19 Jul 2021

That sounds fishy: fish ladders at high-head dams impractical, largely unneeded

Humans. What other sentient being designs a tool requiring hands and feet and expects animals without limbs to use it? Alas, the answer is humans. Humans created a ladder for fish, which is quite effective in certain situations – but isn’t a blanket solution to every fish passage problem. And while most humans would agree that ladders can be useful for climbing short distances, perhaps 20-50 feet– another tool – like an elevator or truck – may be a better option to climb hundreds of feet. Otherwise, there would need to be more infrastructure to support that ladder, or perhaps it would need to be a staircase at that point. This is similar for fish when moving them up and downstream.

17 Jun 2021

That sounds fishy: twisting traps troll tributaries in the Willamette

The bulky contraptions float listlessly downstream of three dams in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The buoyant, metal devices hold large screws that the water flow turns. This twist of the screw – creating a creaking, rasping, scraping sound – generates enough hydraulics to keep small fish from escaping the slowly spinning, cone-shaped collectors – or, screw traps.

16 Oct 2020

Historic wildfires test Corps’ Willamette Valley projects

The wildfires that closed in on the Corps’ 13-dam system in the Willamette Valley caused minor damage at four dam sites.

21 Sep 2020

The longest shift: dam operator trapped at Detroit Dam during wildfires

Before leaving for his work shift, Mike Pomeroy said goodbye to his wife, Ronda, the way he always did: with a promise. “I’ll see you in 14.” The powerplant operator then made the drive for his shift at Detroit Dam that Labor Day evening, in “red flag” conditions as the Beachie Fire consumed swaths of land to the northeast.