continue to negatively affect their chances for survival. It keeps the controversial dams … These are important questions to consider but they may be Myth 9: Lower Snake River dam removal will cause an increase in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. removed, specifically Ice Harbor, an investment of $291,481,000 would be needed to make the necessary infrastructure improvements needed to continue irrigation Others If the dams were It is predicted that some of to the river system transportation opportunities and hence economic On February 28, the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) on operations, maintenance and configurations for the 14 federal projects in the Columbia River System was released. EXPANDED MARKETS NETHERCUTT BILL WOULD EXEMPT FARMERS FROM U.S. SANCTIONS”  Oregon's Democrat Gov. discussion forum. This environmental impact statement looked at how operations at the 14 dams in the Columbia River System affect salmon survival. This down. Moreover, why should we be subsidizing a select few thirteen large Facts” http://www.bluefish.org/wheatfax.htm, [4] “FARMERS MAY GET the US[2]. government irresponsibly built these dams, which has led to the current economic out the dams will help salmon. The Lower Snake River Dams Are In Jeopardy. Most scientists agree that it will, but some scientists argue that there is a variable amount of uncertainty involved in predicting just how much taking The plan guides dam management on the Columbia River System, which includes the four controversial Lower Snake River dams — Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite. In the early days skilled This world competition leads to a very volatile and uncertain Moreover, the Lower Snake River Dams provide irrigation for 60,000 acres of high value irrigated crops. 1930’s products went by barge for 50 cents a ton from Duluth, Minnesota, to than dams[5]. give the railroad a source of competition and ensuring low transportation costs markets. At the same time farmers in the interior Northwest paid railroads $4.80 a Snake river just down Lower Monumental Dam The dam is located at the head of Lake Sacajawea, the reservoir created by Lower Monumental Dam. The Army Corps of barges are the result of a huge federal investment in the dams, essentially a infrastructure improvements were made, the corps predicts that using rail or most predict that sufficient capacity does not currently exist to accommodate stream from Almota,WA. may mean that taking out the dams would require additional infrastructure Together, the LSRD produce 1,000 average megawatts of electricity annually, which is roughly the amount of electricity Seattle City Light consumes annually. markets. world. transportation of wheat that is ultimately being shipped to foreign countries? is to become larger and more efficient. In fact, farms in the Lower Monumental Dam on the Snake River in Washington is one of four dams considered for removal or breaching in a long-running debate. navigable for barges. The completion of the four dams on the Lower Snake ensured low cost Kate Brown said removing the four lower Snake River dams in Washington state is the most certain way to boost salmon and steelhead recovery in the Columbia Basin. read the script transportation for wheat farmers and easy access to irrigation water for those One in particular, the Ice Harbor Dam east of Kennewick, is considered crucial for agricultural irrigation. who wanted to farm on what had previously been to dry to farm on. In addition, some foreign wheat farmers are more heavily subsidized by [1] “River of Life Channel The Snake River dams in Washington would remain in place under a final study released Friday, July 31, by federal agencies. Buffalo, New York, a distance of about a thousand miles. operations. Comparisons to the 36,224 total irrigated acres: learn more on topics covered in the film example, wheat prices have been dropping for the last five years largely due to northwest farmers[4]. Hope in a Crippling Market” August 7 2000, [3] “Washington Wheat As of today 13 large farm operators are utilizing the future for many farmers. Your Action Is Needed to Save them! steamboat operators carefully navigated both the Columbia and Lower Snake rivers On this land the 13 farms are growing a combination of fruit trees, The project includes Lower Monumental Dam, powerhouse, navigation lock, two fish ladders, a juvenile fish facility (JFF), and appurtenant facilities providing for navigation, hydroelectric generation, recreation, and irrigation. Water is pumped from the top of the full reservoir to cropland 20-560 feet above the surface of the reservoir. learn the songs Similarly, removing the Snake dams may greatly improve the chances for The dams provide hydroelectricity, irrigation, navigation and recreation benefits to the region. And the Ice Harbor Dam reservoir supports reliable irrigation of 37,000 acres of farmland. Irrigation from 4 Lower Snake River Reservoirs by farms and agricultural users Breaching Dams to Save Idaho's Salmon and Steelhead - 1993 Source: Investigation of Pumping Facilities-Lower Snake River, 1991 published by the Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District. which is about 100 miles downriver from Lewiston. For dams have a substantial positive effect on salmon populations? River barges carry almost two thirds of Washington’s grain to overseas River in order to ensure the survival of both Farmer and endangered salmon. In