The middle ground

By order of a federal judge recently, the spring flows over Snake River and Columbia River dams will be increased. This is the result of all parties involved working out the plans for the change. The increased flows will start April 3 and continue into June.

It is thought that the increased flows will give juvenile steelhead and salmon a better chance of survival on their way to the ocean. The increased flows will get them to the ocean faster and help them avoid some of the dangers associated with the dams.

For years, the debate over saving the fish runs has raged. Water temperature, oxygen levels, flow and other factors have been part of the hotly contested argument over what to do to the save the fish and what to do to save the dams. The juvenile fish must also survive predators. New evidence on climate change has been added to the debate.

The runs fluctuate wildly in size, but they are nowhere near what they were historically. The negative effects of the dams on the runs have been highlighted by activists.

This decision to increase the river flows on the system of dams will allow for the collection of more empirical evidence on the impact of the dams and might just lead to an end to the debate.

In theory, the increased flow should promote the survival of the juvenile fish as they make their way to the ocean. With more surviving the run down river, more should mature and return to spawn.

Not everyone agrees, of course. Critics of the plan say that the increased flow will do nothing to increase the survival of juvenile fish. They also claim that the increased spill will cost millions of dollars in lost power generation.

The plan is flexible, in part because the increased spill may in fact make it more difficult for the fish to navigate the dams.

Nothing is for sure.

The plan may not generate any useful evidence to support either side. Yet, it just could lead to quelling the efforts to remove the Snake River dams.

These dams are vital to the region for farm to market transportation, irrigation and power generation to name a few of the benefits they provide.

For all the effort, money and emotion expended in this debate, little progress has been made.

In the middle are those who value both the fish and the dams. Sadly, the middle ground is not a very popular place these days.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher