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70 Degrees Or More For 24-45 Straight Days in the Columbia and Snake Rivers

Memo to Northwest writers, reporters, editorialists, and columnists

As of September 1, river temperatures at all four lower Columbia River dams have been 70 degrees or above for 24 straight days. At the middle two of those dams – The Dalles and John Day – it’s been 39 straight days. At Ice Harbor Dam, the Snake River dam closest to the Columbia, it’s been 45 straight days.

The story is monotonous - and somber. Together the four lower Snake and four lower Columbia dams impound about 400 consecutive miles of river. Total 2013 readings of 70 degrees or more in these 400 miles are now nearly triple the number in 2012. Last year, the great bulk of 70-plus readings were in August. This year, 70-plus readings began in mid-July and have now stretched continuously into September.

This week’s specifics:

Forebay (above dam) Tailrace (below dam)

Bonneville Dam
Aug 26     71.2 F     71.2 F
Aug 27     71.1 F     71.2 F
Aug 28     71.5 F     71.5 F
Aug 29     71.7 F     71.8 F
Aug 30     72 F        72 F
Aug 31     72.3 F     72.3 F
Sept 1      72.3 F     72.3 F

The Dalles Dam
Aug 26     71.6 F     71.7 F
Aug 27     71.9 F     72 F
Aug 28     72.2 F     72.2 F
Aug 29     72.2 F     72.3 F
Aug 30     72 F        72.1 F
Aug 31     72.1 F     72.1 F
Sept 1      72.1 F     72.1 F

John Day Dam
Aug 26     72.3 F     72.3 F
Aug 27     72.2 F     72.3 F
Aug 28     72.2 F     72.2 F
Aug 29     72.1 F     72 F
Aug 30     72 F        72 F
Aug 31     72.2 F     72.1 F
Sept 1      72.6 F     72.2 F

McNary Dam
Aug 26                    70.2 F
Aug 27                    70.3 F
Aug 28                    70.6 F
Aug 29                    70.4 F
Aug 30                    70.2 F
Aug 31                    70.8 F
Sept 1                     70.8 F

Ice Harbor Dam
Aug 26     70.1 F    70.3 F
Aug 27     70.3 F    70.7 F
Aug 28     70.2 F    70.6 F
Aug 29                   70.3 F
Aug 30                   70.1 F
Aug 31     70 F       70.2 F
Sept 1      70.1 F    70.4 F

Lower Monumental
Aug 31 70.2 F
Sept 1 70.1

As we noted last week, federal agencies will release their fourth attempt since 2000 at a lawful plan to restore Columbia and Snake River salmon on September 9. Will the plan acknowledge rising river temperatures, and what actions will it propose to respond to them?

Columbia-Snake temperatures are at http://www.fpc.org/tempgraphssl/NETFullYear_tempgraph.aspx

For more information, please contact: Gilly Lyons, SOS policy director, 503-975-3202, gilly@wildsalmon.org

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