Dams Along the Snake River

By

Jason Smith, Allegra Abramo,

Shira Bieler, Jeff Payne, Mike Miller

Lower Snake Questions:

Who are the stakeholders?What rights and interests do they have?What role does each stakeholder play in the

region?What is the most economically viable

alternative?What is the ethical alternative?

The Current System

The Lower Snake River Dams Ice Harbor Lower Monumental Little Goose Lower Granite

The Columbia River Basin

Ice Harbor Dam

River Mile 9.7Completed 1962, 1976Operate Pool 437-440Purpose Power, Nav.Other Fish, Rec.Res:SacajaweaLength 2822 ft.N. Abute. 624 ft.

Lower Monumental Dam

River Mile 41.6Completed 1969, 1981Operate Pool 537-540Purpose Power, Nav.Other Fish, Rec.

Res:L Herbert G WestLength 3791ft.S. Abute. 1075 ft.

Little Goose Dam

River Mile 70.3Completed 1970, 1978Operate Pool 633-638Purpose: Power, NavOther: Fish, Rec.Res: Lake BryantLength 2655 ft.N. Abute. 879

Lower Granite Dam

River Mile 107.5Completed 1975, 1978Operate Pool 733-738Purpose: Power, Nav.Other: flood, rec., fishRes.: Lower Granite LLength 3200 ft.North Abute. 1435 ft.

The FishHistoric runs of 10-16 million fish are down by 90%.75-80% Remaining fish are from hatcheries.4 Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESU) listed under

ESA (13 total in CRB).

Dams and FishDams kill large numbers of juveniles passing

over or through them.Obstruct return of spawning adults.Make water too warm, too slow, and reduce

essential habitat (gravel and woody debris).Many improvements have been made to

dams, but fish numbers continue to decline.NMFS says science is still out on whether

removal is necessary--will try other strategies for another 10 years.

Do Fish Have Rights?ESA: species must be

considered but allows for balancing of human economic interests.

Do fish have intrinsic value and right to continued existence, no matter what the costs to humans?

The Tribes

Industrial interests

The Regional Economy 10 PNW smelters Annual income of ~$200

million Consumption of

3,145MW at CapacityThe Labor ForceSubsidized?

Regional Economics

Local significance Most smelters account for < 1% of local

employment Klickitat and Wasco employment > 8%

Regionally insignificant Direct employment – 10,000 Indirect employment – 40,000 0.65% of Employment PNW

Previous need for Aluminum

Aluminum wasn’t internationally competitiveNearby stores of bauxite in Beautiful British

Columbia with oversized electrical infrastructure

Supportive industry: Boeing?

Future of industry in the PNW

Aluminum is now International Globalized markets Newer smelting technology

Boeing bailed Chicago office detaches labor questions Japanese bidding for wing manufacture Assembly plant will remain, aluminum

manufacturing may leave

Agriculture

The snake dams benefit agricultural interests in two ways:

Most importantly by providing low cost transportation via barges

And to a lesser degree by providing irrigation to 13 large farming operations

Agriculture in the Modern World

Regardless of what happens to the dams farmers face an uncertain future due factors such as:

Increasing consolidation among farmsIncreased competition due to globalizationDepressed wheat prices

Agricultural and Dams Ethical Issues

Turning rangeland into productive farmland via irrigation Subsidizing farms – at what cost? A way of life was created, now it is threatened

Municipal Impacts

Four Municipalities Burbank Asotin Clarkston Lewiston

Population 36,50014 wells

Municipal Impacts Cont.

Assume 70% - $100,000Energy cost

50-foot loss of water table 100 gpdpc $.10 / kilowatt-hour 90% efficiency COST 80 cents per person per year

Navigational Impacts 8 Dams4 Snake

Navigational Impacts Cont.

Lewiston world’s most inland port 465 mi.Ocean to Portland/Vancouver

106 miles Dredge to 40-foot depth

Portland to Lewiston 359 miles Minimum 14-foot depth

Navigational Impacts Cont.

Cargo 17 million tons enter from ocean Agricultural harvest

Federal Government - $43 million

Navigational Impacts Cont.

Transportation Improvements Rail and Roadway - To Tri Cities $260 million 75/25 split $200 million

Grain Train 1995 - 29 cars 1998 - additional 36 cars

Navigational Impacts Cont.

Breach Dams Sediment load Lower Granite and

Little Goose first Lower Monumental

and Ice Harbor second

Alternative Actions

Status QuoTake them outPhase them outTerrorist attack: ELF

Advised Action & Effects

Remove the damsWinners:

Tribes Fish Recreation Some industries & municipalities

Losers: USACE Agriculture Some industries & municipalities