Transcript Salmon and Energy

Salmon and Energy:
Do We Have Enough Power to
Remove the Dams?
by
Katherine Hausrath
[email protected]
http://www.bluefish.org/opendams.htm
www.britishenergy.com/environment/BE/school/
Thank you
 Reed
Burkholder, a long-time advocate of the
salmon, who pointed me towards the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers websites and other
information.
Scope of My Presentation
1.
Background


2.
Why are the dams a problem?


3.
Dams
Salmon
Scientific issues
Legal issues
Energy issues
Where are the dams?
On the lower Snake
River
 West of Lewiston, Idaho
 In southeastern
Washington

http://www.sci.wsu.edu/idea/Salmon/salmon.html
The lower Snake River
http://protophoto.com/picture.html?pic=2807
The four dams
Granite – constructed in 1975
 Little Goose - constructed in 1970
 Lower Monumental - constructed in 1969
 Ice Harbor - constructed in 1962
 Lower
Lower Granite Dam
http://crunch.tec.army.mil/nid/webpages/nidviewpictures.cfm?ID=100607&ACC=1
Lower Monumental Dam
http://crunch.tec.army.mil/nid/webpages/nidviewpictures.cfm?ID=100599&ACC=1
Ice Harbor Dam
http://crunch.tec.army.mil/nid/webpages/nidviewpictures.cfm?ID=100605&ACC=1
Who owns the dams?
 The
US Army Corps of Engineers and the
Bureau of Reclamation own and operate the
31 dams on the Snake and Columbia Rivers.
 The Army Corps of Engineers owns the four
dams at issue.
Bonneville Power Administration, Who Are We? (April 7, 2004), at http://www.bpa.gov/corporate/About_BPA/.
Bonneville Power Administration
 Part
of the Department of Energy, but not taxsupported.
 Markets the electricity from the dams to the
Pacific Northwest’s public and private utilities.
Bonneville Power Administration, Who Are We? (April 7, 2004), at http://www.bpa.gov/corporate/About_BPA/.
Why were the dams built?
1.
2.
3.
Irrigation
Creating an inland port
Hydropower
Irrigation


Only Ice Harbor provides
irrigation.
Only provides water to
35,000 acres on 24 farms.
Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition, The
Columbia & Snake Rivers Interactive Map, at
http://www.removedams.org/interactive%5Fmap
(last visited April 5, 2004);See also Michael C.
Blumm, et al., Symposium on Water Law: Saving
Snake River Water and Salmon Simultaneously: The
Biological, Economic and Legal Case for Breaching
the Lower Snake River Dams, Lowering the JohnDay
Reservoir, and Restoring Natural River Flows, 28
Envtl. L. 997, 1024 (1998) (hereinafter Blumm).
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/irsprayhigh.html
Idaho’s Inland Port
The chief economic
benefit is navigation.
 The dams allow
Lewiston, Idaho, 465
miles upriver from the
Pacific ocean, to be a
“seaport.”

Blumm at 1024.
http://www.idahofuturetravel.info/PortTrns.asp
Hydropower
 The
dams produce about 5% of the
Northwest’s power.
 I will discuss this in much greater detail later.
Blumm at 1024.
NOT Flood Control
 None
of the four lower Snake River dams are
authorized for flood control.
Blumm at note 155 (citing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Columbia River System Operation Review, Final
Environmental Impact Statement 3-3 (1995)).
Salmon



Anadromous – which
means they spend time in
fresh water and the ocean.
4-5 year life span.
Five species:





Sockeye (pictured)
Chinook
Chum
Coho
Pink.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, What’s a
Salmon?, at
http://salmonofthewest.fws.gov/default.htm
(Mar. 24, 2004).
http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/1salmon/salmesa/mapswitc.htm
Why are the dams a problem?
 The
Dams’ Impact on Salmon
 Importance of Protecting Salmon
 Endangered
Species Act
 Native American treaties
 Salmon’s role in the ecosystem
Negative Impacts of the Dams
 Salmon
need fast-moving, cold water.
 Dams create slow-moving, warm pools of
water ideal for predators of salmon.
 Dams block/impede salmon migration.
City of Seattle, Habitat Salmon Needs at Each Stage of the Life Cycle, (last visited April 8, 2004), at
http://www.cityofseattle.net/salmon/needs.htm
Salmon only have a short time period
to move between fresh and salt water
 When
baby salmon (smolts) begin to move toward
the sea, they only have a set amount of time before
their bodies can no longer tolerate fresh water.
 In reverse, when adults come back to spawn, they
only have a set amount of time before they die.
City of Seattle, Habitat Salmon Needs at Each Stage of the Life Cycle, (last visited April 8, 2004), at
http://www.cityofseattle.net/salmon/needs.htm
Scientific Opinion
NMFS attributes 80% of the decline in the salmon
populations directly to the Snake River dams.
 The Army Corps of Engineers found that the dams
have raised the aggregate mortality of juvenile
salmon in the 330 miles of continuous reservoir
created by the four Snake River Dams from 3375%.

