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Wanapum Fish Bypass: Fish Slide Open for Business

EPHRATA, WA – Starting this spring, a 290-foot water slide will aid Columbia River salmon smolts on their journey towards the Pacific Ocean. 

After three years under construction, the completion of the Wanapum Fish Bypass is a major milestone for Grant PUD, making it possible for the utility to meet a federal requirement for 95 percent survival of salmon smolts passing Wanapum Dam.

The $35 million 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.  The bypass was designed and engineered to provide migrating salmon with the safest possible downstream passage route.

“At Grant PUD we are proud of our stewardship efforts,” said Grant PUD General Manager Tim Culbertson.  “We continue to find new and innovative ways to protect the Columbia River’s attributes and maximize electric generation of low-cost, emission free power using the same amount of water through our project.  This bypass is a great example of how efficiencies can be gained in energy generation while doing the right thing for fish.”

The concrete chute seen from the downstream face of the dam has an 18.5 foot opening at the top of the dam.  A hydraulic gate allows the release of 20 thousand cubic feet of water per second down a long concrete slide that ends in a 90-foot-wide opening, flowing directly into the river.  The wide design at the end of the chute allows for even dissipation of water.

The bypass was developed in compliance with the NOAA Fisheries 2004 Biological Opinion and is included in utility’s new 44-year license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to operate the Priest Rapids Project.

The bypass will operate throughout the juvenile salmon migration season and be shut down at the end of the runs, typically in early August.

For photos and additional information on the Wanapum Fish Bypass, please visit: www.gcpud.org.

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Grant County Public Utility District is a Washington state municipal corporation that began electric service in 1942.  Owned by the people it serves, Grant PUD generates and sells electricity to Grant County residents and millions of customers throughout Central Washington and the Pacific Northwest.  The Priest Rapids Project, comprised of Priest Rapids and Wanapum Dams, produces nearly 2,000 megawatts of clean, renewable and reliable electricity – enough to supply a city the size of Seattle.  A leader in science based technology; Grant PUD is committed to finding effective measures for the protection, mitigation and enhancement of salmon, steelhead and other natural and cultural resources.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Thomas Stredwick
(509) 793-1571 / tstredwick@gcpud.org


View of the Wanapum Fish Bypass from Park at entrance to Wanapum Dam
park on the east bank of the Columbia River