[env-trinity] Daily Kos- Dan Bacher:Bureau makes emergency water release to avert Klamath fish kill

[Tom Stokely]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/09/16/1330164/-Bureau-will-make-emergency-water-release-to-avert-Klamath-fish-kill#

TUE SEP 16, 2014 AT 09:53 AM PDT
Bureau makes emergency water release to avert Klamath fish kill
byDan BacherFollow
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The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will make an emergency release of 3400 cfs from Lewiston Dam into the Trinity River in order to double flows in the Lower Klamath River to "abate poor fish health conditions" including an outbreak of the fish disease "Ich."
Starting at 10 am today,  Trinity River releases will begin increasing from 450 cfs at a rate of 250 cfs per every 2 hours until the total release from The Trinity reaches 3400 cfs, according to Vivienna Orcutt of the Hoopa Valley Tribe. For specific river release information, call the river release recording at (530) 246-7594.
"The increased flows are expected to continue for several days," according to a news release from the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP). Please go to: http://www.kbmp.net/...for more information on fish health monitoring in the Klamath River.
The emergency release of water would not have taken place without the Hoopa Valley Tribe taking swift action responding to the Klamath River fish kill and contacting the Bureau of Reclamation Regional Director, Dave Murillo.  
"A potentially catastrophic outbreak of disease among fall Chinook salmon has today commenced in the lower Klamath River," according to a news release from the Hoopa Valley Tribe on Monday. "Samples examined by Dr. Scott Foott show infection with ich of at least nine fish, including six with 'severe' infestations."
Consequently, the Tribe said an emergency doubling of flows at the USGS “KNK’ gage from pre-existing levels for a period of 7 consecutive days, woul be required in an attempt to avoid a massive fish kill.  
The Tribe asked David Murillo of the Bureau of Reclamation to take action immediately to release emergency flows.  
“The Hoopa Valley Tribe is very appreciative of the earlier action that Reclamation took by releasing preventative flows," Chairwoman Danielle Vigil-Masten said yesterday. "However, we are in another stage that we did not anticipate and we shouldn’t deviate from what the science tells us to do. We expect that Reclamation will take the right action, which is to release the emergency flows that are called for under the criteria.”  
Regina Chichizola, river advocate, explained that Ich was the disease that caused the 2002 Klamath River fish kill, when over 68,000 salmon perished in low and warm water conditions that spurred the Ich outbreak.
"Let's hope the releases stop the spread of Ich, and that fish headed up river from the Trinity River (including the Salmon, Scott and Shasta River salmon) survive without additional water," said Chichizola. "Imagine how much worst the situation would be if preventive flows were not released last month due to the pressure put on the BOR."

ORIGINALLY POSTED TO DAN BACHER ON TUE SEP 16, 2014 AT 09:53 AM PDT.
ALSO REPUBLISHED BY CLIMATE CHANGE SOS.
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