TO:	Brigadier General Strock	COE-NPD
	William Branch	COE - Water Management
	Cindy Henriksen	COE-RCC
	Doug Arndt	COE-P
	Col. Randall J. Butler	COE - Portland District
	Lieut. Col. W. E. Bulen, Jr.	COE - Walla Walla District
	J. William McDonald	USBR-Boise Regional Director
	Steven Wright	Acting BPA-Administrator
	Greg Delwiche	BPA-PG-5
FROM:	Christine Mallette, Chairperson, Salmon Managers
DATE:	June 5, 2001
SUBJECT:	Priest Rapids Flows
SPECIFICATIONS:	For the week ending June 10, 2001 maintain Priest Rapids flows at a weekly average of 91 Kcfs.  For the week of June 11 to June 17 maintain Priest Rapids flows at a weekly average of 117.5 Kcfs.  Weekend flows should not be less than 80% of the previous five-day average.  The attached spreadsheet describes the expected operations under this request.  This operation would still fill Grand Coulee Reservoir to at least 1280 feet and probably higher by the end of June.

JUSTIFICATION:

The present drought and economic situation has resulted in the interruption of endangered species act protection measures throughout the spring migration season.  Flows at Priest Rapids have been below the 135 Kcfs called for by the Biological Opinion.  The status of the juvenile fish migration has been affected by the extremely low flows in the Mid Columbia River and until recently the migration was stalled due to the low flows.  Recent increases in flows at Priest Rapids have resulted in corresponding increases in the passage indices of yearling chinook and steelhead from the Mid Columbia at McNary Dam.  The next few weeks are critical for the continued migration of the Mid Columbia spring migration and the initiation of the summer migration.  Flows from the Mid Columbia are also expected to improve migration conditions for those fish migrating through the lower Columbia.