Their always modest services – especially energy and transportation, - have been in steep decline as the dams’ maintenance and operations costs rapidly rise. To provide an up-to-date and comprehens Lower Snake River Dams Power Replacement Study . In 2015, for example, just 1% of 4000 adult Snake River sockeye that entered the Columbia’s mouth reached their Idaho spawning gravels; others perished in warm reservoir waters impounded by federal dams on the lower Snake and lower Columbia Rivers. A restored, resilient lower Snake River will protect endangered wild salmon and steelhead facing extinction; save American taxpayer and Northwest energy consumer dollars; create thousands of jobs regionally; benefit struggling fish and wildlife populations including endangered Southern Resident Orcas; and help ensure that we meet our Treaty obligations to Native American Tribes in the Columbia Basin. [1][2] The project was estimated to create up to 150 temporary jobs and 25 permanent jobs. But all remaining salmon on its largest tributary, the Snake River, are facing extinction. The Lower Snake River project currently encompasses 149 wind turbines capable of generating 342.7 megawatts of … The confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers at Burbank, Washington is part of Lake Wallula, the reservoir of McNary Dam. Lower Snake River dam removal will restore 140-mile river and 14,000+ acres of riparian habitat and bottomlands. The lower Snake River project is economically unjustifiable and fiscally unsustainable. The loss-of-load probability, or LOLP, indicates the likelihood that resources will not be adequate to serve load in the region. A restored lower Snake will dramatically lower water temperatures and again offer diverse habitats found in living rivers, including additional coldwater refugia currently lost as a result of these reservoirs today. Their frequency, duration and intensity have been steadily growing in the last several decades – with increasingly devastating impacts on out-migrating juvenile fish and adults returning from the Pacific Ocean to spawn. Adult spring chinook and steelhead from Ice Harbor Dam to spawning grounds in Idaho exceeded 99 percent per dam. Lower Snake River Farms is a family owned farm located in the Treasure Valley. Extant research has shown that juvenile salmon survival past the four dams is 95 to 98 percent per dam. They will increase resilience for wild salmon and steelhead, the ecosystems they inhabit, and human communities they impact. Lower Snake River Wind Project is a 1,432MW wind farm located in the state of Washington, in the US’s north-west. Snake River from its confluence with the Clearwater River to its mouth at the Columbia River. The Lower Snake River phase one can supply renewable power to about 100,000 homes in Washington. system adequacy were based on annual and monthly —metricsa conservative approach that ensured a “like-for-like” replacement of the LSR Dams. Indeed, it is a river system that binds their very culture. The dream became a reality in 1945 when Congress authorized the Lower Snake River Project. PSE sold this section of the larger project to PGE.) The federal government’s long-standing status quo approach to protecting wild salmon and steelhead populations in the Columbia-Snake Basin has failed – five consecutive federal salmon plans have been ruled inadequate and illegal by three different judges across more than twenty years. The project was estimated to create up to 150 temporary jobs and 25 permanent jobs. Tell our Northwest congressional delegation that we need them to lead on a robust economic development package that takes down the lower four dams and rebuilds our northwest economy. Increased spill at all federal dams is needed today as an immediate, interim measure to buy time for these endangered populations until a more effective and a lawful strategy is in place. (Note: Tucannon River Wind is phase 2 of the Lower Snake River Wind project. Later the dream grew to include utilizing dams to provide an inexpensive power source. The Council concluded that: “Removal of the lower Snake River dams will not make additional CO 2-free energy resources Four aging dams in Washington state block passage along the lower Snake River, a major migration corridor linking pristine cold water streams in central Idaho to the mighty Columbia River … Lower Monumental Lock and Dam is Unit 2 of 4 from the "Lower Snake River Project, Washington, and Idaho." Little Goose Dam Save Our wild Salmon is leading a coalition of conservation, fishing, clean energy, orca and river advocates to protect and restore abundant, self-sustaining populations of wild salmon and steelhead in the Columbia-Snake River Basin for the benefit of people and ecosystems. The project is being developed in phases. Phase I with a capacity of 343MW was constructed in the Garfield County. It will cut dam-caused salmon mortality by at least 50% and restore productive access for wild salmon and steelhead to 5,500+ miles of contiguous, pristine, protected upriver habitat in northweast Oregon, central Idaho and southeast Washington State. The first phase of Lower Snake River wind project consists of 149 Siemens wind turbines