Brownlee Dam on the Snake River,
Idaho Power Company
Oxbow Dam on the Snake River,
Idaho Power Company
Hells Canyon Dam on the Snake River,
Idaho Power Company
Mica Dam on the Columbia River,
British Columbia, Canada;
Constructed in 1976
Electrical production: 1,736 MW (capacity)
Revelstoke Dam on the Columbia River,
British Columbia, Canada;
Constructed in 1984
Electrical production: 1,843 MW (capacity)
Keenleyside Dam on the Columbia River,
British Columbia, Canada;
Constructed in 1968
No power production
Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River,
Federal Project, WA;
Constructed in 1941
Electrical production: 7,141 MW (capacity)
Chief Joseph on the Columbia River,
Federal Project, WA;
Constructed in 1955
Electrical production: 2,614 MW (capacity)
Wells Dam on the Columbia River,
Douglas County, PUD;
Constructed in 1967
Electrical production: 840 MW (capacity)
Rocky Reach Dam on the Columbia River,
Chelan County, PUD;
Constructed in 1961
Electrical production: 1,287 MW (capacity)
Rock Island Dam on the Columbia River,
Chelan County, PUD;
Constructed in 1979
Electrical production: 660 MW (capacity)
Wanapum Dam on the Columbia River,
Grant County, PUD;
Constructed in 1964
Electrical production: 985 MW (capacity)
Priest Rapids Dam on the Columbia River,
Grant County, PUD;
Constructed in 1961
Electrical production: 907 MW (capacity)
McNary Dam on the Columbia River,
Federal Project, OR/WA;
Constructed in 1953
Electrical Production: 1,120 MW (capacity)
John Day Dam on the Columbia River,
Federal Project, OR/WA;
Constructed in 1968
Electrical production: 2,480 MW (capacity)
The Dalles Dam on the Columbia River,
Federal Project, OR/WA;
Constructed in 1957
Electrical production: 2,080 MW (capacity)
Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River,
Federal Project, OR/WA;
Constructed in 1938
Electrical production: 1,224 MW (capacity)
If the four lower Snake River dams are removed, how will the transportation of agricultural products and supplies be impacted?
Prior to the completion of the four lower Snake River dams, agricultural products traditionally moved through this region via railroad, truck and through the ports on the Columbia River. Since the last dam was completed in 1975, the four reservoirs' deep waters and regular federal subsidies have shifted the transport of goods on the lower Snake River to a private barge company. Removing these four dams could facilitate needed improvements to the region's traditional highway-railway systems, replacing the barging operation while benefiting farmers and other residents with a more diversified and accessible transportation infrastructure.

(Lower Granite on the Snake River; Federal Project in WA. Constructed in 1975 & produces 333 aMW).
How can energy conservation and renewable energy technologies help wild salmon and the Northwest economy?
The Columbia and Snake rivers are laden with hydroelectric dams. While these dams help the Northwest meet its energy needs, they also place tremendous pressure on these rivers to act as an energy resource rather than part of a diverse and interconnected ecosystem. Dams have taken a tremendous toll on the once-prolific salmon runs of the Northwest. Cost-effective energy conservation and renewable energy can take this burden off the rivers and fish and replace some of the Northwest's reliance on hydroelectricity. This could save ratepayers money on electricity bills and foster a new 'clean energy' economy.

(Little Goose on the Snake River; Federal Project in WA. Constructed in 1970 & produces 317 aMW).
Why were the four lower Snake River dams constructed?
Dams in general are built for four purposes: flood control, irrigation, hydroelectricity and/or transportation. While some electricity is produced by these dams (about 3-4% of the region's supply), transportation is their primary function - barging goods up and down river. As a result, Lewiston, Idaho serves as a seaport even though it is nearly 500 miles from the ocean. (These dams provide no flood control and the small amount of irrigation in this area occurred before the dams were constructed and could continue after their removal.)
Why should they be removed?
