Power Generation and Fish Passage

Bartlett, James.  Pelton Round Butte Hydroelectric Project – Selective Water Withdrawal and Adult Release Facility.

As part of the new (FERC) license PGE and the Tribes have committed to reestablishing anadromous fish runs above Round Butte Dam.  PGE and CTWSRO reestablished downstream passage in December of 2009 when the (SWW) structure and associated downstream fish passage, capture, sampling, and transfer facilities became operational.  The fish facilities are designed to capture downstream-migrant juvenile salmonids for transport to the lower Deschutes River.  The first 6,000 cfs of surface flow created by power generation enters through two V-screens which decrease the flow with fish down to 12 cfs.  The remaining 12 cfs and fish are pumped from the intake structure to the Fish Transfer Facility.  There, dewatering screens and in-line bar separators sort fish by size into holding raceways.  Since operation was initiated, thousands of downstream migrating spring Chinook, summer steelhead, and juvenile Onerka, (sockeye) have been captured and transported below the project to continue their downstream migration.  Returning adults began to be transported and released upstream of Round Butte Dam in 2012.