FCRPS Reservoirs are managed to provide beneficial flow conditions and dams are operated to provide safe passage, to allow migrating juveniles to reach the Columbia River estuary and the Pacific Ocean.
The operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) affects eulachon and the following 13 species of Columbia River Basin salmon and steelhead listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The most common way for adult fish to get past a dam is to use a fish ladder, a water-filled structure that allows fish to pass up and over in a series of steps.