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Commentaries and editorials

The Snake River Dams
Must Be Removed

by Yancy Lind
Bend Bulletin, August 3, 2022

Ice Harbor dam impounds a reservoir that allows thirteen farms to pump irrigation water from a higher elevation than from the natural river, saving up to 80 feet of head and significant pumping expense. Despite the claim that dams are a form of clean, renewable energy they are being removed in many places across the country due to their lack of cost effectiveness and dramatic negative impacts on ecosystems. Four power generating dams on the Klamath River are slated to be removed next year, the largest dam removal project in U.S. history. The Bulletin recently published an opinion column stating that dams on the Snake River should not be removed. Here's a different viewpoint.

The Columbia River and its tributaries once held one of the world's greatest runs of anadromous fish, including multiple species of salmon, steelhead, and pacific lamprey. The Snake River, which joins the Columbia, and its tributaries were the spawning grounds for many of these fish. Today, these runs are threatened with local extinction.

Related Pages:
Why are Salmon and Steelhead on the Path to Extinction? by Yancy Lind, Bend Bulletin, 12/8/20


Yancy Lind
The Snake River Dams Must Be Removed
Bend Bulletin, August 3, 2022

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