May 31, 2026

After reading the article published April 22 (“Eastern WA dam spill for salmon could increase NW blackout risk this summer”), I was gratified to see the actual truth make an appearance in the op-ed published May 20 (“Power officials are bending the truth to dismiss their harm to salmon”), which dispelled the Public Power Council’s false claims that salmon will be to blame if we have blackouts or significant electricity rate increases this summer.

As the May 20 op-ed makes clear, other factors, and not salmon, will be to blame if that happens.

The Bonneville Power Administration has been court-ordered to spill water over the Columbia Basin dams in basically the same amounts as last year. So any BPA claim that spill levels this year are some huge new burden is just not true.

And the court order also provides that spill levels may be reduced if there’s an emergent need for more power and the salmon-saving effort might put human lives at risk. Low water flow, increasing heat waves and our outdated, vulnerable power distribution system may endanger us this summer. Salmon are no part of that threat, however, and it is untrue to suggest that they are.

Marjorie Millner, Vancouver

Tri-Cities Herald: Opinion: It’s going to be a rough year for water. It isn’t because of salmon