Spillway Deflectors and Total Dissolved Gas

IIHR developed fully 3-D computational models for the Idaho Power Company to help fish pass safely through hydroelectric dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers. Water flowing over a dam can become supersaturated with gas as the water plunges to extreme depths below the dam. Fish exposed to water with elevated total dissolved gas (TDG) can develop the painful and often fatal gas bubble disease. Recent work on the Hells Canyon Dam, which is set on the deepest canyon in North America, was designed to help the utility company meet state and federal regulations for water-quality standards, including TDG.