Study shows dam breaching costs, impacts

The Pacific Northwest Waterways Association recently released a study that states the removal of the Lower Snake River Dams will cost the country $2.3 billion over the next 30 years.

PNWA contracted with FCS Group, an economic and financial consultant, to complete the study. The objective was to see what impacts would occur to transportation and infrastructure if dam breaching were to occur and closure of the four Lower Snake River locks.

According to the summary of findings from this study, the Columbia/Snake River system is the largest wheat export gateway in the US. Almost half of the wheat exports arrive by barges moving through the Columbia/Snake River dams.

Joe Poire, executive director for the Port of Whitman, said people may not agree on the outcomes of dam breaching, but the study that was presented is based on facts and modeling that is also used by the US Department of Transportation.

The study focuses on costs on the national and regional level and excludes costs such as construction costs of dam breaching, irrigation water impacts and increased river dredging costs.

In the study, it states removing the Snake River locks would cause diesel fuel consumption to increase by nearly five million gallons per year.

Shifting from barge to truck and rail will result in the increase in CO2 emissions by more than 1,251,000 tons per year, according to the study.

“The report is timely and provides a useful benchmark for the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as they prepare the 2020 Environmental Impact Study for public comment next month,” Poire said. “The study by FCS Group identified that the USACE was using inaccurate maps for rail lines and grain terminals. If not for the FCS study, the 2020 EIS could have shown that there is significant more rail in the region than there actually is.”

The FCS Group study stated that the current distribution of commodities moving out of the 10-county bi-state region to export ports is 90 percent by barge and 10 percent by rail.

According to the study, removal of the LSR locks, the share of goods transported by barge decreases and goods transported by truck and rail increase. The study continues by saying that with dam breaching there would need to be at least 201 additional unit trains annually.

PNWA is a collaboration of ports, businesses, public agencies and individuals which combine their economic and political efforts in support of navigation, energy, trade and economic development throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Along with support for this study conducted by the FCS Group, the port is also working with PNWA on its 2020 river communications plan.