The Corps must then include that scenario in its long-term designs for the river.
The new direction from Congress has the potential to transform the river that sustains Oregons famously lush Willamette Valley.
Theyve urged the Corps to return the river closer to its natural flow.
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Our salmon heritage is literally on the line, she said.
With high concrete walls, they have no dedicated pathways for migrating salmon.
Emptying the reservoirs to the river channel would let salmon pass much as they did before the dams.
The dams generate less than 1% of the Northwests power, enough for about 100,000 homes.
Congress must have the necessary information on-hand to decide the future of hydropower in the Willamette, Hoyle said.
The bill also requires the Corps to study how it can lessen problems that draining reservoirs might cause downstream.
Rivers turned brown and small cities drinking water plants worked around the clock to purify the supply.
Congress wants the Corps to study how to avoid causing those problems downstream.
That could include engineering new drinking water systems for cities below the dams.
Solan said the agency is still reviewing NOAAs opinion and deciding what action to take.
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