Introduction 

There are a many reasons why the Snake river dams should be removed, however there are four important arguments used in favor of keeping the dams. The first being the limited options for clean and renewable energy that the dams contribute to the region. Furthermore, other viable options are expensive and detrimental to the environment. The second argument is that the dams are not the only things contributing to the salmon die off; there is actually a good survival rate of young salmon passing through the dams. The third argument is that the cost of removing the dams and replacing the energy is going to affect everyone’s checkbooks. Finally, the forefront of the arguments against dam removal highlight the values that the dams provide to the economy of Idaho, especially farmers; the dams provide affordable routes to get produce to regional markets.

Argument #1

These lower dams on the Snake River produce over 1,000MW of clean and renewable energy every year, “enough to power a city like Seattle,” (Port of Lewiston), and are able to produce up to 3,000MW per year if needed. These dams also produce zero CO2 emissions and are very efficient at storing energy produced. One of the solutions that the regional power administration came up with, for the replacement of the power, was the use of a “highly efficient gas-fired plant,” (OregonLive). This appears to be a viable alternative to the power produced by dams, especially since it’s such a minuscule amount of the regions power. However, many don’t realize that it “would increase the region’s carbon dioxide emissions by 2 million to 2.6 million metric tons annually, which is like adding 421,000 passenger cars to the road, according to the BPA” (OregonLive). In order to replace the power provided by these dams, we would need 2 nuclear plants, 3 coal-fired facilities or 6 gas-fired.

One of the arguments against the presence of dams highlight the methane gas production that is produced due to dams. “Some hydropower reservoirs that are rich in nutrients support the growth of large amounts of vegetation, which decompose and release methane gas. These emissions  can contribute to climate change,” (Northwest River Partners). This is a common motivation for conservationists who want to remove the dams for ecological reasons, however there is information showing that  “dam reservoirs on the Columbia and Snake rivers don’t have these necessary characteristics for methane production. As a result, they don’t produce measurable amounts of methane gas. This lack of measurable methane emissions is another reason why hydropower is the Northwest’s largest source of clean renewable energy” (Northwest River Partners). In turn this is another reason to why this debate so controversial. 

Argument #2

There are 13 different species of salmon listed as endangered in the Columbia Basin and only 4 travel through the lower Snake River dams. The removal offers no certainty that it will save the fish as it is not a solution that fixes everything. It is vital to also look at the impact that ocean conditions, climate change and habitat destruction has that occurs in other parts of the basin, and is not something dam removal would solve. As seen in the picture below, “Survival through these dams for young salmon heading downstream to the ocean is high, with a survival rate of 97 percent, on average. Juvenile steelhead survival is even better, averaging 99.5 percent through the dams,” (Northwest River Partners). This makes it seem like there are not any problems with the salmon survival rates, but there is a fine line in this statistic because it does not account for the stagnant water and raised temperatures, or the return rate of the salmon. There are many other factors that the dam creates that causes salmon mortality, but from the dams themselves there is a great success rate and the number of salmon passing through these dams has been rapidly increasing over the past five or so years. Survival through these dams for young salmon heading downstream to the ocean is high. Juvenile steelhead survival is even better, averaging 99.5 percent through the dams.

 

Argument #3

The power company that controls the energy distribution from these dams estimates that, “replacing the Lower Snake dams’ electric production with natural gas would cost between $274 million and $372 million each year, the agency said. The estimates include the capacity to keep the Northwest power grid running smoothly,” (OregonLive). This is where it turns into an economic problem of who is going to fund the destruction of the dams, the construction of these new power producing facilities, and ultimately where that money is going to come from. The $274 million to $372 million estimate from the power company doesn’t even include the cost of removing the infrastructure and the actual dam itself. Then if we wished to replace that energy with other forms of renewable energy, like solar and wind power, it would be timely and costly considering that these dams produce around 90% of the Northwest regions renewable energy. Solar and wind power are extremely inefficient at producing and storing energy, unlike hydropower.”Dams can store water, releasing it during periods of high demand for electricity,” (OregonLive). This puts the dams at an advantage compared to wind turbines and solar panels, and leaving few economically viable solutions for a replacement at this point in time.

The graph to the right shows the make up of the Northwest’s energy production methods, and you can clearly see how much of a portion of it is made up by hydropower, nearly 60%! This shows how we should not be taking away from the renewable energy production sources that we have in place already, but instead adding more and replacing the nuclear, coal, and natural gas energy production that contributes so much to CO2 emissions mentioned earlier. Not to mention, the amount of money these facilities save everyone including residential customers and businesses are undeniably important. “Wholesale rates to Northwest utilities would increase 24-29 percent, which translates into a 12 to 15 percent hike in families’ and businesses’ electric bills,” (Northwest River Partners).

Argument #4

These dams “provide deep shipping routes for Idaho farmers along the Columbia and Snake Rivers (Brooke Stanton).” With a port so far inland, in Lewiston, it has created more viable options for shipping their produce to the regional market. Without this port and these dams, farmers would have to pay outrageous prices to transport their produce to customers by road or train. There is a town in Idaho called Lewiston that is home to many of these farmers, and also a place where many meetings over this controversy take place. Many of the residents are appalled at the idea of taking the dam down, as it contributes so much to their way of life. Some from the town say, “the dams made Lewiston what it is today, with the benefits of navigation to the regional economy and slack water recreation they provide,” (Flatt, C). These dams have had a direct affect on the economy in Idaho, and farmers farther inland, providing a cheaper and more affordable way to feed the region and the rest of their consumers. If these were taken away, these farmers would have to pay for more expensive alternatives that may put them in financial deficits and not allow them to operate their farms efficiently anymore. Therefore, these dams that created this port in Lewiston have proven to be viable investments and successfully done their job of producing efficient renewable energy while simultaneously stimulating an economy that might have never been positively affected by anything else, as much as it was with these dams.

 

Sources

https://prezi.com/m/__9wkjl_xdhs/snake-river-salmon-vs-dams/ (Brooke Stanton)

http://www.opb.org/news/article/future-of-the-snake-river-dams/ (Courtney Flatt)

https://www.google.com/amp/www.oregonlive.com/articles/19400708/ruling_forces_discussions_on_b.amp (Oregon Live – Associated Press)

https://nwriverpartners.org/value-of-snake-river-dams (Northwest River Partners)

http://portoflewiston.com/facts/hydropower/ (Port of Lewiston)

(Not all dams are created equal –  http://portoflewiston.com/facts/hydropower/)

(Yearling Chinook Survival – https://nwriverpartners.org/value-of-snake-river-dams)

(Energy Resources – http://portoflewiston.com/facts/hydropower/)

(Port of Lewiston – http://portoflewiston.com/)