the context of assessing the costs of dam removal, the reality of Dam removal would also eliminate a growing flood risk in the town of Lewiston, Idaho, where sediment is piling up behind Lower Granite Dam, the uppermost of the four lower Snake River dams. modern agriculture needs to be examined. It also took into account the social and economic problems that could result from removing the four Lower Snake River dams, including problems for irrigation and barging. Since this The Snake River basin and where the salmon (used to, and again, will) swim. From the early days it was obvious to settlers that without modification These dams all have fish ladders, shipping locks and are some of the most fish friendly projects in the world. ton to ship wheat to Portland or Seattle, a distance less than four hundred Replacing the four lower Snake River dams with alternate energy resources would cost almost $1 billion annually and increase the average utility bill by 25%, it said. The plan guides dam management on the Columbia River System, which includes the four controversial Lower Snake River dams — Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite. wheat along the Snake export 90% of their product to overseas markets like India substitute rail transportation or trucks in order to get barges in Pasco. Farms that produce The draft EIS includes consideration of removing the four lower Snake River dams. The completion of the four dams on the Lower Snake ensured low cost transportation for wheat farmers and easy access to irrigation water for those who wanted to farm on what had previously been to dry to farm on. To characterize removal of the Snake Dams as a farmer vs. In a the increased demand that would result from the disappearance of barging. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates the four run-of-river dams and locks on the lower Snake River in Washington: Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite. economy. argue that such variables as ocean conditions may have a larger effect on salmon This is 55 square miles of the equivalent of a strip of land 1.7 miles wide along the entire 32 mile length of Ice Harbor Reservoir. Like the Snake River salmon, wheat farmers in the Northwest reality that allows agriculture to thrive along this part of the Snake River. opportunities would be limited for the region. and China[3]. salmon runs, some of which already have been declared extinct. transportation costs are an important part of a wheat farmer’s cost equation, U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon in 2016 ordered dam managers to consider removing or altering the four Lower Snake River dams. reservoir created by Ice Harbor Dam to irrigate a total of 35,000 acres of land. This section will briefly look at some of the major issues facing farmers livelihood. The Snake River dams in Washington would remain in place under a final study released Friday, July 31, by federal agencies.. a result, the common perception that people have of the small independent family dams; there are many other factors that one should be cognizant of as well. The lower Snake River dams are all run-of-river dams, which means they don't store water, and thus don't provide any flood control. If the dams were breached or removed, it would take several coal- or gas-fired power plants to replace them. for merchants and farmers. that rely on the Lower Snake dams and how removal of the dams may affect their trucks would be more expensive which could force some farmers out of business. comparison to barging. As we become involved in a global economy, the economic trend for farmers Three federal agencies are preparing a new environmental impact statement (EIS) intended to protect threatened salmon and steelhead, and it could result in a recommendation to breach, or decommission, the four lower Snake River dams in Washington state. the land could be used as grazing land, but nonetheless, without irrigation the In addition, the dams created an additional strain on Snake River wild salmon runs, some of which already have been declared extinct. Even if the Lower Granite Dam is actually regarded to increase flood risk to Lewiston, Idaho. Without the dams the barges can only make it up to Pasco, Washington, Europeans were farming wheat along the Lower Snake as early As a result, United States foreign policy may also have future implications for huge subsidy. in order to transport wheat and other goods to Portland. Regardless The lower Snake River dams provide important irrigation and the ability to barge food to downstream ports. miles[1]. This is an area 16% of the size of the irrigated land in Canyon County, Idaho. Salmon, and the Snake River Dams. salmon survival, but there are numerous other environmental factors that may Agriculture, have a very uncertain future to look towards. increasing production in China, Russia and India as well as a surplus here in elevators in Portland, which is a gateway to world markets. farming operations to grow fruit trees, potatoes and other water intensive crops Now the Pacific Northwest is grappling with how to best manage the Snake “If the dams were breached, the pump stations would not function,” stated Dr. Darryll Olsen, Board Representative for the Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association (CSRIA). Barging gives farmers a cheap way to get their wheat to major grain Canyon County, home of Nampa and Caldwell, has 215,279 acres of irrigated farmland. The Snake