The the four Lower Snake River dams (Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, Lower Granite) in Washington and Idaho.Bureau of Reclamation photo / usbr.gov
The the four Lower Snake River dams (Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, Lower Granite) in Washington and Idaho.Bureau of Reclamation photo / usbr.gov
THE GORGE — Back in October, officials announced that water supply on the Lower Snake River in southeastern Washington is sufficient to meet demand, even without reservoirs provided by the Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite Dams, according to initial research.
Since construction in the 1970s, the dams have pushed multiple salmon runs toward extinction, causing rounds of litigation for nearly 30 years. Under the Biden Administration, four Tribal nations, Oregon, Washington and several conservation groups signed the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement, which, in part, directs agencies to study the impacts of Lower Snake River dam removal.
“All indications are that the availability of water in the Lower Snake River far exceeds existing demand,” said Devin Stoker with the Jacobs Engineering Group, which was contracted to complete the study along with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and Washington’s Department of Ecology.
“We’re still refining numbers and turning some knobs on some models, but that’s roughly an order of magnitude higher than the sum of the existing authorized water uses in our study area,” he said.
Dam removal, however, would require an act of Congress, and the study doesn’t take a position on breaching. Its sole purpose, along with three separate studies on energy, transportation and recreation, is to lay out the technical information and inform future decisions.
With the exception of the Lower Granite pool, irrigation is the prevailing water use on the Lower Snake, and in “low flow” scenarios, the study notably found that groundwater could drop anywhere between 35 to 120 feet, depending on the location. The consultants also interviewed a range of water users, including landowners, producers, municipal organizations and others, to determine what needs and concerns they have.
Chief among those concerns were the cost of irrigation, security of water rights, downstream impacts of dam breaching and how they would transition to alternative water sources.
“Understanding the uncertainties around the immediate needs of being able to switch over to a new source that’s reliable and unforeseen consequences that might impact people’s ability to carry out their business,” said consultant Cynthia Carlstad, “that’s definitely something we heard quite a bit about.”
“At a regional scale, the water supply question really becomes one that isn’t, ‘Is there enough water?’ but ‘Is there enough infrastructure in place to continue to put it to good use?’” said Stoker. As such, the study considers potential solutions for water supply replacement.
Of the 38 preliminary options, all focus on harnessing the Lower Snake River, not importing water. Some involve improving existing pump stations, laying down new pipelines and possibly establishing a pumped storage reservoir.
The full draft report is expected by the end of the year. Visit the Bureau of Reclamation’s website at www.usbr.gov/pn/fcrps/lsrws.html for more details.
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