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- Conventional Hydro
The potential for restoring thermal refuges in rivers for cold-water salmonids
Lead Companies
Bureau of Reclamation
Lead Researcher (s)
- Caroline Ubing
Human impacts to rivers have resulted in increased water temperatures that threaten cold water aquatic species such as salmonids. Higher summer water temperatures and lower winter water temperatures in rivers can lower fish viability by reducing fecundity, increasing morbidity and mortality, and reducing food sources. This can result in localized species extirpation and overall reduction in habitat basin-wide. For cold-water aquatic species recovery programs to meet their long-term goals, they must consider mitigating the impacts of warming waters with "thermal restoration" and creation of thermal refuges.Thermal refuge refers to areas within a stream corridor that buffer, lag, and cool/warm stream temperatures at biologically relevant scales and times . Thermal refuge can be expressed as biologically-available areas within a stream where cooler water temperatures exist at base flow conditions during summer and warmer water temperatures during winter. Thermal refuge restoration refers to physical and biological stream habitat restoration practices that result in creating or enhancing thermal refuges. This may be accomplished by creating and enhancing connectivity between surface and groundwater systems in the hyporheic zone (the interface between surface and groundwater along a river bed and floodplain). Re-vegetating the riparian zone to promote shading can also promote thermal restoration. This study will focus on the former mechanism as it relates to thermal refuges for salmonids including: Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and bull trout.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2022
- Conventional Hydro
Threat Assessment and Evaluation of Burrowing Crayfish in Reclamation Canals
Lead Companies
Bureau of Reclamation
Lead Researcher (s)
- Aaron Murphy
Although crayfish are an important component of many freshwater ecosystems and a significant food source for other animals, dense populations can become a nuisance. In addition, some species have been displaced far outside their native range and established sustaining invasive populations. In either scenario, excessive crayfish burrowing can pose a threat to earthen embankment integrity.Personnel in the PN Region have observed excessive crayfish populations associated with canal seepage, embankment damage, and increased risks for failure. This project will assess conditions that may have caused crayfish to become problematic, investigate crayfish burrowing impacts, potential risks across Reclamation facilities, and explore monitoring and mitigation methods. The outcome of this project will be a document assessing conditions associated with excessive crayfish burrowing, as well as potential risks throughout Reclamation facilities. Control methods will also be discussed and recommendations/best practices created.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2021
- Conventional Hydro
TIP 276: Enhanced Monitoring and Investigation of the Spread and Potential Impact of Aquatic Invasive Mussels in the Columbia River Basin, with Special Reference to Mitigation and Placement of Boat Cleaning Stations
Lead Companies
Washington State University Vancouver, USGS Columbia River Research Lab
Lead Researcher (s)
- Hannah Dondy-Kaplan, BPA
- Stephen Bollens, WSU Vancouver
This project provides BPA with tested products and tools to help delay the arrival and spread of zebra and quagga mussels to the Columbia River Basin (CRB) so that impacts to the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) are minimized; and to improve the efficacy of boat cleaning stations once they are developed by providing a basis for prioritizing their placement. For BPA Power Services, knowing which BPA facilities are most at risk allows for better planning of maintenance, repair and replacement schedules.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
complete
Completion Date
2015
- Marine Energy
U.S. TEAMER Support
Lead Companies
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Sandia National Laboratory (SNL)
Lead Researcher (s)
- Nicole Sather, PNNL
- Jesse Roberts, SNL
The U.S. Testing Expertise and Access for Marine Energy Research (TEAMER) Program provides access to MHK testing facilities, as well as expertise to increase rigor and standardize data collection, and allow for transparent analysis and comparison of performance. PNNL's role (along with NREL and Sandia) is to provide input into the strategic vision of TEAMER, serve on the Technical Board for test participant selections, provide access to test facilities and environmental permits (as needed), provide expert testing assistance and training during testing, develop standardized protocols for data collection and testing (in coordination with Network Director) to be provided and adhered to by test participants, consult and utilize international standards as appropriate, provide numerical modeling and engineering expertise to participants, and provide routine feedback to U.S. TEAMER Management Team for how the program is working and opportunities for improvement
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability, Technology
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2025
- Conventional Hydro
Ultrasonic Transducer Field Test for Quagga Mussel Settlement Control
Lead Companies
Bureau of Reclamation
Lead Researcher (s)
- Shane Mower
