Continued Momentum: Upper Deschutes Basin Celebrates Second-Highest Steelhead Run in Decades

MADRAS, Ore. - For the second consecutive season, the Pelton Round Butte Hydroelectric Project is celebrating efforts to restore anadromous fish, ones that migrate downstream to the ocean and back to freshwater during their lifetime, to the Upper Deschutes Basin.

Biologists report more than 900 adult steelhead have returned during the 2025-26 migration season, marking the second highest number of steelhead passed upstream of the Round Butte Dam with last year being the highest .

This achievement signals that the ambitious reintroduction program, launched in 2010 by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and Portland General Electric, is gaining momentum.

"We are building a better future for ourselves and the river," said Austin Smith Jr., general manager for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Branch of Natural Resources. "Restoration is a balancing act, and while the pace of high-quality science takes patience, we are confident that the Deschutes River is on a path to recovery."

A Holistic Approach for Success

Scientists with Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and PGE attribute the returns to a combination of ocean conditions and refined management practices designed to aid fish at every stage of their life cycle. Central to this success is the Selective Water Withdrawal facility, which created a downstream migration pathway for the first time in 50 years. Since 2010, the Selective Water Withdrawal has safely passed over 1.7 million juvenile fish toward the ocean, including a strong steelhead outmigration in 2023 that contributed to this season's strong adult returns.

"Seeing these fish return to their home waters in such promising numbers is a validation of the hard work and scientific collaboration of the last 15 years," said Megan Hill, PGE's senior manager of Environmental Services. "While the journey toward full restoration is a generational effort, these record runs demonstrate that our adaptive management strategies are delivering real biological benefits."

To bolster the population during this critical rebuilding phase, the program uses a diverse mix of returning fish. Of this year's more than 900 adults, 475 are reintroduction-origin fish that migrated out as juveniles via the Selective Water Withdrawal. These are supplemented by surplus hatchery broodstock-fish that are genetically identical to the upper basin's wild-origin steelhead. This holistic approach supports a fully utilized habitat while the natural cycle of reproduction strengthens over several generations.

Restoring the River's Natural Rhythms

The Selective Water Withdrawal facility does more than collect fish; it is the primary tool for managing the complex water quality of the Deschutes. By blending surface and bottom water from Lake Billy Chinook, the project has reduced the influence of the dams on the lower Deschutes water temperature by mimicking natural conditions to benefit native fish.

"We recognize that restoring a connected river system involves balancing competing needs," said Smith. "Our goal is to mimic the natural thermal patterns that native fish depend on for growth and emergence, while strategically preserving our finite cold-water reserves to maintain critical ecological safe havens during the late summer months."

Looking Forward

While the record steelhead returns are cause for celebration, project managers remain focused on long-term ecological health. Biologists are currently using radio tracking technology to monitor the movement and spawning activity of the steelhead released upstream, gathering data that will inform future habitat restoration efforts.

Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and PGE have already invested over $25 million in habitat restoration projects throughout the basin, including flow restoration, streamside plantings and instream habitat projects to remove migration barriers in tributaries like the Crooked River and Whychus Creek.