[en] This chapter deals with the project management issues, including the the Steering Committee, results of an International Workshop and the cooperation with local organizations

[en] The main goal of the joint Slovak-Hungarian monitoring is to mutually record and evaluate the impacts of the water supply by the underwater weir. The evaluation includes the changes in the hydrological regimes of the surface and ground water, the changes in the surface and ground water quality, the changes in soil moisture and changes in forestry and biota. The goal of the mutual data exchange is to provide information on monitoring results characterising the environmental changes on the influenced area of the respective Parties. The basic condition of data exchange is use of equal or compatible methods of measurements and analysis and the application of agreed interpretation methods. The final goal of the Joint Annual Report is to submit the joint evaluation of the monitoring results and the joint recommendations for monitoring improvement and environment protection activities to the respective governments

[en] In 1996 the surface water quality measurements were performed, according to the Agreement, at 8 profiles on the Hungarian territory and at 15 profiles on the Slovak territory. Basic physical and chemical parameters (as water temperature, pH values, conductivity, suspended solids, cations and anions (nitrates, ammonium ion, nitrites, total nitrogen, phosphates, total phosphorus, oxygen and organic carbon regime parameters), metals (iron, manganese and heavy metals), biological and microbiological parameters (coliform bacteria, chlorophyll-a, saprobity index and other biological parameters) and quality of sediment were measured

[en] The historical full list of fish species of the Danube between mouth of the Morava and Ipel rivers had been prepared through decades. It consisted of 66-69 species, which never appear here all at the same time. After 1971, since the Iron Gate on the Yugoslavia-Romania border had been put in function the migration of the big acipenserids was fully stopped. On the other side introduction of new species of fish continuously increased. However, the number of original species consisted of 57 species. In the Danube the occurrence of 45 species from 50 and in the Slovak side arms system 31 species from 56 species were confirmed since 1992 after damming of the Danube. The new full list of species will be achieved only gradually and no species occurring before the damming will be absent. Up to the present time there are no evidence about extinction of any species. In opposite, there is no doubt, that the old - new species like trouts, danube salmon and others are occurring now again in the main channel of the river namely. New micro-habitats as rocky chutes and submerge weirs have created very convenient living conditions together with very reach sources of food (gammarids) and clear substrate on depositing their eggs when spawning. The Cunovo rocky chute is fully inhabited with common rheofils like: trouts, barb, chub, dace, burbot, and with rare and by law protected: bulkhead, streber, zingel, and and long whiskered gudgeon which during last 50 years was found only three times at the Slovak-Hungarian stretch of the Danube river. After finishing the Danube - Main - Rhine canal, the Black Sea and the Atlantic systems have been connected. Despite that the ship locks are considered top be insurmountable barriers for fish, some experts, believe in equalization of the species potentials of fish of these systems within next 50 years. (author)

[en] The authors sampled downstream migrating salmonids at Boggan's Oasis in the Grande Ronde River with a screw trap during 1995 and a scoop trap during 1996. Sampling began in March and terminated early in June. Wild spring chinook and wild/hatchery steelhead were collected and marked to assess migration patterns and timing. Fish were marked with tags in order to obtain downstream migration data with minimal fish handling. Observations were recorded when a fish swam through an interrogation monitor at hydroelectric facilities downstream. The second year for monitoring smolts leaving the Grande Ronde River was completed in 1995. The authors continued to pursue moving to a permanent location downstream for 1997 because of the limitations for trapping smolts at Boggan's Oasis. This involved reconnaissance surveys of several potential sites near the mouth of the river from 1994--1996. During February of 1996, a water velocity and bottom topography assessment was completed. Results of the assessment were used for siting the anchoring tower structure upstream approximately 1.2 miles from the mouth of the Grande Ronde River

[en] Recent hydropower research within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has focused on the development of new turbine designs that can produce hydroelectricity without such adverse environmental affects as fish entrainment/impingement or degradation of water quality. In partnership with the hydropower industry, DOE's advanced turbine program issued a Request for Proposals for conceptual designs in October 1994. Two contracts were awarded for this initial program phase, work on which will be complete this year. A technical advisory committee with representatives from industry, regulatory agencies, and natural resource agencies was also formed to guide the DOE turbine research. The lack of quantitative biological performance criteria was identified by the committee as a critical knowledge gap. To fill this need, a new literature review was completed on the mechanisms of fish mortality during turbine passage (e.g., scrape/strike, shear, press change, etc.), ways that fish behavior affects their location and orientation in turbines, and how these turbine passage stresses can be measured. Thus year, new Laboratory tests will be conducted on fish response to shear, the least-well understood mechanism of stress. Additional testing of conceptual turbine designs depends on the level of federal funding for this program

[en] In order to ensure high quality and low cost design and building of dams and appurtenant structures, as well as safe exploitation, it is obvious to have appropriate legislation. Keeping in mind that the dams are unique structures, for the design stage the legislation should be less strong. For the next phases - building, maintenance and exploitation - detail and rigorous legislation is recommended. It is emphasised that the engineers should have more freedom designing the dams, but they should be obvious to apply the most recent achievement in the field of the dam design and construction. For illustration, some aspects of three important questions are discussed - 1) the choice of maximum flood discharge, 2) the application of new materials and construction methods and 3) the application of modern methods for static and dynamic analysis of dams. (Author)

[en] As part of its responsibilities under the Northwest Power Act (Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act of 1980), Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) must mitigate the loss of fish, wildlife, and related spawning grounds and habitat attributable to power production at federal hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River and its tributaries. The federal dams have been identified as a major source of mortality for the listed Snake River salmon stocks. BPA also has responsibilities under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 to operate in a way that does not jeopardize the continued existence of listed species and to use its agency resources to conserve listed species

[en] The main theme of the 1996 burbot Lota lota study was to test the hypothesis that winter discharge for power production/flood control inhibits burbot migration to spawning tributaries. There were to be two to three minimum discharge (113 m³/s) periods from Libby Dam of approximately five days duration during December 1995 and January 1996. However, exceptionally heavy precipitation and an excessive amount of water stored in Lake Koocanusa created near flood conditions in the Kootenai River. These high flows prevented a controlled test. But the authors captured 27 burbot in the Kootenai River, Idaho and the Goat River, British Columbia, Canada. Burbot catch from November 1995 through March 1996 averaged 0.055 fish/net-day. Captured burbot ranged from 396 to 830 mm total length and weighed from 400 to 2,800 g (mean = 1,376 g). One burbot was captured at rkm 170 (the Idaho-Canada border) in mid-March after the spawning season. Nine burbot were implanted with sonic transmitters and released at the Goat River capture location. Two additional burbot had active transmitters from the previous season. Telemetry of burbot during the pre-spawn, spawning, and post-spawning periods was conducted. Burbot were located a total of 161 times from September 1, 1995 through August 31, 1996. Ripe burbot were captured at the mouth of the Goat River during February

[en] This report focuses on issues which will enhance the value of the Columbia River for the future. Many important decisions must be made about the Bonneville Power Administration in the coming months. These issues include the following: cost management; future fish and wildlife funding; power markets, revenues and subscription; transmission issues; and risk management