These dams are devastating wild salmon and the communities, economies and ecosystems that depend on them. Importantly, alternatives exist for the modest benefits these dams provide. A recent RAND report demonstrated that dam removal will not negatively impact our economy or energy supply. The energy produced by these dams could be replaced with clean, renewable and cost-effective sources like wind and by energy conservation. Before the dams, the transportation system relied on trucks and trains. With sensible investments, this regional network could be modernized to transport goods, restore salmon, save taxpayer dollars, honor our tribal treaties and revitalize our communities.

(Lower Monumental on the Snake River; Federal Project in WA. Constructed in 1969 & produces 332 aMW).
What impact, if any, will dam removal have on irrigated farmland in the Snake River basin?
Irrigation water is only drawn out of one of the four reservoirs created by the lower Snake River dams. There are 13 pumps that extract water from the reservoir behind Ice Harbor dam. They irrigate approximately 35,000 acres on 24 farms. Many of these pumps existed prior to the construction of Ice Harbor dam and all could continue to meet their irrigation needs after dam removal. Columbia-Snake River Campaign members support a plan that will allow these irrigators to continue pumping water from a restored, free-flowing Snake River, or participate in an optional federal buy-out program.

(Ice Harbor on the Snake River; Federal Project in WA. Constructed in 1961 & produces 264 aMW).)
How will the removal of the four lower Snake dams create jobs and increase economic opportunities?
The Northwest economy and culture were built upon salmon. Taking the step to remove the four lower Snake River dams and restoring salmon will add significant economic benefits to the region. An U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report confirms this - stating that the region could experience as much as $3 billion worth of recreational benefits annually from tourism, fishing, boating and other activities. Another report released in 2002 by RAND, an independent, non-profit research and analysis firm, found that by replacing the dams' energy with low-cost energy efficiency and renewables, the Northwest's economic growth would not be impeded and in fact, could see an increase of 15,000 new, long-term jobs. In the Northwest, salmon mean business.
Why are salmon (and hence their recovery) so central to the communities, cultures and future of Northwest tribes?
Salmon are a vital part of Northwest tribal culture, religion, economy and traditions. For centuries, tribes and salmon have coexisted and protected one another. As the U.S. Supreme Court has stated, salmon are not less necessary to the existence of the Indians than the air they breathed. In 1855, the Columbia River Tribes entered into treaties with the United States, trading most of the Northwest, for the promise that the U.S. would protect salmon. Now every Snake River salmon is either extinct or listed for protection. It is time the U.S. lived up to its treaty obligations.
If we remove these four dams, what kind of habitat will returning wild salmon find?
The Snake River and its tributaries today represent about 70 percent of the entire basin's salmon recovery potential, however the four lower Snake River dams impede this potential in two ways. First, the dams submerge about 140 miles of important river habitat under four reservoirs. Salmon need free-flowing rivers to spawn, not warm slackwater reservoirs. Second, by killing migrating salmon, these dams prevent sufficient numbers of returning adult fish from accessing the thousands of miles of high-quality salmon habitat found in eastern Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. Tributaries to the Snake River, like the Clearwater and Salmon Rivers in Idaho, once supported about half of all the runs of Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead. This could begin to occur again if the four dams are removed and salmon are free to access their historic territories.
How will wilderness and wildlands in the Columbia and Snake River basin benefit from the recovery of wild salmon?
Salmon spend most of their lives in the ocean, feeding, growing and preparing to return to the rivers and streams of their birth. In the ocean, salmon absorb nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients and like living sacks of fertilizer they bring this home. As a keystone species, more than 130 species rely on the salmon for nourishment. Even the ancient forests of the Pacific Northwest receive nourishment from the returning salmon. Removing the four lower Snake River dams will help the salmon get back to their natal streams and rivers and provide much needed nourishment to the starving landscape.
Why is the Hanford Reach so critical to wild salmon?
