Our wild Salmon has been leading coordination among nonprofits on tracking the treaty and is a good resource. The State Department is a key resource for Congressional staff on this topic.

 

Q: Are there any local, state, or federal policy efforts that could deliver benefits for Columbia River restoration in the coming years?

Dyrdahl

•     Continued funding for efforts like the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative through legislation like the IIJA is essential.
•     The federal government needs to be part of providing funding for multi-benefit projects and modernizing infrastructure.

Placido

•     Reauthorization of the National Estuary Program is coming in 2026.
•     Funding from the IIJA has made a significant difference in advancing solutions. The IIJA expires in 2026, and policymakers need to figure out where funding will come from to continue this work.

Blalock

•     The reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (P.L. 118-272) is important for the Pacific Conservation District’s work. This reauthorization will support a flood control study of the Grays River area.
•     Federal recognition of the Chinook Indian Nation would increase opportunities for more funding and resources in the region for conservation work.

Johnson

•     Water and energy resources are closely connected in the Pacific Northwest, so policy decisions on these sectors are interconnected as well.
•     Both Oregon and Washington have carbon neutrality goals, but the federal government also needs to support these efforts. 

 

Compiled by Raneem Iftekhar and edited for clarity and length. This is not a transcript.