You may see more green light beams on the Columbia River. But it’s no laser show

If you see a strange green light on the Columbia River south of the Tri-Cities, no need to worry.

The Army Corps of Engineers has been testing a laser with a bright green light to deter birds that snatch up juvenile salmon on the downstream side of McNary Dam.

Officials at Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake River east of Pasco also are interested in the system.

The laser tested at McNary Dam has a range of up to a mile, depending on the weather, and is programmed to move in a random pattern.

Its general focus is the dam’s outfall pipe where juvenile salmon are returned to the river just downstream of the dam.

Birds see the green dot produced by the laser as a solid object moving toward them and fly out of the way, said Caleb Willard, a Corps mechanical engineer.

The beam is strong enough to damage eyesight if looked at directly, but is being used at McNary in a boat-restricted zone where that should not be a problem, says the Corps.

A sprinkler was being used to keep birds away from the outfall pipe, but it was wiped out by high water.

The laser, which was set up on the river bank, was tested as an alternate way to deter birds last summer.

It worked well enough that a second laser has been purchased to use starting this spring. It will be mounted on the outfall pipe.

If the system proves effective when tested in April, more could be added at Corps dams, including at Ice Harbor Dam.

This story was originally published November 21, 2019 at 12:13 PM.