As the Columbia River's last undammed portion, the Hanford Reach is home to abundant runs of wild salmon. The Reach reflects what the lower Snake River could be, if restored to its former, free-flowing and salmon-abundant glory. The Reach begins just below Priest Rapids dam and flows 50 miles downstream to the slackwater reservoir of McNary Dam. As the Columbia's only undammed, non-tidal stretch in the U.S., the Reach's swift waters form the river's last significant salmon habitat. In recent years, more than 40,000 wild Fall Chinook have returned to spawn, building future salmon runs and boasting an annual pilgrimage of tribal fisherman, sports fisherman, rafters, boaters and salmon watchers. These healthy salmon runs both fuel the economy and feed the local ecosystem.
How does the Lewis and Clark expedition 200 years ago relate today to the people of the Northwest and the nation?
In 1805, when Lewis and Clark journeyed west, 10-16 million salmon returned annually to the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Clark described the rivers as having 'increadible' numbers of fish with salmon swimming in layers 20 feet deep. Today, the very salmon runs that saved the expedition from certain starvation are less than two percent of their historic numbers. We can best commemorate the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial by working together to restore rivers, return salmon, renew communities and honor our nation's treaty pledges to Indian tribes. We have an opportunity today to impact what the Northwest will look like 200 years from now and leave a legacy worthy of both the Lewis and Clark expedition and the tribes who met them here.
Levi Holt, Nez Perce Tribal Liaison
Winchester, Idaho
Levi Holt is a member of the Nez Perce tribe and has lived on the Nez Perce Reservation in Idaho since birth. Wild salmon are important to the Nez Perce as a part of their cultural tradition and identity. Holt's family watched the dams under construction and cried for the adult wild salmon trying in vain to return to their Snake River spawning grounds. While much has been destroyed since dam construction, Holt urges that it is not too late to save wild salmon. To do this, Holt calls upon both the youth of the Nez Perce and of the United States to learn from our past mistakes and become better stewards of our planet.
(Click on the camera icon to view the video on Real Player
Phil Jensen, President, Luhr-Jensen & Sons Inc.
Hood River, Oregon
As president of a family-owned fishing tackle company, Phil Jensen's business depends on healthy salmon runs. Founded in 1932 by Phil's father, Luhr-Jensen & Sons began out of a backyard chicken coop as a way to fashion homemade lures during the Depression. It now fills a warehouse along the Columbia River and has become a major employer for the surrounding communities. Jensen's father watched the dams as they were built unaware of the impact they would have on his livelihood. Jensen sees the economic impact of decreased recreational fishing opportunities in the region and recognizes the positive impact that wild salmon recovery could have on the economically depressed area.
(Click on the camera icon to view the video on Real Player)
Trey Carskadon, Recreational Fisherman
Portland, Oregon
A fifth generation Oregonian and a fishing enthusiast, Trey Carskadon has fought for survival of wild Pacific salmon for over 20 years. He has lobbied on behalf of wild salmon in front of the U.S. Congress and the Oregon State Legislature. Carskadon is convinced that individuals can make a difference in achieving wild salmon recovery and the rebirth of the Pacific Northwest's magnificent icon. Carskadon explains the destruction the four lower Snake River dams have had on salmon runs and how removing them is a necessary step toward wild salmon recovery.
(Click on the camera icon to view the video on Real Player)
Irene Martin, Episcopal Priest
Cathlamet, WA
While Irene Martin has commercially fished with her husband, as a priest she has been an unwilling witness to the devastation that the demise of wild Pacific salmon has wrought on small coastal communities. Martin regularly listens to the stories of families emotionally and physically torn apart by the feelings of failure tied to the decline of salmon and the growing need to travel farther from home to earn a living. Martin hopes for a time when the four lower Snake River dams are bypassed and salmon-reliant communities can rebound and community pride can be restored.
