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Time for Serious Solutions for Breaching Dams by Pat Hesselgesser Yakima Herald, April 4, 2022

To the editor -- I was disappointed to read Annette Cary's article on the Lower Snake River Dams. In the roundtable discussions held Tuesday in Richland by Rep. Dan Newhouse, I read much misinformation from speakers regarding the plight of the Snake River salmon and steelhead.

Snake River salmon and steelhead remain listed under the Endangered Species Act, despite 40 years of effort to mitigate for the impacts of the four lower Snake River dams. Mitigation mandated in 1980 by Congress through the Northwest Power Act.

The development of the Snake River hydro system has a projected life span of 50 years, these dams are on their last legs.

In 2016 the U.S. Army CORP projected the cost of replacement of three turbines at Ice Harbor would be $58 million. More recently the contract was awarded at $73 million. Turbine replacement on the lower Snake River dams will cost taxpayers hundreds of millions.

It's time for all our elected leaders on both sides of the aisle, to come together, find solutions to mitigate economic impacts from dam breaching and save these iconic salmonids for future generations and honor our tribal treaty obligations to the true salmon people of our state.