Reconnecting the Deschutes River
Long-term efforts to restore salmon and steelhead runs to a thriving ecosystem
Get answers to common questions regarding water quality, salmon and steelhead, and hydropower operations on the Deschutes River. Get the facts 
Generating clean energy at Pelton Round Butte
For more than four decades, PGE and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs have worked together to generate emissions-free energy at the Pelton Round Butte hydropower project in Central Oregon. It was completed in 1964 and includes three dams situated along a 20-mile stretch in the Deschutes River Canyon.
Pelton Round Butte quick facts
3 hydroelectric dams located on the Deschutes River, near Madras, Oregon
467 MW of clean electricity generated
150,000 homes served by emissions-free power
1.6 million juvenile fish passed downstream since 2010
$27.5 million invested in habitat enhancement through the Pelton Fund
250 miles of historic habitat in the Upper Deschutes Basin reopened fro salmon and steelhead
Largest and most productive hydroelectric system located entirely within the state of Oregon
Co-owned by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and PGE
Reintroducing historic fish runs to the Deschutes River Basin
The Deschutes River Basin is known for its world-class fisheries. Many of the river’s native salmon and steelhead species are anadromous – migrating downstream to the ocean and back to freshwater during their lifetime. This journey brings beneficial marine nutrients to the entire Deschutes ecosystem and is central to the Tribes’ heritage and culture.
Dam construction in the 1960s interrupted fish migration. The Round Butte Hatchery was built to help make up for the loss of fish in the lower river, but wild fish were no longer able to travel and spawn upstream of the dams.
In 2005, when it came time to renew our federal license for the Pelton Round Butte hydropower project, the Tribes and PGE began an ambitious effort to bring fish runs back to a reconnected Deschutes River.
At a glance
Together, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, PGE and many partners are working to restore fish runs to a reconnected Deschutes River.
Reintroducing fish takes time – and patience. Our strategy is built on a strong foundation of long-term partnership, forged over several decades.
The Selective Water Withdrawal
To restore fish runs and a healthy ecosystem, we researched, proposed and constructed an innovative solution: the Selective Water Withdrawal (SWW). This facility, completed in 2010, is both the centerpiece of the Pelton Round Butte Project’s Fish Passage Plan and enables more natural temperature patterns downstream of the project.
Learn more about how the SWW affects fish passage, water temperature and power generation.
Innovative solutions; promising returns
Thanks to the Selective Water Withdrawal facility, which enables fish collection and more natural temperature patterns downstream, fish are now completing their migration after a 50-year pause. They’re swimming more than 200 miles to complete their natural lifecycle upstream of the dams! We’re seeing incremental progress, and the science suggests we’re on the right track.
Fish counts: View daily counts of adult fish collected at the Pelton Round Butte project or learn more about historical trends and seasonal migration timing on our Fish Runs page 
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Adult fish
Adult Chinook, sockeye and steelhead now have access to 250 miles of their historic habitat which were blocked for nearly 50 years.
We have located spawning fish near Bowman Dam on the Crooked River, in Whychus Creek at Camp Polk and upstream of Camp Sherman on the Metolius.
In the first six months of the 2024-2025 run, more than 800 steelhead have been passed upstream. Of these, 585 spent time in the upper basin as juveniles. The improved returns are likely a result of better ocean conditions, as well as changes we've implemented over time in response to the science.
Juvenile fish
Each year we collect between 38,000 and 450,000 smolts (juvenile fish) at the SWW.
Since the SWW went into operation, more than 1.6 million juvenile fish have been passed downstream.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, in partnership with PGE and the Tribes, has expanded the practice of smolt acclimation. Ocean-going steelhead are held in place for 10-30 days prior to release. Acclimation has greatly improved our collection of juveniles at the SWW.
Basin-wide collaboration
Pelton Round Butte is managed collaboratively by the Tribes, PGE and a group of agencies and environmental organizations who make up the Fish Committee. PGE and CTWS consult with this committee in all project management decisions that affect fish, and prior to submitting any study plans or reports to our federal regulators.
Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon
The Tribes have partnered with PGE on the Pelton Round Butte project since 1980. Warm Springs Power and Water Enterprises manages the Tribes’ participation in the project.
Two independent Tribal agencies regulate our activities (in addition to Oregon State agency requirements), reflecting the Tribes’ regulatory jurisdiction:
• Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon’s Branch of Natural Resources
• Water Control Board: Monitors water to protect human health and safety and maintain a healthy ecosystem both on land and in the water. They regulate water quality along with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
Pelton Round Butte Fish Committee members
PGE and the Tribes manage the project collaboratively with an active committee of local, state, federal and non-governmental organizations. The Fish Committee includes representatives from the following organizations:
• Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon’s Branch of Natural Resources
• Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon’s Water Control Board
• Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
• Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
• U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs
• Bureau of Land Management
Collaborative partners
We also have strong relationships with a number of other groups in the Deschutes River Basin. We work together on projects that improve fish passage, habitat and conservation.
