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Flurry of Proposed Dams Threaten NW Rivers
It's no secret that the Western energy crunch has spurred a rush of proposed natural gas-fired power plants and generated renewed interest in both coal and nuclear power. But a recent surge in applications for new hydro projects throughout the region and across the country hasn't yet permeated policy discussions and Northwest news rooms.
After seeing little activity for a long period, Bill Sedivy , executive director for Idaho Rivers United (IRU ), reports 23 new hydropower applications have been filed in Idaho with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC ) since the first of the year. "I blame it all on the publicity surrounding the Western energy crunch and also the view of developers that they now have a sympathetic ear in Washington D.C. with the Bush Administration ," Sedivy says.
According to Brett Swift , associate director of Northwest power programs for American Rivers , one company alone has filed preliminary permit applications for 27 new projects in the region: 11 in Oregon , 13 in Idaho and three in Washington . "There is a total flurry of applications," Swift said. "It's very speculative. Many of the applicants have not even researched the sites. They are just trying to tie them up." And FERC, the agency charged with regulating hydro projects, rarely denies preliminary permit applications, she adds. Those permits grant exclusive rights, for up to three years, to study a particular site.
These proposed projects range from new dam construction to retrofits of existing dams used for other water management purposes, such as irrigation. River advocates are not opposing all of the projects, particularly proposals on irrigation canals that do not ask for more water. Some observers, however, say irrigation ditch hydro sometimes motivates districts to divert water even when it is not needed for irrigation in order to generate power and revenue.
But several rivers running through natural areas are targeted. For example, at least five new dams are proposed in the Mt. Baker/Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington. A dam proposed for the Wenatchee River, also in Washington, would turn Wenatchee Lake into a reservoir. The Savage Rapids Dam on the Rogue River in Oregon, one considered for removal, is now eyed for possible hydro generation. Four new dams are proposed for a protected reach of the Snake River and another in a pristine canyon on the Bend River in Southeast Idaho.
And some of these projects are big. In Idaho, an irrigation group is proposing a $50 million project on the Arrowrock Dam north of Boise which would generate 30 megawatts (MW) of power for a utility in rural California . A new dam with a generating capacity of 44 MW is proposed at Auger Falls on the Snake River near Twin Falls along with another 25 MW project at Star Falls in the same area.
In Benton County , Washington, commissioners voted to fund a $500,000 study for a water storage/generation project with an estimated price tag in excess of $1 billion, according to an Associated Press article, which didn't mentioned power generation until the last sentence. The proposed Black Rock Reservoir , which would be created by pumping water from the Columbia River behind a new dam, would be bigger than all five existing Yakima River Basin storage lakes combined.
This flurry of proposals for new hydro projects amounts to an increased workload for river advocates who argue that dams destroy rivers by damaging fish and wildlife habitat and harm water quality with changes in chemistry and increased water temperatures.
"Water in the west is such a precious resource, we can't assume any of these projects are going to go away on their own. We have to remain vigilant," Sedivy explains. IRU has intervened in 14 new projects this year. "We have already destroyed way too many of these (rivers) and if we continue that destruction, we have major impacts on not only fish and wildlife but on the quality of life for humans."
Corinne Hollister