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Marty Douglass Eugene Water & Electric Board 500 E. 4th Avenue 541-341-1879

Fish protection measures planned for the McKenzie River have moved a step closer to reality with the release of a federal Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Eugene Water & Electric Board's Leaburg and Walterville hydroelectric facilities. The EIS was recently issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) as part of EWEB's bid for a new operating license for the McKenzie hydro facilities.

In its request for a new operating license EWEB proposed to install a fish screen in the Walterville Canal to protect fish from entering the Walterville power plant facility, fish barriers in the Walterville and Leaburg tailraces just below both power plants to protect migrating fish from entering the facility, and a new fish ladder at Leaburg Dam. Also included in the proposal was a commitment to assist migrating fish and enhance recreation opportunities by increasing minimum river flows to 1000 cubic feet per second (cfs) year round in the hydro project area. The new flows, which EWEB now observes, amount to twice as much water left in the river as has historically been the case. Other recreational improvements were also contained in the proposal including hiking trails along the Leaburg and Walterville Canals and a fish viewing stations at Leaburg Dam. All of these measures were approved by FERC in the EIS.

EWEB's relicensing project has been underway since 1988. During that period numerous scientific studies have been conducted regarding the impact of the hydro projects on the McKenzie and its habitat. After deliberating for nearly three years, a citizens committee known as the McKenzie Network Group, made a series of recommendations to the EWEB Board of Commissioners, including the 1000 cfs minimum flow level. The Board considered the Network Group's recommendations, along with the recommendations from various state and federal resource agencies and EWEB's staff, in approving the final proposal that went to FERC.

Now that the final EIS has been issued, EWEB hopes to receive a new operating license for the Leaburg and Walterville facilities within the next couple months. Design work for the new fish protection facilities has already been completed. EWEB will move forward with construction when a new operating license is issued.