The goal of this research study is to determine the effectiveness of ultrasound waves for the prevention of invasive mussel settlement on critical submerged hydropower and water delivery structures and equipment in order to prevent issues associated with flow restriction. Ultrasound waves are not likely to directly kill mussel veligers, but they may reduce food availability for mussels preventing growth and survival. An ultrasound transducer produced for algae control will be tested at Lake Powell, AZ. Mussel settlement and biofouling reduction will first be assessed on settlement plates and if found to be effective will be tested on submerged structures in the forebay at Glen Canyon Dam.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2022
- Conventional Hydro
Use of Novel Parasites to Control Naive North American Dreissenid Populations
Lead Companies
Bureau of Reclamation
Lead Researcher (s)
- Jacque Keele
In this project, populations of North American quagga and zebra mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis and D. polymorpha) are being evaluated in the laboratory for their "naïveté" to closely related parasites that normally infect only "cousin" Dreissena spp. -- dreissenid species whose evolution diverged from zebra and quagga mussels millions of years ago. Such isolated "cousin" dreissenid species are present in the Europe and Asia (e.g., D. caputlacus, D. anatolica, D. blanci, and D. carinata). Since North American populations of zebra and quagga mussels have not encountered these European/Asian parasites before, infection may prove lethal. Our goal is to identify these parasites, evaluate them, and one day have a new and novel biocontrol agent for quagga and zebra mussels. This project has several parts. First, traveling throughout Europe and Asia to collect and look for parasites in isolated populations of "cousin" dreissenid species. Once these parasites are collected they will be identified by both morphology and molecular methods to determine if they are new or novel. Once a novel parasite is identified the next step will involve investigating the parasites life cycle, and to start to evaluate if the parasite would be a candidate for infecting quagga and zebra mussels. The final step will be to expose naïve quagga or zebra mussels to the parasite and determine the impact that the parasite has on the mussels. This is a multiyear research project that could have a great payoff if a hypervirulent parasite to quagga and zebra mussels is identified.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2021
- Conventional Hydro
Using “waste cold” from Liquid Air Energy Storage to achieve temperature objectives
Lead Companies
Bureau of Reclamation
Lead Researcher (s)
- Michael Wright
Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) is a greenhouse gas-free method of storing potential energy for later conversion. Hydropower generated during off-peak hours can be used to liquefy air. Stored air can be used to generate energy by heating it, creating pressurized air that can be run through a turbine. "Waste cold" is generated during the heating process. The energy industry is seeking use cases for economical disposal of this asset. Hydropower dams are frequently located above stretches of river in which fish evolved for cold water, especially anadromous salmonid species, are present during the summer. Regulatory requirements to preserve cold water in these habitats are operationally challenging, and sometimes hydrologically impossible, to meet. This study seeks to examine the cold water benefits offered by LAES waste cold. Water supply planning models will provide reservoir elevation time series for power modeling, which will be used to estimate availability (off-peak hours). Water temperature models will be used to convert waste cold into cold water within reservoirs and downriver, with fish mortality models being used to quantify temperature impacts. Other uses for the waste cold relevant to Reclamation such as fish hatcheries will also be considered.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2021
- Conventional Hydro
Using eDNA analysis at stream gages to assess fish distribution and seasonal activity patterns
Lead Companies
U.S. Geological Survey
Lead Researcher (s)
- David Pilliod
Proper management of riverine ecosystems require physical, chemical, and biological data, but acquisition of the biological information has been a challenge because of the time, effort, and cost of traditional assessments. As a solution to this problem, USGS and BLM scientists explored integration of environmental DNA – eDNA – into the USGS National Streamflow Network. The proof-of-concept study involved collecting monthly eDNA samples alongside physical measurements at five streamgages in southwest Idaho for an entire water year. Samples were also collected at equally spaced intervals between streamgages during three sampling events to determine whether the spacing of existing gages was adequate. Using rainbow and bull trout, two species with different distribution and environmental tolerances, researchers found that eDNA analyses at streamgages provided useful information about distribution and habitat associations for both species. However, to meet regulatory requirements, occasional sampling between streamgages may be necessary for species that occur at very low density, have restricted distributions, or have narrow environmental tolerances or habitat preferences.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
complete
Completion Date
2019
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Have questions about WaRP?
Contact Marla Barnes at: marla@hydro.org