Finding Equilibrium

Trying to find a balance between the livelihood of farmers and an ancient fish on the verge of extinction is not an exact science, but a best guess based on available data.

Area farmers are worried about how a planned increase then reduction in water flow next year from Fort Peck Dam to stimulate the natural spawning cycle of the Pallid Sturgeon may result in expensive repairs or retrofits to irrigation systems.

But, the flows may also allow the sturgeon to reproduce in Upper Missouri River Basin for the first time in at least 70 years. Such a result would be a remarkable biological accomplishment, capping a decades long struggle to help the fish - currently listed as an endangered species - not only survive but thrive on its own.

The Pallid Sturgeon is one of three endangered species found in the Missouri River between Fort Peck Dam and Lake Sacajawea. The other two are the Least Tern and the Piping Plover.

Because of the presence of these species, the Army Corps of Engineers - which manages water flow along the entire Missouri River Basin - must consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop plans for species recovery in the river system.

Such collaboration has led to the development of the Fort Peck Test Release Draft Environmental Impact Survey (EIS), which allows members of the public to submit concerns about any consequences of the reduction in water flow. However, the public comment period ends on May 25, so anyone wishing to provide input needs to do so by that date for consideration.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) representatives - which operate Pallid Sturgeon fisheries - have been in constant communication with the Army Corps of Engineers to determine potential impacts from the water flows.

"It is a cooperative effort at the data collection level, but that is about where it ends," Steve Dalbey, FWP Region 6 fisheries manager, told the three county commissioners during a briefing April 14. "In terms of processes to advance an action such as this, that is a federal action. We have nothing to do with that."

Dalbey, joined by other FWP representatives, was invited by the commissioners to help explain what the more than 600-page Draft EIS will mean for Valley County constituents.

"That is crazy," said Commissioner Mary Armstrong. "What is it going to do to the fishery and what should we be concerned about? Is this a big deal?"

FROM THE BEGINNING

"Let's rewind the tape quite a few years and realize the fish was listed in 1990 as endangered," Dalbey said. "Fort Peck is a federal project, so Fort Peck is under the scrutiny of the Endangered Species Act. Since 1990, scientists have been looking for ways to recover this fish. Something to keep in mind, as we talk through this, is in order for any species to come off that list it has to be able to complete its life cycle somewhere out there in its range, naturally, not in a hatchery."

Such a requirement is hardwired into the Endangered Species Act, Dalbey continued.

"And so, that is what we have been trying to tease out, is where is that spot where this fish can complete its life cycle? When I say that, it means migrate upstream, spawn successfully and then those little eggs develop, bounce downstream, they drift with the flow, and they need about 200 miles or more of free-flowing river to do that."

During normal water flow years, the sturgeon eggs are non-viable, Dalbey said. This means the only remaining wild born sturgeon were spawned more than 70 years ago. Although the fish have a long life expectancy, and some wild born fish remain alive today, these senior fish citizens are at the end of their natural life cycle.

DON'T BOX ME IN

Currently, the Pallid Sturgeon is essentially trapped between Fort Peck Dam and Lake Sacajawea. Before the dams were built, the fish was free to wander throughout the entire Missouri River Basin, the only location the species can be found on Earth.

"These fish evolved with big rivers," Dalbey said. "When we were building dams in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, we didn't know this information. We didn't know these fish were tremendous migrators. It is not uncommon to see one of these fish move 300-400 miles. Because Fort Peck was built in 1934, and Sacajawea in '55, we essentially boxed them in and they really don't have that distance and that opportunity to spawn."

Under the Endangered Species Act, the Army Corps of Engineers has to demonstrate their operations are not putting this fish in peril or in jeopardy. The Corps is able to proceed with the planned test flow, beginning in 2022, because FWP recently ruled Fort Peck is not operating under jeopardy situation, Dalbey said.

"We would like to look at it as a silver bullet. There is a high likelihood it will not be a silver bullet. And so, we are looking for success criteria on that test flow to say, 'is this going to benefit the fish or not?'"

DURATION OF TEST FLOWS

"This draft EIS, even though it will be completed this year, this is just the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) portion of it," Dalbey said. "That NEPA hurdle will be cleared. It could potentially be implemented in 2022, but if the water is not there they are not going to implement it."

Test flows will only proceed if there is plentiful snowpack at the headwaters, and runoff forecasts are above 75% of runoff projections from Fort Peck to Garrison, Dalbey said.

"When the corps runs their annual operating plan meeting, they project what runoff is going to look like based on snowpack, both high and low elevation. If we come into that water year below that upper quartile they are not going to run [the test flows]."

SMALL WINDOW

FOR TEST FLOWS

Scientists have modeled flows coming into and out of Fort Peck since construction of the dam and have determined there is a one in eight frequency when the test flows would not be detrimental to the environment, Dalbey said.

"They estimate out of that 82 period of record there are only about 11 years where the hydrology would line up to allow this to happen. The window of time, if the hydraulic parameters are there, is going to start in April or May [2022] and run into July a little bit."

Test flows would also occur in a couple of following years, conditions allowing, Dalbey said.

BOAT RAMP ACCESS

In addition to potential impacts on agricultural irrigation systems, scientists also considered how a low water flow would impact boat ramp access along the river.

"Reservoir elevations at no point through this test can drop below 2,227," Dalbey said.

Documents provided by the Corps of Engineers list the lowest access point along the river as 2,204 at the Fort Peck Marina. As such, the cap of 2,227 should ensure boat access during the test flow.

"What they are proposing, there are essentially six alternatives there that have different flow scenarios, and they are shifted time and magnitude to best try and meet the biological criteria that we are after," Dalbey said. "I see their preferred alternative is 1A. That minimizes some of these impacts to the reservoir and access, but does it meet the criteria for the fish? I don't know yet."

IMPACT ON FISHERIES

The test flows will not only impact the Pallid Sturgeon, but other fish being artificially reproduced on the river, such as salmon and walleye, Dalbey said.

"There are a lot of species out there. Most people are going to look at the Walleye fishery. There are a couple of things you have to keep in mind. Fort Peck benefits from high water because it brings in a lot of productivity and nutrients. The whole system benefits. That is what we saw in 2011 and 2018, even though we did flush a lot of water out of the spillway and had a lot of high flows, it did not impact the walleye fishery."

Other species are harder to suss out, Dalbey said.

"Our forage species generally benefit because there are more nutrients coming in. We are going to flush a lot of fish. There is no way around that."

That will mean excellent fishing for anglers downstream, Dalbey noted.

"We actually create a really good fishery below during that period."

The same cannot be said for salmon, Dalbey said.

"A fishery growing in popularity, that fishery will most likely be impacted."

The impacts stem from the nature of salmon, which evolved in a saline marine environment.

"We took them from the ocean and forced them to live in a freshwater environment," Dalbey said. "They are not native here. They are not natural here. We forced them to live in this freshwater environment, but hardwired in their DNA is an urge to still go to the ocean."

So, when a salmon senses flow, they are going to go with it, whether it is upstream or downstream, Dalbey said.

"Just from the hip, will salmon be impacted by increased flows out of the reservoir? Yes, they will be. Has the Corps addressed that in the draft EIS? No, they have not."

The entire Draft EIS can be read online at https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getfile/collection/p16021coll7/id/17644