• Bonneville Power Administration
• Crook County Soil and Water Conservation District
• Crooked River Watershed Council
• Deschutes Land Trust
• Deschutes River Conservancy
• Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District
• North Unit Irrigation District
• Ochoco Irrigation District
• Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board
• The Trust for Public Land
• Three Sisters Irrigation District
• Upper Deschutes Watershed Council
Adaptive management
Together with the Fish Committee and our regulators, we evaluate our progress and make thoughtful course corrections when the science supports them – an approach known as “adaptive management.” Patience is essential when making and evaluating our decisions because anadromous fish life cycles last four to eight years. This means it may take several years for us to see the results of our most recent changes.
Adaptive management in action
• Night time generation: Data suggested that juvenile fish travel at night, so in 2017, we began generating power in the evenings during peak migration season. This attracts more salmon and steelhead to the SWW, allowing them to migrate. Our collection efficiency has improved– a direct result of nighttime generation.
• Smolt stocking: In 2019, we began shifting from fry stocking to a smolt-stocking program in response to data showing that smolts (older juvenile fish) return at a higher rate and compete less with native redband trout.
• Guidance net: In February 2022, we installed a net that guides fish toward the entrance of the SWW fish collector. The net has improved our capture of migrating smolts.
• Stress relief pond: In June 2021, we began operating a stress relief pond – a place for fish to rest and recover after handling.
• Broodstock release: In recent years, we’ve begun releasing excess hatchery broodstock upstream of the project. These are adult Chinook and steelhead that returned to the Deschutes and are not needed for hatchery production. These fish are screened for disease, monitored post-release, and are genetically identical to the smolts planted in the upper basin. Using adult fish in this way is a common strategy employed by other reintroduction programs, and their success has informed our evolving approach.
Science-based decision making
We continuously collect data and keep up with the latest science in order to review our successes and setbacks. This helps ensure that we’re on the path to our long-term goal: sustainable, harvestable fish populations in the Upper and Lower Deschutes.
The research we rely on to make informed, science-based decisions can be accessed on our Studies & Resources page.
We can’t do it alone. To help us move forward with reintroduction, the Fish Committee developed a roadmap of current and future strategies.
Studies, reports and more
Our studies, reports, fish counts and more are available to the public.
• For 30 years, we’ve been hosting a free, public fisheries workshop each summer. Visit our updates page for registration information.
• Our e-newsletter features the latest fish counts, news and updates. Subscribe through our online form.
• All our studies are reviewed by the Fish Committee and then submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). These reports can be found online in the FERC e-library.
• Contact deschutes.passage@pgn.com or 541-325-0960.
Managing and monitoring water quality
PGE and the Tribes are dedicated to both improving water quality and enabling effective fish passage. Advancing these two objectives is a balancing act, and there is no “silver bullet” solution.
The challenge
Three very different tributaries feed the Lower Deschutes River. They merge in Lake Billy Chinook behind Round Butte Dam, where the coldest water sinks to the bottom and warmer water rises closer to the surface.
For about 50 years, the dam pulled water from only the coldest depths of the reservoir. This made the water temperatures below the dams unnaturally cold in the spring and early summer, and then too warm in the late summer and fall as the colder water was depleted.
These temperatures disrupted the river’s ecosystem, stunting the growth of juvenile fish and altering the fish and wildlife’s natural patterns.
Habitat restoration
PGE and the Tribes established the Pelton Round Butte Fund to support local conservation groups with efforts to improve water quality and enhance habitat for fish throughout the entire Deschutes Basin. We've supported 58 projects and invested $27.5 million in efforts to remove fish passage barriers, stabilize stream banks, restore channels and conserve water.
Lamprey Fund
In 2020, we also launched the Lamprey Fund to support research and habitat improvement for these unique, eel-like fish.
Other conservation and habitat projects
Deschutes River recreation
Lake Billy Chinook and Lake Simtustus, the reservoirs created by Round Butte and Pelton dams, are two of the most cherished recreation areas in Oregon, offering excellent opportunities for fishing, boating, camping and wildlife viewing.
Bring your binoculars!
PGE parks
Visit Pelton Park on Lake Simtustus, or Monty and Perry South campgrounds on the Metolius arm of Lake Billy Chinook.
Day-use parks include the Pelton Wildlife Overlook, Round Butte Overlook Park and Balancing Rocks Overlook.
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