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Stakeholders Split on Transparency at Water Supply Study Virtual Meetings by Matthew Weaver Capital Press, July 1, 2024

"I think, from their first initial meeting, they do genuinely want to talk with growers,"
-- Matt Harris, director of government affairs at the Washington Potato Commission

Agricultural stakeholders say they remain concerned following virtual meetings held June 25 and June 27 outlining steps for a study into available water supply if the four lower Snake River dams are breached.

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and Washington Department of Ecology officials put on the meetings as public information sessions.

"Both agencies have been good about talking about what they're up to and sharing as much information as they can," said John Stulhlmiller, Washington State Water Resources Association executive director. "We remain very concerned, on so many levels."

The economy of the lower Snake River Basin relies extensively on the river, he said.

"You can put a price tag on everything, but is that really the right answer?" Stuhlmiller said. "When you factor in all those direct and indirect impacts into a replacement cost evaluation, it's almost impossible to get a good, solid number."

Stuhlmiller questioned the need for the study. As energy needs shift to "heavy reliance" on renewable energy sources, the hydropower baseload and barging transportation the dams provide remains "essential" to the region, he said.

"We know the devastating impacts of the removal of those lower Snake River dams is clear, without doubt," he said. "We really ought to be focusing our attention on that tremendous resource and all it provides, and figure out how to tweak the system, but not removing (the dams)."

Matt Harris, director of government affairs at the Washington Potato Commission, also praised the agencies for their transparency.

"I think, from their first initial meeting, they do genuinely want to talk with growers," Harris said. "We want to help as much as possible, so that what information is given is from a grower's perspective, and how it will impact their farm."

With any research project, truthful information needs to get to the people composing the study, Harris said.

"You want to make sure that everything they say they're going to do is done," he said.

'The big picture'

"There are significant areas of concern that stand to be addressed here," said Alex McGregor, chairman of the board for The McGregor Co., a major supplier for farmers.

He cited the impact to 50,000 to 90,000 irrigated acres; industrial uses and the potential for a 100-foot drop in groundwater levels.

"That's pretty scary," McGregor said. "We're dependent to a big degree through the region and in our cities and towns upon water flows from aquifers that have their origin with the Ice Age floods 12,000 years ago. It's important that we not overuse that source."

The aquifers are an unknown factor, McGregor added.

He's also concerned that during the process, study of the impacts are being "chopped up" into different components.

"It's important to keep the big picture in mind," McGregor said. "(It's) vital that we have healthy rivers and a healthy economy. We can have that. We have to have a focus on sound science and good-faith dialogue to get there. Any way we can go about that process is helpful."

'Absurd' meeting

Not everyone felt the meetings displayed transparency.

"It was perhaps one of the least beneficial public involvement programs I've ever been in," said Darryll Olsen, board representative for the Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association. "Nobody even got to ask a question live. The moderator was screening everything only to what she wanted people to hear. That's just absurd."

CSRIA prepared a report for the Washington State Legislature and the state Department of Ecology's Office of the Columbia River. That report used "actual market transactions" to calculate distressed asset values, and determine mitigation requirements.

The CSRIA report is among those the Jacobs group will use as it develops the new study, consultant Ron Fehringer said during the virtual meetings.

Olsen didn't believe the agencies wanted to talk about potential alternatives, which he said include the East High Canal.

The East High Canal is the long-discussed second half of the federal Columbia Basin Project.

The project delivers water to 671,000 acres of farmland, roughly 65% of the 1.03 million acres originally planned.

In the mid-1970s, the Washington Department of Ecology allowed farmers in the Odessa Subarea to drill irrigation wells. The wells were to provide water until another portion of the project, the East High Canal, was built. But it was never built, due to its high price, more than $1 billion.

"The closest (Fehringer) got to saying 'East High Canal' was when he mumbled something about 'creative solutions.'" Olsen said. "It's a total deflection of any serious discussion, and that's not how you do those kinds of programs."

The new study includes interviews and site visits with water users. Olsen said CSRIA's report has every water right listed in its appendix.

"I was just thinking, 'Let's take this and staple it to our report,'" he said.

Olsen's group provided three different economic analyses of direct replacement costs. The study will add a pipeline approach, which Olsen's group was willing to consider, but not through the East High Canal.

"They are basically asking Eastern Washington legislators and electeds to say, 'Oh yeah, we want to build the East High Canal, so I guess we'll support dam breaching,'" Olsen said. "It's just ludicrous. I can't believe they did that."

New EIS

Under the new agreement, the federal government will review existing environmental compliance documents -- such as the 2020 Columbia River System Operations environmental impact statement -- and any additional information provided by the states, tribes and other stakeholders, and "initiate any additional environmental compliance its review determines to be necessary."

"A real key punchline is that they intend to do another environmental impact statement targeted on four-dam breaching; that's where they're headed," Olsen said.

Presumably, Olsen said, that would involve putting together a new EIS that would get the political support of a large number of people. But he doesn't expect Congress to ever support dam breaching: "I don't care what color it is, red, blue, purple, turquoise, zebra-striped -- they're never going to support dam breaching."

"What you end up doing with all this information, is you reluctantly go to U.S. Federal District Court Judge (Michael) Simon and say, 'Time to make a ruling,'" Olsen said. "We think he's got the ability to do that, whether anybody likes it or not."

The irrigators association keeps "strong contact" with plaintiffs through the federal litigation settlement agreement, Olsen said.

"We already crossed the Rubicon some time ago," he said. "We do believe there's going to be change on the lower Snake River, we don't know exactly what that could look like ... We're going to continue to communicate with those folks so we're at the table for things being discussed and not just pounding the table."

Related Pages:
WA's Snake Dams Involve Symbolism as Much as Mechanical Operations and Concrete by Darryll Olsen, Tri-City Herald, 3/21/22
The Voice: Alex McGregor Speaks Out for Northwest Farmers by Matthew Weaver, Capital Press, 1/18/24
Working Together, We Can Have Healthy Rivers and a Healthy Economy by Alex McGregor, Spokesman-Review, 6/4/22
Use Endangered Species Act to End Columbia River Litigation by Darryll Olsen, Tri-City Herald, 8/20/19