Columbia River
Columbia River Basin Restoration Program
Section 123 of the Clean Water Act was the first legislation to officially designate the national importance of restoration efforts in the Columbia River Basin – one of our nation’s largest watersheds. To learn more, visit EPA's role in protecting the Columbia River Basin.
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Grants and funding
EPA's Columbia River Basin Restoration Funding Assistance Program is a competitive grant program for environmental protection and restoration projects throughout the Basin.
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Protecting cold water refuges
EPA's Columbia River Cold Water Refuges Plan aims to help protect and restore "cold water refuges" which are important for the survival of migrating salmon and the recovery of future salmon populations.
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Reducing river temperatures
The Columbia and lower Snake Rivers are on Washington's polluted waters list for high temperatures which can harm salmon. EPA’s "total maximum daily load" (TMDL) for temperature is a pollution budget that will reduce water temperatures at critical times for fish.