Welcome to the archived copies of the Lower Snake and Columbia River Hot Water Report. These weekly reports present the conditions on the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers via graphs, analyses, and stories. The reports track the rivers as they become too hot for migrating salmon, as well as the adult return of each individual salmon species.
Below are all the available reports from 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2016.
HOT WATER REPORT 2023: #11 - September 18 - Welcome to the eleventh issue of the 2023 Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. In this final Hot Water Report issue, we will summarize this year’s high water temperatures in the lower Snake and Columbia reservoirs, the number of days each of the reservoirs experienced above the 68°F threshold, and review the current return status for Snake River salmon and steelhead in comparison to their recovery goals. Given the current returns for wild Snake River Spring/Summer Chinook, steelhead, and sockeye, these fish are far closer to extinction than recovery. Wild fish return as adults at just 1-2% of historic levels and each year salmon and steelhead are returning far, far below their historic and recovery levels.
HOT WATER REPORT 2023: #10 - September 8 - Welcome to the tenth issue of the 2023 Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Read the tenth issue to view current hot water temperatures in the lower Snake and Columbia rivers from September 1 - September 6. Issue 10 is focused on the Nez Perce Tribe’s Department of Fisheries Resources Management’s 2023 Snake River Basin Anadromous Fish Status Report Card that outlines (i) the historical returns for Snake River fish, (ii) forecasted 2023 returns for Spring/summer Chinook salmon and steelhead, (iii) Quasi-Extinction Threshold for Spring/summer Chinook salmon and steelhead (QET; critical threshold signaling fish are nearing extinction), and (iv) urgency to restore Snake River fish.
HOT WATER REPORT 2023: #9 - September 1 - Welcome to the ninth issue of the 2023 Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Read the ninth issue to view current hot water temperatures in the lower Snake and Columbia rivers from August 24 - August 31. For Issue 9, we discuss this summer's adult returns for Snake River sockeye salmon. Unfortunately, hot water has prevented almost an entire generation of critically endangered Snake River sockeye from reaching their spawning grounds in Idaho. This year, just 24 natural-origin sockeye have been able to navigate through the lower Snake River dams and up to Idaho’s Stanley Basin to spawn. Sockeye salmon are nowhere near their recovery goals.
HOT WATER REPORT 2023: #8 - August 24 - Welcome to the eighth issue of the 2023 Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Read the eighth issue to view current hot water temperatures in the lower Snake and Columbia rivers from August 18 and August 23. In Issue 8, we’re addressing how the lower Snake River dams’ impact Snake River salmon and steelhead and their freshwater ecosystems. This issue also reports the current estimated status of Snake River salmon and steelhead returns as of August 17, 2023.
HOT WATER REPORT 2023: #7 - August 18 - Welcome to the seventh issue of the 2023 Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Read the seventh issue to view current hot water temperatures in the lower Snake and Columbia rivers from August 9 and August 17. For Issue 7, we have a special addition to the Hot Water Report - a series of articles about Southern Resident orcas and the urgency to restore the lower Snake River through dam removal to bring salmon back to abundance and significantly increase the amount of salmon available to the Southern Residents.
HOT WATER REPORT 2023: #6 - August 9 - Welcome to the sixth issue of the 2023 Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Read the sixth issue to view current hot water temperatures in the lower Snake and Columbia rivers from August 3 and August 8. In this issue, Miles Johnson, Legal Director for Columbia Riverkeeper, uncovers the critical role of the Clean Water Act in addressing dams’ hot water pollution, also known as heat pollution, to protect endangered salmon and steelhead from extinction.
HOT WATER REPORT 2023: #5 - August 3 - Welcome to the fifth issue of the 2023 Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Read the fifth issue to view hot water temperatures in the lower Snake and Columbia rivers from July 26 - August 2 and to learn more about how salmon and steelhead declines impact the commercial fishing families in the Pacific Northwest.
HOT WATER REPORT 2023: #4 - July 27th - Welcome to the fourth issue of the 2023 Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Read the fourth issue to view hot water temperatures in the lower Snake and Columbia rivers from July 19 - July 25 and to learn more on how salmon and steelhead declines impact the Northwest recreational fishing economy.
HOT WATER REPORT 2023: #3 - July 19th - Welcome to the third issue of the 2023 Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Read the third issue to view hot water temperatures in the lower Snake and Columbia rivers from July 12 - July 18 and to learn more on historical and current wild Snake River salmon and steelhead returns. For each salmon population, we will compare current returns to their established recovery goals – the adult returns deemed necessary to recover these populations and remove them from the Endangered Species Act list.
HOT WATER REPORT 2023: #2 - July 12th - Welcome to the second issue of the 2023 Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Read the second issue to view hot water temperatures in the lower Snake and Columbia rivers from July 6 - July 11 and learn about the water temperatures suitable for juvenile and adult salmon as well as lethal, and the urgent need to restore a freely flowing lower Snake River to provide cold, clean, and healthy waters for salmon and steelhead.
HOT WATER REPORT 2023: #1 - July 6th - Welcome to the first issue of the 2023 Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. Click on the link above to read the hot water temperatures in the lower Snake and Columbia river from June 28 - July 5 and learn about salmon and steelhead’s role in NW biodiversity.
HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #11 - September 16th
HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #10 - September 8th
HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #9 - September 2nd
HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #8 - August 18th
HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #7 - August 10th
HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #6 - August 3rd
HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #5 - July 27th
HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #4 - July 20th
HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #3 - July 13th
HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #2 - June 29th
HOT WATER REPORT 2022: #1 - June 22nd
HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #12 - September 8th
HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #11 - September 1st
HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #10 - August 25th
HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #9 - August 18th
HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #8 - August 11th
HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #7 - August 4th
HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #6 - July 28th
HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #5 - July 21st
HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #4 - July 14th
HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #3 - July 7th
HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #2 - June 30th
HOT WATER REPORT 2021: #1 - June 23rd
HOT WATER REPORT 2020: #8 - September 2nd
HOT WATER REPORT 2020: #7 - August 26th
HOT WATER REPORT 2020: #6 - August 19th
HOT WATER REPORT 2020: #5 - August 12th
HOT WATER REPORT 2020: #4 - August 5th
HOT WATER REPORT 2020: #3 - July 29th
HOT WATER REPORT 2020: #2 - July 22nd
HOT WATER REPORT 2020: #1 - July 15th
HOT WATER REPORT 2019: #9 - August 30th
HOT WATER REPORT 2019: #8 - August 26th
HOT WATER REPORT 2019: #7 - August 16th
HOT WATER REPORT 2019: #6 - August 9th
HOT WATER REPORT 2019: #5 - August 2nd
HOT WATER REPORT 2019: #4 - July 26th
HOT WATER REPORT 2019: #3 - July 19th
HOT WATER REPORT 2019: #2 - July 12th
HOT WATER REPORT 2019: #1 - July 5th
HOT WATER REPORT 2018: #1 - June 28
HOT WATER REPORT 2018: #2 - July 5
HOT WATER REPORT 2018: #3 - July 13
HOT WATER REPORT 2018: #4 - July 20
HOT WATER REPORT 2018: #5 - July 27
HOT WATER REPORT 2018: #6 - August 3
HOT WATER REPORT 2018: #7 - August 10
HOT WATER REPORT 2018: #8 - August 24
HOT WATER REPORT 2018: #9 - August 31
HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #4 - July 26
HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #5 - August 2
HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #6 - August 9
HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #7 - August 16
