Reclamation Information Sharing Environment (RISE)

The purpose of this scoping study was to understand the data, tools and models currently available that describe Yakima river water quality, specifically temperature and dissolved oxygen. The Yakima River is a tributary of the Columbia River in Washington State and is the only migratory pathway for Yakima Basin juvenile salmonids migrating downstream to the ocean and adults returning to their natal streams to spawn. High water temperature and low dissolved oxygen levels in the lower Yakima River create migration barriers and become lethal for migrating salmon. The objective of this project is to help advise water managers when flow management options can be used to change water quality conditions and benefit salmonid migration. This scoping study gathered existing data and water quality models, reviewed previous and concurrent work being conducted in the basin and developed project partnerships to support the writing of a full research/conducting proposal for fiscal year 2022. The conducting proposal will create a predictive tool on how and when strategic flow releases at the upstream dams or other water management options might improve water temperature and dissolved oxygen levels in the lower Yakima River to allow adult salmon to migrate upstream and enhance juvenile salmon downstream migration survival.