FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 17, 2026

CONTACTS:
Joseph Bogaard, joseph@wildsalmon.org, 206-300-1003
Tanya Riordan, tanya@wildsalmon.org, 509-990-9777

Hot water temperatures in the lower Snake River are harming salmon, wildlife, and communities

SEATTLE (July 17, 2026) — Water temperatures are rising to harmful levels in the lower Snake and Columbia rivers. Save Our wild Salmon Coalition and 11 NGOs have released their 11th annual Hot Water Report: Warming Waters in the lower Snake and Columbia rivers.

Many once-abundant anadromous fish populations in the Columbia-Snake River Basin are on the brink of extinction today due primarily to harms caused by federal dams and their warming reservoirs, especially in the lower Snake River. The four lower Snake River dams between Tri-Cities and Lewiston, Idaho—Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite—have transformed a healthy, cold water, and free-flowing river into 140 miles of large, hot, stagnant, toxic reservoirs. As a result, we have a sick river that can not support healthy and abundant salmon, steelhead, wildlife, and communities.

In each of the Hot Water Reports this summer, we will present a summary of the highest water temperatures recorded in each of the eight reservoirs in the lower Snake and Columbia rivers and the number of days the reservoirs reached above the 68°F “harm” threshold—the biological and legal water temperature threshold under the Clean Water Act to protect salmon and steelhead. See current water temperatures here.

For decades, federal agencies have resisted meaningful action to reduce the dams’ water temperature pollution. Washington Department of Ecology is using its Clean Water Act authority to require the Army Corps to study all possible ways to cool the lower Snake River and prevent the dams and reservoirs from heating it to levels that kill endangered salmon and steelhead.

Army Corps and Bureau of Reclamation’s most recent draft plan to address high water temperatures in the lower Snake reservoirs would continue to violate the Clean Water Act and Washington State water quality rules, and fail to provide solutions to the dams’ hot water pollution, also known as heat pollution. The federal agencies have until September 7, 2026 to revise their plan and identify solutions to prevent the dams and reservoirs from heating up.

With on-going attacks from the federal government, including weakening the Endangered Species Act, salmon and steelhead need every measure available to provide a lifeline. They are simply running out of time, and the hot, stagnant, toxic river cannot support rebuilding healthy and abundant salmon and steelhead populations.

Due to the dams’ harmful impacts on native fish populations and water quality, current efforts to preserve the status quo and retain the lower Snake River dams violates our nation’s 150-year old Treaty commitments to Northwest Tribes, the Endangered Species Act, and the Clean Water Act. We have a great opportunity - and urgent need as well - to restore ecosystem health in the basin and recover salmon and steelhead abundance by removing the four lower Snake River dams and replacing the dams’ services.

The Hot Water Report is a project of: Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, Association of Northwest Steelheaders, Columbia Riverkeeper, Earthjustice, Idaho Conservation League, Idaho Rivers United, National Wildlife Federation, Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, Orca Network, Pacific Rivers, Sierra Club, and Snake River Waterkeeper.

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