[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 11 (Friday, January 22, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S895-S896]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. WYDEN (for himself and Mr. Smith of Oregon):
  S. 294. A bill to direct the Secretary of the Army to develop and 
implement a comprehensive program for fish screens and passage devices; 
to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.


      water diversion protection and fisheries enhancement program

 Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, the legislation I introduce today 
will help the people of the Pacific Northwest address one of the most 
important natural resource issues in the region: the restoration of our 
majestic salmon runs. This bill will lend a much-needed hand to 
Oregonians and other Northwesterners who have been working together to 
find common sense solutions to preserve this precious natural resource.
  As many people know, any effort to recover these salmon runs must be 
both creative and comprehensive, due to the complex nature of the 
salmon life cycle. Salmon are hatched in fresh water, migrate down 
streams and rivers to the sea to grow and mature, and then return to 
the streams of their birth to spawn. This complex life cycle exposes 
the fish to many hazards which threaten their survival. If we are to 
achieve our goal of restoring salmon runs to healthy levels, we must 
identify and address the various causes of salmon mortality.
  One of the hazards facing salmon and other fish is the diversion of 
water from streams and rivers to irrigate agricultural crops. Migrating 
juvenile fish, including endangered salmon and bull trout, are killed 
when they are diverted from rivers and streams along with water used 
for irrigation.
  The common-sense solution to this pervasive problem is to safely 
screen the points of water diversion: to allow water through while 
keeping fish out. Despite existing State and Federal programs to assist 
with the installation of fish screens, unscreened diversions continue 
to be a significant problem for endangered fish in the Pacific 
Northwest.
  My home state of Oregon has identified fish mortality caused by water 
diversions as a priority problem. One of Oregon's primary goals 
relating to salmon restoration is to encourage the installation of fish 
screens and passage devices for water diversions on streams and rivers. 
Oregon has developed a cooperative program to assist in screening 
smaller diversions used on family farms. However, the State cannot 
afford to provide similar assistance for larger sized diversions. 
That's where the Federal government can help.
  This bill gives the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers new authority to 
help irrigators make their water systems safer for fish. Participation 
by irrigators in the program will be voluntary and will require a 
sharing of the cost.
  I believe this legislation will be very effective because irrigators 
from Oregon and the other Northwest states have told me they want to 
make their water systems more fish-friendly, but

[[Page S896]]

they need help to do so. This bill will give them the help they need 
and will greatly benefit the current efforts of local irrigation 
districts and watershed councils to conserve and protect our fish runs.
  I am pleased that this legislation is cosponsored by Senator Gordon 
Smith and has support from all the Northwest irrigation groups and 
literally dozens of Northwest and national conservation and sport 
fishing groups, including National Audubon Society, Natural Resources 
Defense Council, Oregon Trout, Trout Unlimited, American Rivers, 
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, and Northwest 
Sportfishing Industries Association.
  Despite our best efforts to restore these salmon runs, they continue 
to decline year after year. We need a fresh approach to this problem--
one that involves the participation of the local folks who are affected 
by conservation efforts. This bill takes that approach.
  Of course, a fish screen program alone is not the missing clue to 
solve our salmon problem. But this program, along with others like the 
Clean Water bill I introduced last session with Senator Burns are 
pieces of the complete puzzle.
  Ultimately, it will take the integrated efforts of all interests in 
our region to recover our salmon successfully. State, Tribal and local 
governments, local watershed councils, private landowners and the 
Federal government will all need to work together. Initiatives like 
this fish screen bill will help forge the partnerships upon which 
successful salmon recovery will be based. I urge your support for this 
legislation, so that the people of the Pacific Northwest can continue 
their important work to restore this precious natural resource.
                                 ______