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Yakama Nation Could Get Millions for Salmon Killed at The Dalles Dam by Staff KNDO / KNDU, July 10, 2007

TOPPENISH, Wash. -- The Yakama Nation figures a new settlement over The Dalles Dam could be worth more than $100 million.

Tribal members seem to support the idea of reopening the case against the Army Corps of Engineers. A meeting was held last Friday to discuss The Dalles Dam case.

Tribal Councilman Leo Aleck says people spoke in favor of reopening that case, and he's received a lot of supportive phone calls.

The case was originally settled after the Corps built The Dalles Dam, and flooded the area near Celilo Falls in the 1950's. The tribe now has 50 years worth of records to go over, to figure out how many fish have been killed by the dam's turbines.

The loss of salmon was never accounted in the original settlement. Aleck thinks they're likely owed $50 to $110 million.

Aleck says, "We're going to tell the Corps, the Federal government...that a certain amount of our salmon went through your turbines, and you need to be accountable for that."

If the tribe agreed to another settlement, the money would be split evenly among the roughly 10,000 members.

Related Pages:
Yakamas want Compensation for Lost Salmon by Phil Ferolito, Yakima Herald-Republic, July 3, 2006