Wit,

As the other responders indicate, Elwha was built and owned by private interests. The Elwha dams were purchased by the federal government last February with bi-partisan approval, so like it or not, if they’re ever going to come down, it will have to be on the federal dime. Sorry, but corporate welfare won this one.

The four lower Snake River dams are Corps of Engineers projects, making them federal assets and liabilities. It isn’t inadequate fish ladders that are causing the extinction of Snake River salmon and steelhead. If fish ladders were the solution, we’d have more fish than we know what to do with. The Columbia and Snake River dams have the very best fish ladders in the world, or the best even imaginable. The problem with the Snake dams is at least twofold: the dams change the environment, allowing the water to become too warm for chinook smolts, thereby increasing their disease losses before ever reaching the ocean; and the well known fact that many smolts don’t survive their trip through the dams turbines. The screen systems and spill bypasses are only partially effective. If there is a win-win possible outcome, it has evaded a large number of scientists for over 20 years. So your preferred solution of viable fish runs and functioning dams on the lower Snake River continues to be mutually exclusive.

As for the farmland along the lower Snake, I don’t understand the problem. A total of 13 farms have been identified that draw irrigation water from the Snake reservoir pools. Dam breaching will not take away the irrigation water supply. Breaching will lower the water surface elevation, and the irrigation water will have to be pumped more vertical distance, increasing pumping costs somewhat. Depending on the water right and contractual arrangements, they may even be able to get the government to pay the difference – we’re so addicted to corporate welfare – sorry couldn’t resist that. But it does seem funny how the eastern WA and Idaho farmers are so politically conservative, yet they clamor like socialists for their various government handouts.

Breaching the lower Snake dams won’t affect anyone’s residential electric bill much. Other market forces under energy deregulation play a much larger role in electric rates than reducing the NW region’s energy supply by the 5% that the lower Snake dams provide.

The larger issue to me is what society wants and needs. We can have everything the Snake dams provide even by breaching them: irrigation, abundant hydropower, and transportation – oh the stuff that’s presently barged can be transported more cheaply by rail. The only reason barging is cheaper at present is because the government doesn’t charge the barges to use the locks – more corporate welfare. So the question that is left is: does society want the Snake River salmon and steelhead or not?

Sincerely,

Salmo g.