Fish and Wildlife Protection
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BPA must mitigate
damage to fish and wildlife caused by the federal hydrosystem.
It is among
the many agencies that help fish runs damaged by dams, logging, farming,
overharvest and other human activities.
BPA is committed to working toward regional solutions, based on sound biological science. It funds about 250 fish and wildlife projects a year, from repairing the spawning streams to studying fish diseases and controlling predators. Projects are identified by the Northwest Power Planning Council's fish and wildlife program. 
BPA also releases billions of gallons of water each year from reservoirs to help young salmon and steelhead migrate to the sea. This means there is less water for power in fall and winter, and large amounts of surplus power are generated when water is sent down the river for migrating fish. Congress has stabilized BPA ratepayer's; costs for salmon recovery projects at $252 million annually, plus river operation requirements that cost anywhere from $90 million to $280 million a year. This is about one-fifth of BPA's annual operating budget. |
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