Federal Judge Mandates Dam Changes to Save Pacific Northwest Salmon

An Oregon federal judge has required modifications to hydropower dam operations on Columbia and Snake rivers to protect declining salmon populations. The ruling maintains current reservoir levels and water spill amounts after the Trump administration canceled a previous $1 billion salmon restoration agreement.

PORTLAND, Ore. — An Oregon federal judge issued a ruling Wednesday evening requiring specific modifications to hydropower dam operations along the Columbia and Snake rivers in the Pacific Northwest to protect salmon populations, after criticizing the Trump administration’s approach that he said would damage fish runs that are “vanishing from the region.”

The decision represents the latest development in a multi-decade legal battle involving Oregon, Washington, Native American tribes, and environmental organizations seeking stronger protections for migrating salmon, which face significant mortality from the region’s massive dam systems.

A groundbreaking 2023 agreement had temporarily halted the court proceedings in favor of pursuing comprehensive solutions, with the Biden administration committing $1 billion across ten years for salmon restoration efforts and tribal clean energy initiatives.

However, the Trump administration eliminated that accord last year, denouncing it as “radical environmentalism” that might have led to removing four disputed Snake River dams, prompting the plaintiffs to return to litigation.

In Wednesday’s decision, U.S. District Judge Michael Simon expressed frustration with what he characterized as the “disappointing history of government avoidance and manipulation instead of sincere efforts at solving the problem.”

“One of the foundational symbols of the West, a critical recreational, cultural, and economic driver for Western states, and the beating heart and guaranteed resource protected by treaties with several Native American tribes is disappearing from the landscape,” Simon wrote. “And yet the litigation continues in much the same way as it has for 30 years.”

Oregon and fellow plaintiffs had requested Simon reduce reservoir levels behind the dams, arguing this approach helps fish navigate through them more quickly, while increasing water spillage past the structures to allow fish passage over rather than through turbines. Federal authorities preferred higher reservoir levels.

Simon mandated that reservoirs maintain last year’s levels and described his ordered modifications as “narrowly tailored” while essentially preserving existing conditions.

“The Federal Defendants have, for years, maintained a safe and reliable power system and dam operations with the nearly the same spill levels as ordered here, and with the same reservoir levels from 2025,” he wrote.

Amanda Goodin, representing environmental law firm Earthjustice, expressed being “incredibly relieved and happy that he ordered the levels of spill that he did.”

“If the government had been allowed to implement their proposal it would have had really, really devastating consequences for salmon,” Goodin said.

The Justice Department and National Marine Fisheries Service had not provided responses to comment requests by Wednesday evening. The Bonneville Power Administration, which distributes electricity from the dams, directed inquiries to the Justice Department.

In legal documents, federal authorities described the request as a “sweeping scheme to wrest control” of the dams that would undermine safe and efficient operations for power generation, navigation and irrigation. Any court mandate could also increase utility customer rates, the government argued.

The Columbia River Basin, covering territory comparable to Texas in size, previously served as the planet’s most productive salmon-generating river system, supporting at least 16 varieties of salmon and steelhead. Currently, four species have vanished entirely while seven face endangered or threatened status. The region’s endangered killer whale population also relies on these salmon.

The initial Columbia River dams, including Grand Coulee and Bonneville built during the 1930s, created employment during the Great Depression while providing hydropower and navigation capabilities. They established Lewiston, Idaho, as the West Coast’s most inland seaport, with many farmers still depending on barges for crop transportation.

However, the dams damage salmon through multiple mechanisms, including forcing them through turbines, heating slow-moving reservoir water to dangerous temperatures, and significantly delaying juvenile fish migration to the ocean. Young salmon previously reached the Pacific from the upper Snake River within two to three days via rapid currents. Currently, the journey past eight dams requires weeks, exposing them to additional predators.

The plaintiffs, including Oregon state and conservation organizations like the National Wildlife Federation, submitted the preliminary injunction motion, with Washington state, the Nez Perce Tribe and Yakama Nation providing “friend of the court” support.

Opposition to the injunction includes the Inland Ports and Navigation Group, which contends that increasing spill for fish benefit can impede navigation, disrupting commercial flow and economic activity.

“The order increases the risk of harm to infrastructure, listed species, and public safety while failing to demonstrate that there will be benefits to listed salmon and steelhead,” the organization stated.

Nevertheless, the dams represent a primary factor in salmon decline, which regional tribes view as integral to their cultural and spiritual heritage.

The dams subject to these changes include Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite on the Snake River, plus Bonneville, The Dalles, John Day and McNary on the Columbia River.