Dams Along the Snake River

1
Dams Along the Snake River

• By
• Jason Smith, Allegra Abramo,
• Shira Bieler, Jeff Payne, Mike Miller

2
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?

3
The Current System

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

4
The Columbia River Basin
5
Ice Harbor Dam

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

6
Lower Monumental Dam

• River Mile 41.6
• Completed 1969, 1981
• Operate Pool 537-540
• Purpose Power, Nav.
• Other Fish, Rec.
• ResL Herbert G West
• Length 3791ft.
• S. Abute. 1075 ft.

7
Little Goose Dam

• River Mile 70.3
• Completed 1970, 1978
• Operate Pool 633-638
• Purpose Power, Nav
• Other Fish, Rec.
• Res Lake Bryant
• Length 2655 ft.
• N. Abute. 879

8
Lower Granite Dam

• River Mile 107.5
• Completed 1975, 1978
• Operate Pool 733-738
• Purpose Power, Nav.
• Other flood, rec., fish
• Res. Lower Granite L
• Length 3200 ft.
• North Abute. 1435 ft.

9
The Fish

• Historic 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).

10
Dams and Fish

• Dams 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.

11
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?

12
The Tribes
13
Industrial interests

• The Regional Economy
• 10 PNW smelters
• Annual income of 200 million
• Consumption of 3,145MW at Capacity
• The Labor Force
• Subsidized?

14
Regional Economics

• Local significance
• Most smelters account for lt 1 of local
  employment
• Klickitat and Wasco employment gt 8
• Regionally insignificant
• Direct employment 10,000
• Indirect employment 40,000
• 0.65 of Employment PNW

15
Previous need for Aluminum

• Aluminum wasnt internationally competitive
• Nearby stores of bauxite in Beautiful British
  Columbia with oversized electrical infrastructure
• Supportive industry Boeing?

16
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

17
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

18
Agriculture in the Modern World

• Regardless of what happens to the dams farmers
  face an uncertain future due factors such as
• Increasing consolidation among farms
• Increased competition due to globalization
• Depressed wheat prices

19
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

20
Municipal Impacts

• Four Municipalities
• Burbank
• Asotin
• Clarkston
• Lewiston
• Population 36,500
• 14 wells

21
Municipal Impacts Cont.

• Assume 70 - 100,000
• Energy cost
• 50-foot loss of water table
• 100 gpdpc
• .10 / kilowatt-hour
• 90 efficiency
• COST 80 cents per person per year

22
Navigational Impacts

• 8 Dams
• 4 Snake

23
Navigational Impacts Cont.

• Lewiston worlds 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

24
Navigational Impacts Cont.

• Cargo
• 17 million tons enter from ocean
• Agricultural harvest
• Federal Government - 43 million

25
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

26
Navigational Impacts Cont.

• Breach Dams
• Sediment load
• Lower Granite and Little Goose first
• Lower Monumental and Ice Harbor second

27
Alternative Actions

• Status Quo
• Take them out
• Phase them out
• Terrorist attack ELF

28
Advised Action Effects

• Remove the dams
• Winners
• Tribes
• Fish
• Recreation
• Some industries municipalities
• Losers
• USACE
• Agriculture
• Some industries municipalities

29
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