Hydroacoustic Evaluation of Juvenile Salmonid Passage at The Dalles Dam in 2004
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Portland District engaged the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to evaluate juvenile salmon passage at The Dalles Dam in 2004 to inform decisions about long-term measures and operations to enhance sluiceway and spill passage and reduce turbine passage to improve smolt survival at the dam. PNNL used fixed-location hydroacoustic sampling across the entire project, especially at the sluiceway and spillway, using multiple split-beam transducers at selected locations. At the sluiceway nearfield, we used an acoustic camera to track fish. The fish data were interpreted and integrated with hydraulic data from a CFD model and in-field ADCP measurements. Two sluiceway operations were compared: West only (SL 1) vs. West+East (SL 1 + SL 18). Based on our findings, we concluded that The Dalles Dam sluiceway has the potential to be highly efficient and effective at passing juvenile salmonids. This potential could be tapped with hydraulic and entrance enhancements to the sluiceway. We recommended the following: (1) six rather than three sluice gates should be opened to take advantage of the maximum hydraulic capacity of the sluiceway. (2) The turbine units below open sluice gates should be operated as a standard fish operations procedure. (3) In 2005, the Corps and fisheries agencies should consider operating sluice gates in one or more of the following combinations of six gates: (a) SL 1-1, 1-2, 1-3 and SL 18-1, 18-2, 18-3 (repeat 2004 operation), (b) SL 1-1, 1-2, 1-3 and SL 11-1, 11-2, 11-3, or (c) SL 1-1, 1-2, 1-3 and SL 2-1, 2-2, 2-3. The following elements for surface flow bypasses which should be considered during design of any sluiceway enhancements at The Dalles Dam: (1) form an extensive surface flow bypass flow net (surface bypass discharge greater than {approx}7% of total project discharge), (2) create a gradual increase in water velocity approaching the surface flow bypass (ideally, acceleration < 1 m/s/m), (3) make water velocities at an entrance high enough (> 3 m/s) to entrain the subject juvenile fishes, (4) adapt the shape and orientation of the surface entrance(s) to fit site-specific features, and (5) consider installing a forebay wall to increase fish availability to the surface flow bypass.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 860426
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-15180; 400403209; TRN: US0504911
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
CAMERAS
FISHES
HYDRAULIC TURBINES
SALMON
SAMPLING
SPILLWAYS
FISH PASSAGE FACILITIES
JUVENILES
DAMS
salmonid
salmon
salmon survival
hydroacoustic
The Dalles Dam
hydroelectric
dam
Columbia River
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
sluiceway
spillway
split-beam transducers
acoustic camera
fish tracking
fish passage efficiency