Aquatic Environments

The Bow River, the North Saskatchewan and the Skookumchuck rivers support diverse fish populations. We look for opportunities to collaborate with our neighbours on projects near our hydro plants to protect these aquatic environments.

Protecting fish on Skookumchuck River

In 2004, TransAlta purchased the Skookumchuck dam from PacifiCorp. This dam, on the Skookumchuck River in southwest Washington state, stores water to provide an uninterrupted supply of water to TransAlta’s coal plant and mine at Centralia. The water is used for many purposes, including process water, drinking water and cooling water.

TransAlta carries out fisheries and wildlife programs and manages impacts that result from operation of the dam and reservoir. Working closely with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, we operate a fish trap that collects adult steelhead and coho salmon. We transport and release steelhead and coho salmon upstream of the dam, spawn some of the fish collected in the fish trap and raise the young — between 90,000 and 100,000 each year — and then release the young into the river each spring. We also supply water to the state-owned salmon fish hatchery downstream of the dam.

Restoring fish habitats in Alberta

We work with conservation groups, such as Trout Unlimited, to promote environmental and fish habitat conservation in Alberta. We sponsor the organization’s Coldwater Conservation Fund, which is dedicated to fish habitat restoration projects. In 2004, we funded projects carried out by biologists and Trout Unlimited members in river areas where we have operations.