September 29, 1998

Mr. John Etchart, Chair Northwest Power Planning Council     851 S.W. 6th Avenue, Suite 1100 Portland, Oregon 97204-1348

Mr. William Stelle, Regional Director National Marine Fisheries Service 7600 Sandpoint Way NE Seattle, WA 98115

Dear Mr. Etchart and Mr. Stelle,

This letter conveys the Independent Scientific Advisory Board’s (ISAB) second set of reports, ISAB 98-7 and ISAB 98-8, on the Council’s Congressionally mandated review of mainstem capital projects.

Our first task, submitted in May 1998, was to report to Council on the role of mainstem bypass measures in an ecosystem approach for the Columbia River, to review of scientific basis for investment in extended length traveling screens at John Day Dam, and to review the scientific basis for juvenile fish passage improvements at Bonneville Dam (ISAB 98-4).

The attached reports complete our second task, which was a review of the US Army Corps of Engineers’ capital construction projects related to surface bypass systems, especially the prototype system at Lower Granite Dam (ISAB 98-7) and dissolved gas abatement projects (ISAB 98-8).

Our final task (due January 1999) will include a review of the remaining technical elements of the CRFM Program as outlined in the Council’s scope of work dated January 13, 1998. This review would an assessment of adult fish passage improvement projects, as well as an integration of the major fish mitigation capital construction strategies in the context of the overall CRFM Program.

We hope this phased review schedule is providing the Council, Congress and the Region with the needed scientific information pertinent to the Corps mainstem capital construction projects in a timely manner.

Sincerely,

Dr. Richard Williams, Chair
Independent Scientific Advisory Board