rated at 2.3MW each. The Lower Snake River Programmatic Sediment Management Plan (PSMP) was put into place in 2014. Climate change increases the urgency to remove these four dams and restore this river. The project provides navigation, hydroelectric generation, recreation, irrigation and flood control. We can build new rail lines, new roads, and new water infrastructure. It is time for the lower four Snake River dams to come down. Based on the significant data on these dams, their modest services and the availability of efficient, cost-effective alternatives, salmon advocates are ready to sit down with both sovereigns and stakeholders to craft a responsible plan that removes these costly dams and replaces their services with alternatives. Federal and state agencies Monday signed an agreement to implement immediate and long-term actions to maintain and configure 14 federal dams along the lower Columbia and Snake rivers. STRIKE PROJECT (P-2055) Snake River is the largest tributary of the Columbia River and is more than 1,000 miles long. Image courtesy of Puget Sound Energy. Removing these costly dams and restoring this historic river and its wild fish is our nation’s greatest river and salmon restoration opportunity today. The Columbia River Basin was once among the greatest salmon-producing river systems in the world.. I urge readers to join the Nez Perce and advocate for the restoration of the Lower Snake River basin. Removing the Lower Snake River dams would open up access to the best and most climate-resilient salmon spawning habitat remaining in the continental United States.” A … The Lower Snake River Project's four dams and navigation locks have transformed this part of the Snake River into a series of reservoirs. 8 . During this time, federal agencies have spent more than $10 billion of public money, but have yet to recover a single salmon or steelhead population. Economic Tradeoffs of Removing the Lower Snake River Dams The debate regarding the potential removal of the four Lower Snake River dams in Washington has been ongoing for over two decades, but much of the existing information is either outdated or incomplete. Bonneville and the Corps are providing information on three categories: 1) Capital Hydropower Improvement Projects; 2) Columbia River Fish Mitigation (CRFM) Projects; and 3) Other Non-Power Capital Projects (e.g. Box 67Spokane, WA 99210 Phone:  509-747-2030. Our newest and largest wind facility is located in southeast Washington, 15 miles west of Pomeroy, Garfield County. 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. Much of this immense spawning/rearing habitat found above the lower Snake River is high elevation and thus provides a much-needed coldwater refuge as a critical buffer against a warming climate. The dams’ energy capacity was added late in the planning process by the Army Corps of Engineers to increase the project’s overall economic benefit and improve the chances of Congressional approval - and appropriations. navigation). Congress authorized the LSRCP in the Water Resources Development Act … The wind farm is made up of 149 Siemens wind turbines rated at 2.3 MW each for a maximum generating capacity of 343 MW. The dams became operational between 1961 and 1975. July 31, 2020. Construction began in 1965 and three turbine units were operational in 1975. Janet Higbee-Robinson, Bellingham A reanalysis of the 2002 Lower Snake River Juvenile Salmon Migration Feasibility Report demonstrates the Army Corps’ Walla Walla District underestimated the average annual cost of keeping the lower Snake River dams in place by a staggering $160.7 million. The Lower Snake River Compensation Plan, and the program developed consistent with it (the LSRCP) is an effort to replace some of those losses through production of salmon and steelhead at hatcheries. Map. And they will deliver critical economic, recreational and cultural benefits to the communities of the Northwest and the nation. When looking at population growth, we project that the energy equivalence of over 3 Lower Snake River Save Our wild Salmon is leading a coalition of conservation, fishing, clean energy, orca and river advocates to protect and restore abundant, self-sustaining populations of wild salmon and steelhead in the Columbia-Snake River Basin for the benefit of people and ecosystems. SHOSHONE FALLS PROJECT (P-2778) UPPER SALMON FALLS PROJECT (P-2777) LOWER SALMON FALLS PROJECT (P-2061 ) BLISS PROJECT (P-1975) C.J. The lower Snake River dams were originally conceived to establish a 140-mile shipping corridor that would connect to the Columbia River and create an inland seaport in Lewiston, Idaho. Lower Snake River Compensation Plan Office Project Area Steelhead Returns Return Years 2002-03 Through 2013-14 Return Year 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14) 0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 120000 140000 Project Area Steelhead Project Area Goal (55,100) Spanning 21,000 acres in Southeast Washington near Pomeroy, Garfield County, this energy project builds on the success of our Hopkins Ridge Wind Facility in adjacent Columbia County, and our Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility in Kittitas County. The