The fish bypass is an alternative passage route at Wanapum Dam that provides an opportunity for salmon smolts to bypass the turbines. The construction project was preceded by years of research, model studies and testing to determine how juvenile salmon travel within the water column as they approach the dam. Design and engineering of the bypass provide migrating salmon with the safest possible downstream passage route.
Construction Cost
$35 million
Operating Schedule
through the juvenile salmon migration season, typically April through August
Construction Complete
2008
Bypass Dimensions
290-foot-long chute
Opening of 18.5 feet
Exit width of 90 feet
The “chute” carries a bypass flow of 20,000 cubic feet per second.
Vertical and inclined gates make it possible to set lower flow rates.
Grant County Public Utility District
30 C Street SW, P.O. Box 878, Ephrata WA 98823
(509) 754-0500 - Toll Free (800) 422-3199
