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Elevated total dissolved gas (TDG) levels are mainly caused by spilling water at hydroelectric dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Water plunging from a spill entrains TDG at high levels. High TDG can cause “gas bubble trauma” in fish. Some spills are done to meet juvenile fish passage goals (helping them get past the dams).
Oregon and Washington wrote Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) to address TDG on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Oregon and Washington have listed multiple reaches of the Columbia and Snake Rivers on their federal Clean Water Act 303(d) lists due to TDG levels exceeding state water quality standards.
The TMDLs included a status review in 2010 on the implementation of the TMDLs. Due to an increase in interest in the TDG requirements we are convening an advisory group comprising representatives of tribes, federal and state agencies, and others to evaluate appropriate points of compliance for this TMDL. This group is called the Adaptive Management Team (AMT).
Additional information is available on the Oregon Department of Environmental
Quality (ODEQ) website:
www.deq.state.or.us/wq/TMDLs/columbia.htm#tdg
1st Meeting | 2nd Meeting | 3rd Meeting | 4th Meeting | 5th Meeting | 6th Meeting | 7th Meeting | July 2008 Reports and Comments | 8th Meeting
Note:
8th Meeting -- September 9, 2008
Click here for a complete description of the role of the adaptive management team (AMT). The first issue the AMT will address is the need and location of the 115% forebay TDG monitoring requirement.
Click here for related links (gas abatement plans, water quality standards, etc.).
If you would like to be added to the "interested parties" list please contact Andrew Kolosseus. For more information, or if you have comments or questions, please contact:
Andrew Kolosseus
Washington Department of Ecology
Water Quality Program
P.O. Box 47600
Olympia, WA 98504-7600
Phone: 360-407-7543
E-mail: Andrew.Kolosseus@ecy.wa.govor
Agnes Lut
Columbia River Coordinator
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
811 SW 6th Ave
Portland, OR 97204
Phone: 503-229-5247
E-mail: lut.agnes@deq.state.or.us
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
