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dam-l (fwd) Dams lethal to salmon, groups claim in suit

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From: Mark Graffis <ab758@virgin.vip.vi>
Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive
Subject: Dams lethal to salmon, groups claim in suit
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Date: 3 Apr 1999 17:52:37 GMT
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   Thursday, April 1, 1999

      Dams on the Lower Snake River, including the Lower Granite Dam, are
                            threatening salmon and steelhead populations.

   Four federal dams on the Lower Snake River are causing river
   conditions lethal to salmon and steelhead populations and resulting in
   water contaminated with high levels of nitrogen gas, according to
   commercial fishing and conservation groups.

   The groups filed suit Wednesday in Federal District Court in Portland,
   Ore., charging that the operation of these dams and reservoirs
   violates the Clean Water Act and creates river conditions lethal to
   already threatened fish species.

   Fishermen and conservationists assert that the four Lower Snake River
   dams -- Lower Granite, Little Goose, Lower Monumental and Ice Harbor
   -- operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers create slack water
   reservoirs where water temperatures in the summer can reach levels
   lethal to salmon and that uncontrolled spilling of water over the
   dams' spillways can lead to high levels of nitrogen gas in the water
   in the spring.

   Plaintiffs assert that removing the earthen portions of the dams to
   restore a free-flowing river may be the best and least expensive way
   to restore cool water for salmon and eliminate the dissolved gas
   problem. Dam removal is not sought in the suit. However, the groups
   assert that interim measures must be undertaken to address the current
   water temperature and gas problems, regardless of the eventual fate of
   the four dams.

   "These are long-standing, serious violations of the Clean Water Act
   which are causing great harm to salmon," said Glen Spain of the
   Institute for Fisheries Resources. "Federal dam operators seem to
   think they are exempt from the Clean Water Act but they are not."

   High temperatures in the slackwater reservoirs result from the lack of
   cooling flows and the huge surface area absorbing heat. High gas
   levels result from uncontrolled spilling of water in response to
   floods or runoff. However, not all spill is bad. A controlled spill
   program is the best and safest way to help young fish past the dams.
   Spill can be controlled to minimize gas levels.

   The Clean Water Act requires the Army Corps to comply with water
   quality standards established by the Washington Department of Ecology
   for the Lower Snake River. Data gathered by Washington state and the
   Environmental Protection Agency support the groups' charges.

   The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare that the Army Corps is
   violating the Clean Water Act by its operation of the four Lower Snake
   River dams and reservoirs and to order the Corps to set a schedule to
   resolve these problems.

   The plaintiffs in the case include the National Wildlife Federation,
   Idaho Wildlife Federation, Washington Wildlife Federation, Pacific
   Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, Institute for Fisheries
   Resources, American Rivers, Sierra Club, and Idaho Rivers United.

   Copyright 1999, Environmental News Network, All Rights Reserved

References

   1. http://www.enn.com/index.asp


--
Krishna E. Bera             "Programmer on the loose"