(Click on the camera icon to view the video on Real Player)
Jeff Cederholm, Biologist, WA Department of Natural Resources and Professor, Evergreen State College
Olympia, WA
As a biologist, Jeff Cederholm has been a leader in research efforts to understand the value of spawned-out salmon carcasses in Pacific Northwest ecosystems. His research has identified more than 130 species that benefit from the wild Pacific salmon's anadromous life cycle and illuminated unique threats our wilderness areas and other wildlands face as wild salmon populations decline in the Columbia and Snake rivers. As a professor, Cederholm instills in his students the knowledge of wild salmon as a keystone species and barometer of the health of the Pacific Northwest rivers and lands.
(Click on the camera icon to view the video on Real Player
Why is the recovery of wild salmon in the Pacific Northwest so important to people in California?
California's rivers and coasts are home to salmon, too! In order to protect this shared Pacific Coast resource, California and Northwest residents must work together. From San Diego steelhead to Klamath River coho, salmon connect California to the Northwest. In addition, Northwest salmon declines impact California's fishing families. For example Fort Bragg in northern California is a commercial salmon fishing port, but families have been forced to fish less and travel farther from home. Why? Because California's fishermen, like Alaska's, have suffered major harvest reductions to protect Pacific Northwest salmon runs depleted by dams. Saving Northwest salmon can help save California jobs and coastal communities. It will take good neighbor states like California to help the Northwest get past the impasse on salmon recovery.
The Snake River is the Columbia's largest tributary. With headwaters originating in Yellowstone National Park, it gathers waters from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho's Rocky Mountains. Historically, the Snake River contributed half of the 10-16 million salmon that returned to the Columbia basin annually. Once famous for salmon, the Salmon, Tucannon, Grand Ronde and Clearwater Rivers now receive only a few wild fish. These and other area rivers still possess high quality salmon habitat; however, salmon are unable to benefit from it because of the four lower Snake River dams. These dams both put valuable habitat underwater and kill salmon as they migrate to and from the ocean.
Twelve hundred miles in length, the Columbia River was once the world's greatest salmon river. At the time of Lewis and Clark, the river's annual salmon migration ranged between 10-16 million fish: all five species of Pacific salmon returned from the ocean up the Columbia. In the quest for their natal streams, some salmon would swim over 1,000 miles against the river's current. The river's once astounding productivity fed countless human generations throughout the Columbia and Snake Rivers basin and delivered ocean nutrients to create prolific natural ecosystems that include the ancient forests of the Cascade and Rocky Mountains.
How will coastal communities, like Astoria, Oregon, benefit from the removal of the four dams on the lower Snake River?
Fishing has been an economic mainstay for communities along the lower Columbia River for generations. Even as other stocks declined, Snake River salmon remained a vital natural resource for fishing families until the construction of the four lower Snake River dams in the 1960s and 70s. Today, fishing families have limited choices. Unemployment and poverty have led to high rates of substance and domestic abuse, divorce and depression. To continue working, the remaining fishermen and women are forced to travel to Alaska, often spending months away from their families. Removing the Snake River dams and restoring abundant runs of salmon is a first step towards revitalizing these communities.
How will the removal of the four lower Snake dams create jobs and increase economic opportunities?
The Northwest economy and culture were built upon salmon. Taking the step to remove the four lower Snake River dams and restoring salmon will add significant economic benefits to the region. An U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report confirms this - stating that the region could experience as much as $3 billion worth of recreational benefits annually from tourism, fishing, boating and other activities. Another report released in 2002 by RAND, an independent, non-profit research and analysis firm, found that by replacing the dams' energy with low-cost energy efficiency and renewables, the Northwest's economic growth would not be impeded and in fact, could see an increase of 15,000 new, long-term jobs. In the Northwest, salmon mean business.
How will the removal of the four lower Snake dams create jobs and increase economic opportunities?
