Seattle council supports Snake River dam bypass

The Lower Granite dam on the Snake River, one of four dams environmentalists would like to remove

August 23, 2000
Web posted at: 3:39 PM EDT (1939 GMT)

SEATTLE (Reuters) -- Seattle's city council has voted 8-0 to support partial removal of four hydroelectric dams on the lower Snake River, offering to slightly raise local power rates to bolster depleted salmon runs.

With little support from congressional leaders, proposals to remove the federally controlled dams have stalled recently, but the resolution shows local residents would pay to protect salmon, a Northwest U.S. icon, environmentalists said.

"This vote is another indication of the strong regional support for dam bypass," said activist Rob Mason of American Rivers, which estimates tearing down the dams would boost residential electric bills by only $1 a month.

But the dams provide power to cities as far south as Los Angeles, irrigate 37,000 acres of farms in eastern Washington and carry barges loaded with grain and other commodities shipped from southern Idaho where support for the dams is much stronger.

The dams delay salmon as they charge upstream to spawning grounds and their massive water-driven turbines can slash young salmon to bits despite measures to protect them.

The Seattle council cited commercial and sport fishing industries supported by the tasty but endangered salmon as well as treaties with local Indian tribes requiring protection of the 12 local species.

The council urged funding clean and renewable energy programs to recover the lost electrical output.

With a population of more than half a million, in a metropolitan area with nearly 2 million residents, Seattle is one of Bonneville Power Administration's (BPA) largest power customers, the council noted.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Habitat restoration benefits California salmon catch
Spare the salmon and reap the revenue, report says
California dams falling to aid salmon
Conservation group lists most endangered U.S. rivers

Restoring the Lower Snake River
American Heritage Rivers
Bonneville Power Administration

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.