United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1998-04-27 monographic deposited born digital 68 p. GA 1.13:RCED-98-100 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-98-100 P0b002ee180380a83 f:rc98100 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-RCED-98-100 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-98-100 RCED-98-100 Anadromous fishes Wildlife conservation Inland waterways Funds management Environmental policies Endangered species Dams Columbia River Basin (WA) Snake River (ID) Army Corps of Engineers Columbia River Fish Mitigation Program Columbia River Power System Chapter Report RCED

Columbia River Basin salmon runs were once the world's largest. Before 1850, an estimated 16 million salmon returned to the basin each year. By 1996, however, returning adult salmon had been reduced to about 2.5 million fish, of which only about 500,000 were wild or naturally spawning salmon. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has sought to improve the passage of adult and juvenile salmon around the eight dams that it operates on the lower Columbia and Snake rivers. The Corps estimates that it will spend $1.4 billion to implement its fish mitigation program. About $908 million will be spent to build fish passage projects and related studies through the program's completion in 2007. This report discusses (1) the Corps' decision-making process for identifying, setting priorities for, and funding actions to help the recovery of salmon runs and (2) whether the Corps has been completing its fish mitigation efforts on schedule and within budget. GAO also determines why the Corps has not entered into a direct funding agreement with the Bonneville Power Administration for the cost of running the Corps' dams in the Columbia River Basin. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-98-100/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-98-100.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-98-100/pdf/GAOREPORTS-RCED-98-100.pdf GAO/RCED-98-100 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-98-100 Chapter Report GAO/RCED-98-100; Water Resources: Corps of Engineers' Actions to Assist; Anadromous fishes Wildlife conservation Inland waterways Funds management Environmental policies Endangered species Dams Columbia River Basin (WA) Snake River (ID) Army Corps of Engineers Columbia River Fish Mitigation Program Columbia River Power System Title 16 Section 839b(h)(11)(A)(ii) Title 16 Section 839d-1 16 U.S.C. 839b(h)(11)(A)(ii) 16 U.S.C. 839d-1 Public Law 100-371 Public Law 102-486