Chris Garrett, The Political Symbolism of Dams, (1999) (citing United States Army Corps of Engineers, Lower
Snake River Juvenile Salmon Migration Feasibility Study, (1997)) at
http://www.whitman.edu/environmental_studies/WWRB/damsymbol.htm
Endangered Species Act
 Congress
enacted the Endangered Species
Act (“ESA”) in 1973.
 The ESA’s purpose is to conserve and recover
“listed” species as well as the ecosystems
upon which these species depend.
Endangered Species Act, § 1531(b).
National Marine Fisheries Service
– responsible for ESA-listed salmon
and steelhead (a type of salmonid) - as well as
all other marine species.
 NMFS has listed 26 populations of salmon
and steelhead in the Columbia and Snake
Rivers as endangered, threatened, or
candidate species.
 NMFS
National Marine Fisheries Service, Endangered Species Act Status of West Coast Salmon and Steelhead, at
http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/1salmon/salmesa/pubs/1pgr.pdf (Mar. 25, 2004).
Listed Populations of Salmon
Sockeye – one endangered and one threatened
population.
 Chinook – two endangered, seven threatened, one
candidate populations.
 Coho – two threatened populations, three candidate
populations.
 Chum – two threatened populations.
 Pink – none presently listed.
 Steelhead– two endangered, eight threatened and
one candidate species.

National Marine Fisheries Service, Endangered Species Act Status of West Coast Salmon and Steelhead, at
ESA Jeopardy Decisions
§ 7 - Agencies whose actions may affect listed
species of anadromous fish must “consult” with
NMFS.
 NMFS decided that the federal Columbia Basin dam
operations would jeopardize the continued existence
of listed salmon and steelhead.
 NMFS must then discuss the availability of
reasonable alternatives that it can take to avoid
jeopardy.

NMFS decided that dam-breaching is
not a “reasonable alternative.”
 NMFS
is currently attempting to protect the
salmon through methods besides breaching
the dams.
Methods Besides Dam-breaching



Barging has been the most
common on the four dams
at issue.
Smolts (juvenile salmon)
are collected at the dams,
loaded on trucks or barges,
and are released below the
dams.
This is not effective.
See Blumm.
http://www.taxpayer.net/snake/GAOfactsheet.pdf
Other Ineffective Methods




Fish ladders (pictured)
Spilling water at dams over
the spillway.
Spilling water over the dams
is somewhat effective, but is
not done if the water gets
low.
None of these options are
as effective as dambreaching.
See Blumm.
http://www.steinborn.org/jim/gifs/alaska2/bonneville-fish-ladder.JPG ,
Breaching the Dams is the best
scientific option
 Scientists
agree that breaching the dam is the
best option, scientifically, for recovering the
salmon.
 Idaho Department of Fish and Game has said
the “natural river option is the best biological
choice for recovering salmon and steelhead in
Idaho...with the highest certainty of success
and lowest risk of failure, and is consistent
with the preponderance of scientific data.”
Blumm at 1012 (quoting Idaho Dep't of Fish & Game, Report to the Director, Idaho's Anadromous Fish Stocks: Their Statu
and Recovery Options 16 (1998)).
The controversy, and the reason for
NMFS’ decision was mainly political.
I
will address economic issues surrounding the
breaching of the dams later.
Native American Treaty Rights
http://www.watershed-watch.org/ww/Photos/dipnetting.html
The Tribes
 The
Nez Perce Tribe
 The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla
Indian Reservation
 The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
Reservation of Oregon
 The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the
Yakima Indian Nation
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Treaties, (April 4, 2004), at http://www.critfc.org/text/treaties.html
The Land
 In
1855, the tribes signed four treaties that
ceded over 35 million acres of the Columbia
River basin to the United States in exchange
for…
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Treaties, (April 4, 2004), at http://www.critfc.org/text/treaties.html
The Treaty Text

“The exclusive right of taking fish in the streams
running through and bordering said reservation is
hereby secured to said Indians; and at all other usual
and accustomed stations, in common with citizens of
the United States, and of erecting suitable houses
for curing the same; also the privilege of hunting,
gathering roots and berries, and pasturing their stock
on unclaimed lands, in common with citizens, is
secured to them.”
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Treaties, (April 4, 2004), at http://www.critfc.org/text/treaties.html
(emphasis added).
Supreme Court Decisions
1905 - Treaties are to be interpreted the way the
Indians understood them. U.S. v. Winans.
 1979 - The tribes were entitled to a “fair share” of the
fish, which was interpreted as 50% of the
harvestable fish destined for the tribes’ usual and
accustomed fishing places. U.S. v. Washington.

U.S. v. Winans, 198 U.S. 371, 371 (1905); U.S. v. Washington, 444 U.S. 816, 816 (1979).
Salmon’s Role in the Ecosystem

Many species depend
upon salmon for food,
including bears.
http://www.wildlifewebsite.com/bear/alaskan-brown-bear-with-salmon-9
Salmon Replenish Nutrients
 Salmon
carcasses contribute significantly to
the nitrogen capital in freshwater systems.
 One study found that 18% of the nitrogen in
riparian plants along a coho salmon spawning
stream was of marine origin.
Robert E. Bilby & Peter A. Bisson, Nutrient Enrichment of Riparian Areas by Spawning Salmon, (1997), (citing Bilby, et al
at http://www.onrc.washington.edu/research/pnw/1997/NutrientEnrichmentofRiparianAreasbySpawningSalmon.htm
How to Breach the Dams
Slowly lower reservoir levels to
prevent erosion;
 Remove the earthen embankment,
and leave the concrete locks and
powerhouses dry.
 Breaching all four lower Snake dams
would take about 4-7 years.

Blumm at note 32 (citing Bill Loftus, How To Breach A
Dam, Lewiston Morning Trib., June 7, 1998, at 1D).
Breaching Ice Harbor Dam
Before
http://www.wildsalmon.org/about/partially.htm
After
Energy Issues:
How much power do the dams
actually produce?
Picture of the generator room at Lower Monumental http://www.theslowlane.com/91tripb/gen.html
The Terms:
Watts - measure instantaneous use of power – for
example, a 100-watt light bulb uses 100 watts per
hour.
 Megawatt – one million watts.
 Megawatt hours (MWH)– the actual output of
megawatts for a period of time.
 Average megawatt hours (aMW) – the average
output of a power source per hour.


For example, on March 1 Lower Granite produced 5,880
MWH, so 5,880/24 = 245 aMW.
Bob Bellemare, What is a Megawatt? (June 24, 2003), at http://www.utilipoint.com/issuealert/print.asp?id=1728
Energy Production of the
Lower Snake Dams: March,
2004
(note, this is near-peak production
time for these dams)
Lower Granite
for all of March – 228,304
 aMW – 307 (to calculate this, take the MWH
for the whole month and divide by 31 days
and then divide by 24 hours).
 MWH
Lower Granite – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Energy Production of Lower Granite Dam, (Mar. 2004), at http://
www.nwd-wc.usace.army.mil/ftppub/project_data/daily/lwg.txt
Little Goose
for March – 225,374
 aMW - 303
 MWH
Little Goose - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Energy Production of Little Goose Dam, (Mar. 2004), at http://www.nwdwc.usace.army.mil/ftppub/project_data/daily/lgs.txt
Lower Monumental
for March – 239,406
 aMW - 322
 MWH
Lower Monumental - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Energy Production of Lower Monumental Dam, (Mar. 2004), at
http://www.nwd-wc.usace.army.mil/ftppub/project_data/daily/lmn.txt
Ice Harbor
for March – 232,540
 aMW – 313
 MWH
Ice Harbor - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Energy Production of Ice Harbor Dam, (Mar. 2004), at http://www.nwdwc.usace.army.mil/ftppub/project_data/daily/ihr.txt
How does this compare to all
of the power produced in the
Northwest?
What is the relevant total power
produced?