wind farm is made up of 149 Siemens wind turbines rated at 2.3 MW each for a maximum generating capacity of 343 MW. Lower Granite Lock and Dam was the fourth of four dams constructed as part of the Lower Snake River Project, authorized in the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1945. Lower Snake River Wind Facility PSE’s newest and largest wind-power operation is the Lower Snake River Wind Facility. The lower Snake River dams have enabled large quantities of grain to be shipped by barge from Lewiston, Idaho all the way to the mouth of the Columbia River, 465 miles away, making the ninth-largest city in the nation’s 39th most populous state the West Coast’s farthest-inland port. The electricity generated by this phase is sufficient to power 100,000 homes. Increased juvenile survival boosts adult returns in subsequent years – benefiting marine/terrestrial/freshwater wildlife and coastal/inland fishing communities. Full project (with additional phases) permitted for up to 1,432 MWs and 795 turbines. For years there had been a dream among those living near the Snake River of opening the river to make it navigable to the Pacific Ocean. Washington State has listed multiple reaches of the Lower Snake River on its federal Clean Water Act 303(d) list due to TDG levels exceeding (violating) state water quality standards. The goal of the PSMP is the long-term, comprehensive Programmatic Sediment Management Plan for managing sediment accumulation that interferes with existing authorized purposes of the Corps’ four lower Snake River dam and reservoir projects as defined in the Study Area. The entire reach is considered impaired for TDG. The Lower Snake River Wind Project is the newest and largest wind farm operated by Puget Sound Energy, and is located in Washington’s Garfield and Columbia counties. Our coordinated legal, policy, communications and organizing activities focus on holding the federal government accountable by requiring Northwest dam agencies (Bonneville Power Administration, Army Corps of Engineer) and NOAA to craft and implement a legally valid, science-based Salmon Plan (or Biological Opinion/”BiOp”) for the Columbia-Snake Basin. In a letter signed by 55 scientists, representatives from Washington, Oregon and Idaho declared that hot water is harming salmon and steelhead in the Columbia-Snake River Basin. These policies will substantially increase fish populations with corresponding impacts on the 125+ species that benefit from salmon. Since 1998, SOS has led a dynamic campaign to restore a natural, freely-flowing lower Snake River in southeast Washington State, expand spill on the federal dams that remain, and other necessary measures, based on the law and best available science. Return to Restoring the Lower Snake River Project Home, Seattle, WA 811 First Ave.,Suite 305Seattle, WA 98104 Phone:  206-300-1003, Spokane, WA P.O. Spill – water releases during the juvenile salmon out-migration to the ocean in the spring and summer - increases juvenile survival by reducing migration time, exposure to warm waters, predation and the overall numbers of barged (artificially transported) fish. Power production from the lower Snake River dams saves 4.4 million metric tons of CO 2 from reaching the atmosphere each year, according to a 2007 Council study on the Northwest’s carbon footprint. Lower Snake River Wind - Phase I is located entirely within Garfield County in two of the development's Wind Resource Areas (WRAs). The Lower Snake River Project. Three more turbine units were installed and operational in 1979. High harmful water temperatures in the lower Snake River’s four reservoirs are now routine. The Lower Snake River Project features four locks and dams in the state of Washington: Ice Harbor Dam, Lower Monumental Dam, Little Goose Dam, and Lower Granite Dam. [2][3], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}46°28′N 117°44′W / 46.467°N 117.733°W / 46.467; -117.733, Jackson Prairie Underground Natural Gas Storage Facility, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lower_Snake_River_Wind_Project&oldid=920501262, Buildings and structures in Columbia County, Washington, Buildings and structures in Garfield County, Washington, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 10 October 2019, at 05:15. Their benefits can be easily, cost-effectively replaced with reliable, effective alternatives like wind, solar and rail. Restoring a freely-flowing lower Snake River will deliver tremendous economic, ecological and cultural benefits to the tribal and non-tribal people of the Northwest and the nation. Lower Snake River Wind Facility. Breaching the lower Snake River Dams to increase Snake River salmon survival is a hoax. The four Lower Snake River dam and reservoir projects are Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite and are located in eastern Washington. The economics of these four dams have been in question since even before their construction in the 1960s and 1970s. About the Restoring the Lower Snake River Project. PROJECT: The project includes Lower Monumental Dam, powerhouse, navigation lock, two fish ladders, and appurtenant facilities. 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