The Northwest economy and culture were built upon salmon. Taking the step to remove the four lower Snake River dams and restoring salmon will add significant economic benefits to the region. An U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report confirms this - stating that the region could experience as much as $3 billion worth of recreational benefits annually from tourism, fishing, boating and other activities. Another report released in 2002 by RAND, an independent, non-profit research and analysis firm, found that by replacing the dams' energy with low-cost energy efficiency and renewables, the Northwest's economic growth would not be impeded and in fact, could see an increase of 15,000 new, long-term jobs. In the Northwest, salmon mean business.
How will the removal of the four lower Snake dams create jobs and increase economic opportunities?
The Northwest economy and culture were built upon salmon. Taking the step to remove the four lower Snake River dams and restoring salmon will add significant economic benefits to the region. An U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report confirms this - stating that the region could experience as much as $3 billion worth of recreational benefits annually from tourism, fishing, boating and other activities. Another report released in 2002 by RAND, an independent, non-profit research and analysis firm, found that by replacing the dams' energy with low-cost energy efficiency and renewables, the Northwest's economic growth would not be impeded and in fact, could see an increase of 15,000 new, long-term jobs. In the Northwest, salmon mean business.
Why is the health of the estuary (the place where the Columbia River flows into the Pacific Ocean) so important to salmon recovery?
The Columbia River Estuary is considered a key ingredient in any recipe for effective salmon recovery. The estuary provides refuge for young salmon transitioning from freshwater habitats to saltwater and also for adult salmon as they begin their arduous journey from the ocean to their natal streams. Much of the estuary's shallow water habitat and saltwater wetlands have been lost due to hydroelectric and navigational development. Maintaining the ecological integrity and the economic health of this area is fundamental to maintaining a sustainable quality of life for Northwest communities.
What are the important contributions that wild salmon make to the marine ecosystem?
Salmon are an important food source for many species of marine mammals and birds. Some orca whales, for example, depend almost exclusively on salmon with their entire life revolving around the movements of their favorite prey. During summer and fall, these salmon-eating orcas inhabit the marine waters near Washington State and British Columbia. They come to feed on the adult salmon that concentrate on the coast before traveling up the rivers of their birth. Sea lions, harbor seals and bald eagles similarly depend upon the salmon migration. The crashing salmon populations directly affect the various marine species that suffer as their crucial food source disappears.
Why is the recovery of wild salmon in the Pacific Northwest so important to people in Alaska?
Historically, Columbia and Snake River salmon have contributed to coastal economies and communities from California to Alaska. For decades, Alaskan fishermen have unfairly borne the brunt of failed Columbia Basin salmon recovery efforts recently suffering major harvest reductions (over 40 percent) to help protect Pacific Northwest salmon runs depleted by dams. If the four lower Snake River dams remain in place, the threat of further reductions (as much as 50-75 percent) for the SE Alaska fisheries loom ahead. Such a cut would severely impact commercial, sport, charter and subsistence fisheries already struggling for survival and cause more economic devastation for Pacific coastal communities.
What can I do TODAY to help Columbia and Snake River wild salmon?
Today, what Northwest salmon need most are people like you. The recovery of abundant salmon and their rivers and habitat depend upon your active help. You can assist by educating people and activating people (1) Contact your elected leaders in Congress. (2) Join our growing list of supporters and the Salmon Action Network for periodic alerts and newsletters. (3) Meet with your local Congress members' staff people to educate them about the plight of salmon. (4) Invite friends and family to your home and show them our Salmon Video. (5) Write letters to your local newspapers. (6) Make presentations to community groups. (7) Contribute money to keep our campaign strong.
What do wild Columbia and Snake River salmon need to recover and thrive?
The salmon's journey is an amazing, magical story. And it depends upon cold, clean water and healthy, free-flowing rivers. Columbia and Snake River salmon begin as eggs spawned in gravelly streambeds as far east as Idaho's Rocky Mountains. The salmon's life starts in freshwater, but the instinct to travel soon compels it downstream toward the ocean in the high river currents of Spring. Different types of salmon then spend varying amounts of time in saltwater, some travelling thousands of miles ranging expansively throughout the Pacific Ocean. After two to seven years, they swim towards their river, fight the current and return to their natal stream where they spawn and die.
