OPINION: The case to remove the four lower Snake River dams

Hydroelectric dams have been providing power to areas of the United States since 1882. Like many alternative energy sources, there are several advantages. Hydropower is renewable, rivers don’t tend to dry up when you harness their power for electricity.  

Hydropower is also one of the only renewable energy sources capable of meeting peak electricity demand in the regions that utilize it. The sun may go down, and the wind may slow, but rivers do not stop flowing. Paired with other renewable sources, hydropower could radically lessen our reliance on fossil fuels and contribute to the slowing of climate change.  

Energy policy, however, is not a black-or-white issue. As promising as hydropower could be, it comes with a few significant drawbacks. The main type of hydropower used in the U.S. is “storage hydropower,” where dams are constructed to hold river water in a reservoir, where it can be used to turn large underwater turbines that power generators. These dams often block the natural flow of a river, leading to the collapse of surrounding ecosystems, which can have devastating effects on the local wildlife. 

In the 1970s, four dams were constructed on the lower Snake River. The Ice Harbor Dam, the Lower Monumental Dam, the Little Goose Dam, and the Lower Granite Dam. These dams alone kill between 40% and 92% of migrating salmon in the Snake River and Columbia basin, according to Save Our Wild Salmon, a non-profit organization working to enact a policy that promotes clean energy without decimating salmon populations. 

Scientists say Columbia Basin salmon might face extinction if the four lower Snake River dams aren’t removed, and this would be catastrophic for several reasons. Salmon are deeply important to the Nez Perce tribe. They are used in many religious ceremonies, such as the traditional Springtime blessing. The Nez Perce have been fishermen for centuries, and the Salmon is not only an important source of food to them, but a sacred animal. 

Salmon also serves a purpose for their ecosystem. Bears, birds of prey and other animals rely on salmon as a food source. These animals then distribute the nutrients throughout the forests they inhabit, which leads to improved tree growth and cleaner air. 

The four Lower Snake River dams are not only responsible for the endangerment of Columbia Basin salmon, but also the removal of several historic fishing sites for indigenous tribes. Their existence is an insult to those people whose land was (and continues to be) stolen from them. They are also doing more harm to these ecosystems than good.  

Many lawmakers, in response to efforts to remove the dams, have argued that hydropower is one of the best forms of renewable energy. While this is true, storage hydropower and massive salmon-killing dams built on indigenous peoples’ land are not our only options. Run-of-river hydropower diverts a small section of a river’s flow into a canal, turns large turbines for power, then returns that water to the river. This avoids the issue of dams altogether, does not raise water temperatures and requires much less space. Additionally, further investment into solar and wind may lessen the amount we need to rely on potentially harmful solutions like hydropower.  

There is currently an initiative proposed by Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson to remove the Lower Snake River dams and replace the lost energy with other clean alternatives. It’s an interesting read, and I encourage anyone reading this to look into it, and vote on it when the time comes. We owe so much to the Indigenous people of this land, the least we can do is save the salmon.