Grant PUD earns national recognition for Wanapum Fish Bypass

EPHRATA, Wash. - Grant PUD was recently selected by a panel of industry leaders as the winner of the 2011 Outstanding Stewards of America's Waters award (OSAW) for its work on the Wanapum Dam Fish Bypass. The award recognizes collaborative projects that serve as models for the hydroelectric industry.

Each year the National Hydropower Association (NHA) acknowledges hydropower leaders for pioneering solutions to significant challenges at their annual conference in Washington D.C. The OSAW award celebrates the industry's most innovative approaches to fulfilling Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license obligations. Award criteria included: resourcefulness in confronting obstacles, pioneering the use of new technology, demonstration of goals that led to quantifiable results and the project’s ability to set precedent for other members of the energy industry.

Results of recent studies determined that the Wanapum Fish Bypass, completed in 2008, exceeds expectations. The new bypass allowed more than 75 percent of the juvenile salmonids in the river to migrate downstream past Grant PUD's Wanapum Dam with a survival rate of 98 percent for sockeye salmon and 99 percent for steelhead. The bypass yielded the high survival rates while at the same time allowing for an increase in overall electric generation at the dam.

"We are proud of the national recognition received for the work on our fish bypass," said Randy Allred, Grant PUD commission president. "Grant PUD has a longstanding track-record of doing the right thing for fish while balancing increased electric demands from our customers. Our achievements with the Wanapum Fish Bypass demonstrate that commitment."

For more information on the Wanapum Dam Fish Bypass including images, video and details associated with the project head to: http://www.gcpud.org/naturalResources/fishWaterWildlife/fishBypass.html.

(Grant PUD Aerial Image: Wanapum Dam Fish Bypass in operation. The new bypass yielded high survival rates for fish while at the same time allowing for an increase in overall electric generation at the dam.)

Owned by the people it serves, Grant County Public Utility District began electric service in 1942 and developed a broadband network in 2000. Grant PUD generates, delivers and sells some of the most affordable energy in the U.S. The Priest Rapids Project, comprised of Priest Rapids and Wanapum dams, is capable of producing nearly 2,000 megawatts of renewable electricity - enough to serve 200,000 homes. A national leader in science based technology; Grant PUD is committed to the protection and enhancement of cultural and natural resources. Learn more at: www.gcpud.org.