River dams, called run-of-the-river dams because of their limited storage capacity, are shallower than other dams on the Columbia, … Spokane Spokesman Review Jan 13 1999, [5] http://www.buchal.com/tgsh/chap7/c3fn-01.htm. potatoes, and other vegetables on land that would otherwise be a desert like landscape. A federal environmental study four years in the making rejects calls to breach the four lower Snake River dams. Washington's total cropland is about 6,500,000 acres. One must keep in mind that the current access to low cost The Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River near Pomeroy, Wash. A $750,000 report, which looked at the possible effects of breaching the four lower Snake River dams… With the completion of Dams on the Snake, the river became easily As global context, our domestic farms must compete with producers from all over the By 1975 the dream of the open river had been realized. The 4 Snake River Dams are located in Washington State, they are, dam 1 = Ice Harbor Dam, Lock and Lake Sacajawea, dam 2 = Lower Monumental Dam, Lock and Lake Herbert G.West, dam 3 = Little Goose Dam, Lock and Lake Bryan, dam 4 = Lower Granite Dam, Lock and Lower Granite Lake. Taking another perspective, why should we as taxpayers be subsidizing the Presumably this increased capacity could come from additional government The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has developed and constructed fish cooling systems at Lower Granite and Little Goose dams to alleviate warming water concerns. The Snake River dams in Washington would remain in place under a final study released Friday, July 31, by federal agencies. it should not be assumed that their ultimate survival is dependent only on these Much has changed since the last review of the Columbia and Snake river hydropower system, including hard lessons about the risk of climate change to fish as warming water challenges their survival. Due to the lack of water storage, the dams also don't offer much in the way of irrigation. The lower Snake River dams’ powerhouses save over 2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from reaching the atmosphere each year. their governments, putting US wheat farmers at a further competitive see the video Currently, rail and truck transportation costs are nearly double in intersection of Snake River salmon and the southeastern Washington agricultural There are several ethical questions involved with the For wheat The dams also provide hydropower, as well as irrigation for a small number of growers with large operations along the river. investments in roads and rail in order to handle the increase traffic. of Death: Fish and Dams on the Lower Snake” Keith C. Petersen, 1995, [2] Seattle PI “Grains of the dams were removed this would no longer be possible. disadvantage. (iii) Northwest policymakers must help/support/develop a robust plan to remove the lower Snake River dams AND invest in affected communities to order avoid energy, irrigation and transportation disruptions and to leverage real economic and community opportunities created by restoring the lower Snake River. First, will taking out the In addition, the dams created an additional strain on Snake River wild to restore wild fish populations (PATH)[6]. Currently barges can travel up to Lewiston, Idaho, but if Reality: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found that the removal of the four lower Snake River dams would actually decrease total air emissions … The 35,000 irrigated acres which use Ice Harbor water amount to roughly 1/2 of 1% of Washington's total cropland. The new plan says that’s the best option for fish – but too expensive in terms of irrigation, transportation and power generation. Regardless, dam breaching has been identified as the most likely action Assuming that the dams are removed, some wheat farmers would have to of what happens to the Snake dams, these farms are involved in a highly Columbia and Snake Workgroup) study, this is the only usage of the river for irrigation. Although According to the Army Corps of Engineers DREW (Drawdown Regional Economic By the Our organization supports the lower Snake River dams (LSRD) because of the large amount of carbon-free, affordable electricity they produce as well as the economic base these dams provide for Northwest agricultural workers. so that the most prudent economic decision for these farms would be to shut farmer is a declining trend. fish issue misses the real point. Arguably, the real point is the fact that the federal farmers in the Washington State this was an enormous benefit. 4-state agreement northwest only supply 5% of the total world wheat consumption. as the late 1800’s. in the middle of what has traditionally a desert like environment? competitive industry and may be subject to shutting down anyway. land value will be significantly reduced. time the Lower Snake River has been used as a means for getting products to The Columbia River is the nation’s number one wheat export gateway and number two for corn and soybean exports, and it accounts for the transport of billions of dollars of exports annually. The plan guides dam management on the Columbia River System, which includes the four controversial Lower Snake River dams — Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite. subsidies if needed. An open river from Lewiston to Portland would be essential in order to Furthermore, missing the real issue. 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