Methods and Applications for Evaluating Hydroturbine Fish Passage and Survival

The US Army Corps of Engineers, Turbine Survival Program (TSP) has studied hydroturbine passage and the physical turbine environment since the mid 1990’s. Characterizing the physical turbine environment, fish passage and survival provides a better understanding of the mechanisms of fish mortality. Many modeling and survival estimation techniques exist; however, Sensor Fish (SF) and direct release-recapture survival studies provide the most appropriate evaluation of turbine passage within the test and dam configuration limitations. These studies involve tagging both SF and live fish with balloon and radio or acoustic telemetry tags and releasing them directly into a turbine intake. SF characterize pressure (evaluates barotrauma) and acceleration (evaluates strike and shear) within the turbine environment. Balloon tagged fish assess direct turbine related injuries, while telemetry tagged fish assess total turbine passage survival including tailrace predation and delayed mortality. Results provide a relative explanation of turbine passage and survival that may be compared among different turbines, operations and facilities. Through these studies, the TSP developed turbine design criteria used to design two new turbines for safer fish passage. The new turbines will be installed at Ice Harbor Dam (2016-2019) and will be biologically tested with these methods.