Multi-Species Biological Assessment of the Federal Columbia River Power System

摘要

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BoR), and211u001eBonneville Power Administration (BPA) (collectively termed the Action Agencies) 211u001ecarry out and coordinate the generation and marketing of power from the Federal 211u001eColumbia River Power System (FCRPS). The FCRPS consists of the projects and 211u001efacilities which are listed in Section 1.4. The projects were constructed and are 211u001eoperated for multiple purposes, including hydropower generation, flood control, 211u001eirrigation, navigation, fish, wildlife, water quality, municipal and industrial 211u001ewater, and recreation. In 1995, the Action Agencies consulted under section 7 of 211u001ethe Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA), on the operation of the 211u001eFCRPS with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the U.S. Fish and 211u001eWildlife Service (USFWS). This consultation resulted in three separate biological 211u001eopinions being issued by NMFS and USFWS (as listed in Section 1.2) covering 211u001eanadromous and resident fish species which were listed at the time. The NMFS then 211u001eissued a supplemental biological opinion in 1998 (also listed in Section 1.2), 211u001ewhich addressed the additional listing, since 1995, of upper Columbia steelhead. 211u001eIn 1999, NMFS listed six additional populations of anadromous fish as either 211u001ethreatened or endangered and USFWS listed one additional resident fish species 211u001epursuant to the ESA. In addition, system configuration changes have been made and 211u001eoperation of the FCRPS has been modified relative to that which existed in 1995. 211u001eFinally, additional information has become available since 1995 concerning the 211u001especies covered by NMFSs and USFWSs 1995 and 1998 opinions.