The Chico News & Review carries a happy story about PG&E’s willingngess to send a little cold water down Butte Creek, helping to prevent (so far) a potential chinook salmon die-off:
A decade ago, thousands of threatened spring-run chinook salmon were in clusters along the banks of Butte Creek, dead from disease that spread rapidly in warm water. Plenty of fish had returned that year, but with 18 days above 100 degrees in July 2003, diseases including Ichthyophthirius multifillis (Ich) and columnaris ran rampant. When a heat wave took hold this week, no one wanted to see that happen again. Last week, PG&E began releasing cooler water from Philbrook Lake, higher up in the mountains. The results have looked good so far.
A decade ago, thousands of threatened spring-run chinook salmon were in clusters along the banks of Butte Creek, dead from disease that spread rapidly in warm water.
Plenty of fish had returned that year, but with 18 days above 100 degrees in July 2003, diseases including Ichthyophthirius multifillis (Ich) and columnaris ran rampant.
When a heat wave took hold this week, no one wanted to see that happen again.
Last week, PG&E began releasing cooler water from Philbrook Lake, higher up in the mountains.
The results have looked good so far.
You can read the entire story here.
