Snake River dams Archives | Northwest Public Broadcasting

Newhouse And McMorris Rodgers Seek To Boost Hydropower After Idaho Rep’s Dam Removal Idea

By Courtney Flatt March 5, 2021

In this May 15, 2019 the Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River is seen from the air near Colfax, Wash. In early 2021, Republican Congressman Mike Simpson of Idaho proposed removing four hydroelectric dams on the Lower Snake River in Washington as part of a sweeping plan to save salmon populations and provide aid to farmers and others. CREDIT: Ted S. Warren

Republicans Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers have long championed dams. This is their second go at passing legislation that would reclassify hydropower as a renewable energy source. That’s important, Newhouse says, because hydropower can generate energy when wind and solar farms might be offline. Read More

Idaho Congressman Hopes Politics Align In Proposal To Remove Snake River Dams In Washington

By NWPB News February 16, 2021

This month, Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho issued a bold plan that called for removing those same dams to save the salmon. In between those two acts were decades of litigation that show no sign of ending and $17 billion worth of improvements to the dams that did little to help fish. Read More

Idaho Congressman Proposes $33.5 Billion Plan For Breaching Snake River Dams In Washington

By NWPB News February 8, 2021

Tribal canoeists on the Memorial Bridge in Lewiston, Idaho, on the Clearwater River just before the confluence with the Snake River. The group joined the larger Free the Snake "flotilla" demonstration, Sept. 7-8, 2018. CREDIT: MIKE BEISER

A $33.5 billion stimulus package would breach the four dams by 2031. Much of the funding would go toward solutions for what would be lost, including hydropower, less access to irrigation, grain transportation and economic development for Lewiston and the Tri-Cities. Read More

Dams, Salmon, Wolves: How Key Issues Played Out In Eastern Washington Congressional Races

By Courtney Flatt November 3, 2020

Elliott Moffett, a member of the Nez Perce Indian tribe, holds a sign that reads Free The Snake as he takes part in a rally organized by a coalition of environmental and tribal groups to promote the breaching of dams on the Snake River and other measures intended to benefit salmon and orcas. CREDIT: Ted S. Warren/AP

The campaigning is done. Now what's left is the counting. Here is how candidates in Washington’s 4th and 5th Congressional districts have talked about key environmental and natural resource issues during the campaign. Continue Read More

The Fight Over Washington’s Snake River Dams Is Likely Heading Back To Court

By Courtney Flatt October 24, 2020

Protesters call for the removal of dams on the Snake River to help salmon spawn — and consequently feed Puget Sound orcas. The protest came outside a meeting of the governor’s orca task force in Wenatchee on Tuesday. CREDIT: ELLIS O'NEILL/KUOW/EARTHFIX

The fight over salmon and dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers could be headed back to the courtroom. Conservation and fishing groups say the federal government’s newest plans to manage dams and protect salmon is inadequate. Now, they’re ready to sue. Read More

Two Democrats Running For Washington Lt. Governor Highlight Distinctions, Similarities In Debate

By Scott Leadingham October 23, 2020

Washington state Sen. Marko Liias, left, met with Congressman Denny Heck on Thursday, Oct. 22 for a statewide debate for lieutenant governor. CREDIT: NWPB/TVW

The two Puget Sound-region Democrats running to be Washington’s next lieutenant governor had the chance to distinguish themselves in a statewide debate Thursday night. Washington’s election system advances the top-two vote getters from the primary to the general election. Read More

Federal Decision To Keep Snake River Dams In Place Is Now Official. Controversy Far From Over

By Courtney Flatt September 29, 2020

The Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake River. CREDIT: BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION

After four years of study, the Record of Decision makes the federal agencies’ preferred option official. Managers and dam supporters say it will benefit salmon, reliable hydropower and the economy. Wild salmon advocates, tribal representatives and renewable energy advocates say this decision will hurt salmon and the orcas that depend on them for food. Read More

Lower Monumental Dam Repairs On Snake River Happening During Peak Wheat-Barging Season

By Anna King August 28, 2020

The Columbia River System, which includes the Snake River linking to Lewiston, Idaho, is a critical navigation system for shipping wheat downriver to Portland and export markets. Courtesy of Tidewater

A lot of freshly harvested wheat bound for Portland, Oregon, could stack up on the Columbia River system soon because an old guy wire has snapped on the Snake River’s Lower Monumental Dam. Continue Reading Lower Read More

Federal Study Recommends Keeping Snake River Dams In Place, With Congress Having Final Say

By Courtney Flatt August 1, 2020

Debates have dragged on for decades about whether to remove or alter the four dams. The Army Corps, Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power Administration received almost 59,000 comments on the draft EIS this spring. The agencies are expected to finalize this plan by Sept. 30. Read More

Washington State Steps In To Regulate Water Temps Behind Federal Dams To Help Salmon

By Courtney Flatt May 9, 2020

Water temperatures are expected to increase as the climate warms. Rivers saw a glimpse of what the future could hold five summers ago, when low water flows and hot temperatures killed thousands of salmon. Continue Reading Read More

Meetings On Future Of Snake River Dams Now Teleconferences: Here’s How To Access

By Courtney Flatt March 17, 2020

Fish advocates say sending water through spill bays is the best way to ensure fish survival through dams in the Columbia and Snake rivers. CREDIT: CASSANDRA PROFITA

If you want to attend public hearings on the federal government’s plan to manage the Columbia and Snake River dams, you’ll have to do it by phone. The previously scheduled in-person meetings are now teleconferences. Continue Read More