Bonneville Power
Administration (the
federal agency that sells
power to the utilities)
serves most of Idaho,
Oregon, Washington
and part of Montana
and Canada.
Bonneville Power Administration, Who Are We? (April 7, 20
at http://www.bpa.gov/corporate/About_BPA/
http://www.bpa.gov/corporate/About_BPA/
Idaho
 Electric
generation for all of 2002: 9,786,933
MWH
 1117 aMW (I calculated this by taking
9,786,933 divided by 365 days and then
divided by 24 hours).
Energy Information Administration, State Electricity Profiles, 2002, (Dec. 2002), at
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/st_profiles/idaho.pdf
Washington
 Electric
Generation for all of 2002:
102,765,048 MWH
 11,731 aMW
Energy Information Administration, State Electricity Profiles, 2002, (Dec. 2002), at
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/st_profiles/washington.pdf
Oregon
 Electric
Generation for all of 2002: 47,099,368
MWH
 5,376 aMW
Energy Information Administration, State Electricity Profiles, 2002, (Dec. 2002), at
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/st_profiles/oregon.pdf
The Lower Snake River Dams’
Power Contribution
The power produced by the 3 states: 18,224 aMW.*
 The power produced by the four lower Snake River
dams: 1,245 aMW.
 At the highest production time for the dams (Spring)
the dams only produce 6.8% of the energy in the
Northwest.

* This is not including the power produced in western
Montana and western Canada, which is still part of the
Bonneville Power Administration’s service area.
The Lower Snake River Dams’
Power Contribution
6.8%
Snake Dams
Other Power
Northwest Power Sources
Northwest Power and Conservation Council http://www.nwppc.org/energy/powersupply/source.htm
Problems with Using the Dams as
an Energy Source
 The
power is not produced evenly throughout
the year.
 The dams produce power in relation to the
flow of the Snake River.
 The Snake River levels fluctuate with the
seasons, which means the dams produce the
most power when the consumers least need it
(Spring).
Snake River Levels
25,000
20,000
15,000
River Level
10,000
5,000
0
January April
July
October
Median Flow of the Snake River at Nyssa, Oregon
United States Geological Services, Monthly Streamflow Statistics for Idaho: USGS 13213100 SNAKE RIVER AT
NYSSA, OR, (April 10, 2004), at http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/id/nwis/monthly/?site_no=13213100&agency_cd=USG
Cost of Breaching the Dams
 Studies
have found that breaching the dam
and replacing the power with renewable
energy sources (instead of just conserving the
power) would raise each household’s energy
costs by $1-5 per month.
American Rivers, The Facts on Salmon, Energy and the Snake River Dams (last visited April 7, 2004) (citing Natural
Resource Defense Council, Going with the Flow: Replacing the Four Lower Snake Dams, (2000)), at
http://www.amrivers.org/doc_repository/SnakeRiver/SnakeEnergyFinal.pdf; See also U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Lower
Snake River Juvenile Salmon Migration Feasibility Study, Power System Analysis, (July 1999), at
http://www.nww.usace.army.mil/lsr/NEWS/info5.htm (finding that the average cost to consumers would be $1-5 extra per
month).
Can We Breach the Dams and Still
Have a Reliable Energy Supply?
 The
lower Snake River dams only produce
6.8% of the Northwest’s power supply at their
near-peak production time.
 There are many ways to replace this power.
For example….
Energy Efficiency
In response to the black-outs, California instituted a
very successful energy efficiency campaign.
 Electricity use fell 6 % in the first nine months of
2001 compared to the same period during 2000.
 Peak use dropped even more. For example, in June,
peak demand dropped 12 %.
 Northwest consumers could similarly reduce their
power consumption.

Natural Resource Defense Council, Energy Conservation Solves a Crisis, (Dec. 31, 2001), at
http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/fcal2001.asp
Other Options to Replace the Power
 Solar
 Wind
 Bioenergy
 Geothermal
 Hydrogen
http://www.imaginationsolar.com/Gallery/sp_w_pv.htm
http://www.acclaimimages.com/_gallery/_pages/0023-0310-1018-2454.html
http://www.ece.umr.edu/links/power/Energy_Course/energy/Renewables/geotherm/pictures/geysers6.jpg
Information on Renewable Energy
 For
research and general information on these
renewable energy sources, as well as policy
arguments,
 See Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable
Technology, Renewable Energy Policy Project,
(last visited April 12, 2004), at
http://solstice.crest.org/index.html.
Conclusions
 It
is possible to maintain energy reliability and
breach the dams.
 We would lose at most 6.8% power at nearpeak production times.
 We could either reduce demand or replace
this power with renewable energy sources.
 We would save the salmon and fulfill the ESA
and Native American treaty obligations.