History

But ECONW went further, seeking to put dollar values on the intangible value of the Snake River’s once-mighty salmon runs.

For 50 years, four dams on the lower Snake River have provided water for irrigation, emissions-free hydroelectricity, and 140 miles of flat water for barge passage from Pasco, Washington, to Lewiston, Idaho. They also submerged 63 rapids and increased the mortality of salmon. Five species of Snake River salmon are now threatened or endangered and recent declines in the health of the southern resident orcas have brought new voices to longstanding calls to breach the dams and restore the river to a more natural condition.Under court order, the US Army Corps of Engineers will issue an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in 2020 and the Bonneville Power Administration will make a decision on whether to remove the four dams.Restoring the lower Snake River by removing the four dams that block its flow would precipitate changes in the region’s physical infrastructure, electric grid operations, carbon emissions, grain transport, irrigation, recreation, fish habitat, and riverine and marine ecosystems. Large public enterprises including Bonneville and the Corps would change how they do business. Large public enterprises will be affected; free-flowing water on the lower Snake River would eliminate some jobs and create others.By carefully tabulating costs and benefits for all the aspects of the dam dilemma that are easily monetized, ECONW finds the dams are better left in place.