Federal court orders protective dam operations restored on Columbia and Snake rivers. U.S. District Judge Michael Simon issued a preliminary injunction on February 25, 2026, requiring federal agencies to increase spill at Columbia and Snake River dams — up to 24 hours per day during spring, summer, and fall salmon migrations. The ruling restores protections from the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement, which the administration canceled in June 2025. The injunction requires smaller reservoir pools and swifter, colder flows for juvenile salmon passage.
What this means for restoration portfolios. Restoration entities with obligations in the Columbia Basin now operate under court-ordered flow regimes rather than a negotiated agreement — a different legal and operational foundation. For entities managing habitat projects downstream of the eight federal dams, flow conditions shape construction windows, monitoring requirements, and ecological outcomes. The shift from negotiated agreement to court order also changes the planning horizon: injunctions can be modified or dissolved, while the 20-year agreement they replaced was designed for stability.
Source: U.S. District Court, District of Oregon, February 25, 2026. OPB
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