PNNL BALANCING COMPLEX ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
25 August 2006 - DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PNNL research on the Columbia is helping to maintain a balance between environmental quality and energy security provided by our hydroelectric dams. Because water coming from the spillways of dams can literally give fish the bends, PNNL researchers calculated dissolved gas concentrations that were used to determine impacts to juvenile salmon migrating within the Columbia and Snake River systems. PNNL researchers used sophisticated models to predict Columbia River flows, including velocities, temperatures, and dissolved gases that were factored into operating changes for some hydropower dams, lessening environmental impacts to fish and aquatic environments. They also developed new sensors to better understand what happens to fish when they pass through turbines. The information collected from the PNNL "sensor fish" as it slides through the turbines helps determine what hydraulic conditions contribute to fish mortality and what approaches can reduce injuries to the fish. A miniature tag glued to the beaks of birds that snack on young fish as they emerge disoriented from their swirling trip through the turbine is providing information on where, when, and how many fish are eaten. The PNNL-developed device allows wildlife managers to plan more effective predator control mechanisms.

At the mouth of the Columbia River, where dredging to deepen the shipping channel is proposed, PNNL researchers are providing information that will help maintain the balance between environmental quality and transportation goals. PNNL studies of the effects of dredging on Dungeness crab are being used to plan measures to mitigate dredging impacts. PNNL scientists also developed a new type of acoustic sensor that can "hear" tagged fish as they swim toward the ocean. The information will allow researchers to understand what habitats fish use and when and where dredged material may be placed to mitigate impacts to crucial habitats. Finally, the passage of ships through the channel creates a wake that can strand migrating juvenile salmon on the shoreline. In an ongoing study with the University of Washington, PNNL researchers are developing new techniques to cost-effectively measure and mitigate the effect of these wakes on stranding.

PNNL research is providing information to accelerate Hanford cleanup while protecting the Columbia River from contaminated groundwater on the Hanford site. In addition to an ongoing environmental monitoring program, scientists recently developed new information about many of the harmful chemicals in the groundwater. They determined how strontium-90 and uranium move through the subsurface and the soil so the Department of Energy could accelerate cleanup of waste tanks that pose the highest risk for groundwater contamination. They also developed new information to improve models that predict the movement of carbon tetrachloride in the subsurface and conducted experiments to determine the uptake of technetium-99 by rainbow trout. PNNL studied the demand for recreation activities on the Columbia and the associated economic expenditures made by recreation participants visiting the river. Results of their work will help DOE keep the Columbia River safe as Hanford cleanup proceeds.

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