Draft Federal Plan Recommends Keeping Lower Snake River Dams In Place

By Courtney Flatt February 28, 2020

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power Administration laid out a range of six alternatives in a draft environmental impact statement. The most controversial measure would have been to remove or alter the four Lower Snake River dams. Read More

New Hydroelectric Turbine Design Aims To Improve Fish Passage At Snake River Dams

By Courtney Flatt January 24, 2020

For years, engineers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have worked to design a hydroelectric turbine that’s safer for fish. They’ve recently installed a new design that’s improving energy efficiency and improving fish survival along the Snake River, with plans to upgrade more turbines over the next several years. Read More

Dams Vs. Salmon: Workshops Aim To Get Past ‘My Study Can Beat Up Your Study’ On Snake River

By Courtney Flatt January 8, 2020

More than 300 people showed up to hear speakers talk about why it’s important to either keep or alter the dams. The panel stems from a Washington state study that will guide the state’s position on dam removal. Continue Read More

Public Invited To Clarkston-Pasco-Vancouver Workshops On Question Of Snake River Dams

By Courtney Flatt January 4, 2020

Upcoming public workshops will examine a draft report that gauges how people in Washington want to deal with the fate of the dams. At the workshops, officials will present the report’s findings, followed by a panel discussion. People can submit written and online comments on the draft report through Jan. 24. Read More

Another Settlement Reached Over Columbia And Snake River Dams Leaking Oil

By Courtney Flatt November 26, 2019

Chief Joseph Dam is on the Columbia River in eastern Washington at Bridgeport. CREDIT: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The environmental group Columbia Riverkeeper has sued dam operators along the Columbia and Snake rivers. They hope to reduce oil spills, require operators to monitor how much oil is leaking into the water and ask dam managers to look into using eco-friendly oil. Read More

Eastern Washington Wheat Farmers Say Removing Snake Dams To Help Orcas Would Hurt Them

By Eilís O'Neill August 15, 2019

Eastern Washington's Snake River is dotted with wheat-loading facilities. CREDIT: EILIS O'NEILL/KUOW

Washington's Snake River dams are important to wheat farmers.The state's wheat crop brings $700 million into the state's economy, more than any crop except apples. The vast majority of that wheat gets exported, most of it to Asia. Read More

Washington Legislature Allocates Funds To Study Snake River Dam Removal

By Courtney Flatt April 30, 2019

Tucked into Washington’s $52.4 billion operating budget passed Sunday night by the Legislature is controversial funding for a “stakeholder group” tasked with looking into what would happen should the four Lower Snake River dams be removed or altered. Read More

Salmon Conference Calls For Innovative Solutions To Protect Fish

By Courtney Flatt April 24, 2019

Adult fall Chinook salmon in the Priest Rapids Hatchery. CREDIT: PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL LABORATORY

What to do with the four Lower Snake River dams and how to best protect imperiled salmon have been a tough questions for decades. They were the focus at a conference on salmon Tuesday at Boise State University’s Andrus Center for Public Policy. Read More

Federal, Washington Officials Spar Over Water Quality Regulations At Dams

By Courtney Flatt February 8, 2019

Washington regulators want water at dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers to meet state standards. Continue Reading Federal, Washington Officials Spar Over Water Quality Regulations At DamsRead More

To Help Orcas Catch More Salmon, Washington Plans To Increase Spill At Dams

By Courtney Flatt January 30, 2019

A young resident killer whale chasing a Chinook salmon near Vancouver Island. Image obtained from a small drone that was flown more than 100 feet above the whales for research under NMFS permit #19091.

In an effort to help imperiled salmon, Washington officials are proposing more water be spilled at dams during fish migration. The hope is that this would also increase the amount of food for orcas in Puget Sound. Continue Reading To Read More

Agreement On Dams Aims To Help More Salmon Survive Columbia And Snake River Journey

By Cassandra Profita December 19, 2018

A new agreement aims to help more young salmon make their way past dams along the Columbia and Snake rivers. The agreement, reached this week, spells out new strategies for spilling more water over the dams — and sending less water through power-generating turbines — each spring. Read More

EPA Must Protect Northwest Salmon From Warming Waters, Judge Rules

By Courtney Flatt October 18, 2018

A federal court ruled Wednesday that the Environmental Protection Agency must come up with a plan to protect salmon from warm water temperatures. Continue Reading EPA Must Protect Northwest Salmon From Warming Waters, Judge RulesRead More

Orcas Need Salmon. Dams Hinder Salmon. Remove Snake River Dams? Feds Say It’s Not So Simple

By Courtney Flatt October 5, 2018

As the Northwest’s killer whales have gained worldwide attention, more calls are being made to bolster the population of salmon they eat. One big way to do that, supporters say, is by removing Lower Snake River dams. But the federal government isn’t so sure that’s the answer. Read More

Can Dams And Salmon Coexist? Congressional Hearing In Pasco Highlights Difference On Both Sides

By Anna King September 10, 2018

In the past few days, dam advocates and people who want more wild salmon in the Columbia and Snake rivers have been putting on their best shows. At the U.S. House committee hearing on Monday, dam advocates gave the bulk of the testimony. Read More

Bill Protecting Lower Snake River Dams In Washington Passes U.S. House, Moves To Senate

By Tony Schick April 25, 2018

The U.S. House passed has approved a bill that would circumvent a federal judge’s order for dams on the lower Snake River to spill more water and protect current dam operations through the next four years. It was sponsored and pushed by two Washington state Republicans. Read More