Army Corps Improving Fish Passage at Lower Granite Dam

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is making big improvements in fish passage facilities at Lower Granite Dam, hoping to increase the number of endangered salmon and steelhead that migrate through the Columbia-Snake river system.

The dam is located on the Snake River west of Pullman.

One project is designed to deal with high water temperatures in the river, which can hurt migrating fish. To help, the corps in February finished installing a system that draws water from lower depths closer to the surface.

The corps is also constructing a Juvenile Bypass System upgrade, which involves "daylighting" juvenile fish passage to an elevated flume.

This is expected to increase survival of juvenile fish.