Federal report recommends breaching Lower Snake River dams to save salmon
A new federal report outlines ways to protect wild salmon populations in the Columbia River Basin. It includes a proposal for breaching the four Lower Snake River dams.
According to the report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, recovering salmon in the Columbia Basin will require a suite of large-scale actions.
First on the list is breaching one or more of the four Lower Snake River dams. Other urgent actions include improving tributary and estuary habitat, reducing predator numbers, and building fish passage so that salmon can reach cold water habitat above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams.
According to the report, these actions will help salmon and steelhead as climate change worsens. it further states that doing nothing will lead to catastrophic losses of salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River Basin.
One of the main concerns about removing the dams is how to replace the electricity they generate. A second independently commissioned report estimates replacing electricity generation from the dams could cost between $11 billion to $19 billion. The Biden administration did not endorse the actions outlined in either report.
