In another attempt to vanquish protozoa threatening Chinook salmon, federal officials are briefly tripling the flow on the Klamath River.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, hoping to prevent the repeat of a massive fish kill in 2002, was scheduled to open the flood gates at Lewiston Dam Tuesday night at 8.
Shane Hunt is a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
“We are targeting a one day pulse flow that we’re implementing because of the presence of ich infection among adult salmon down in the Lower River,” Hunt said.
It is hoped the additional water will push the fast spreading protozoa out to sea or at least downstream of where salmon are currently holding.
Poor water management in 2002 allowed the same ailment to kill an estimated 60,000 fish before they could spawn, decimating salmon populations on the Klamath.