Why is the recovery of wild salmon important to all Americans?
The plight of salmon, the totem species of the Northwest, is of national importance for several reasons. The Columbia & Snake Rivers were once the world's most prolific salmon ecosystem and this national and international treasure deserves protection and restoration. Salmon's abundance has supported diverse cultures, economies and environments for centuries. One hundred and fifty year-old federal treaties with Northwest Tribes commit our Nation to protect salmon 'in perpetuity.' Restoring salmon honors these important commitments and abrogating them could cost U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars. Finally, taxpayers have been spending millions of dollars for years on ineffective recovery measures while salmon populations plummet. It is time to invest in recovery measures that yield a return - a return of wild salmon to the communities, economies and landscapes of America's Pacific Northwest.
Why is the current federal salmon plan failing?
This plan is failing for three reasons. First, the federal agencies responsible for implementing it have failed to complete even 25 percent of the actions they said were necessary to protect and restore these salmon. Second, the plan has not been adequately funded. This plan costs about $1 billion annually to implement, but the federal agencies have asked for and received less than 50 percent of that funding. Finally, it is unlikely that this plan, as is, can restore salmon. Hundreds of scientists argue that any real plan must include the removal of the four lower Snake River dams, and this plan ignores that expert advice.
How does the historical range of wild salmon compare to today's greatly reduced habitat?
At the time of Lewis and Clark, Pacific salmon flooded into virtually every coastal river and stream on North America's West Coast, from San Diego, CA northward. Hundreds of genetically distinct salmon runs returned to the deserts, prairies, woodlands and ancient forests...to the Coast Range, Olympics, Cascades and Rockies. A 1991 landmark study, however, determined that of the once-abundant coast-wide runs, 100+ runs are extinct, 100+ face extinction, and 100+ are at risk. Virtually no remaining wild stock in the Lower 48 is considered healthy and secure. Across the Columbia basin, wild fish return at less than 2 percent of their historic levels. Immediate action is needed if we are to succeed in protecting and restoring some of the most vulnerable wild salmon runs - like those of the Snake River.
How will US taxpayers and Northwest ratepayers benefit economically from the removal of the four lower Snake River dams and recovery of its salmon?
A recent government analysis shows that citizens have spent more than $3.5 billion in recovery efforts over the last 20 years with relatively little benefit for salmon. The current federal salmon plan, which contains much of the same actions, will cost about $1 billion per year for the next ten years. Scientists say that removing the four lower Snake River dams is the surest way to restore salmon in the Snake River Basin. The federal government estimates that removal would cost less than $1 billion. So removing the dams could save us billions of dollars and at the same time honor our commitments with the Northwest Tribes.

The Columbia & Snake Rivers Interactive Map

In a landscape the size of France, the Columbia and Snake Rivers once supported the most prolific salmon runs in the world. At the time of Lewis and Clark, 10 - 16 million adult salmon returned each year from the ocean seeking their natal streams to spawn and die. For countless generations, Pacific salmon have served as the keystone for a diverse tapestry of human communities and wild ecosystems in the Northwest. Today, these magnificent fish face extinction.

Use your cursor to explore the Columbia-Snake River basin. Pop-up windows introduce you to the causes of decline, people and communities impacted, economic benefits of recovery and other information about what could be one of the greatest river and ecosystem restorations our nation has ever seen. Click on the links to see further information.
NOTE: Map is best viewed in Internet Explorer (free download).

 

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With a combined membership of over 6 million, the Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition (SOS) is a nationwide coalition of conservation organizations, commercial and sportsfishing associations, businesses, river groups, and taxpayer advocates working collectively to restore self-sustaining, healthy, and abundant wild salmon to rivers and streams of the Pacific Northwest.