12/9/2023 0 Comments Schick hydroThe meetings were announced early last month and are part of a Congressionally mandated “disposition study to determine the Federal interest in, and identify the effects of, deauthorizing hydropower as an authorized purpose, in whole or in part, of the Willamette Valley hydropower project.” The news comes as the Corps is holding a series of information-sharing and listening sessions about the future of electricity generation at its Willamette Valley dams. “Even the hydropower industry opposes the Corps’ plan to continue with hydropower, the cost of which will outstrip revenues by more than $700 million in 30 years, according to the Corps own estimates.”Īccording to Schick, the engineers believe the two fish collectors would capture from 80 to 95 percent of outmigrating fish and NMFS – which oversees projects impacting ESA-listed stocks – is “confident that collectors can be effectively applied” at both reservoirs. But ProPublica and OPB’s reporting found that many of these interests say they don’t need all the power the dams generate or the water they retain,” reads a message from ProPublica communications manager Connor Goodwin in pitching the article to reporters. “The Army Corps contends that halting dam operations so fish can pass, a low-cost solution proven to boost fish survival greatly, would harm hydropower customers, farmers’ irrigation and recreational boaters. He also casts doubts on the Corps’ rationale for continued dam operations on the system, stating that farmers, regional utilities and recreational boating companies “don’t need the help.” “It costs next to nothing, would keep the Willamette Valley dams available for their original purpose of flood control and has succeeded on the river system before.” “Opening dam gates and letting salmon ride the current as they would a wild river,” the lengthy story by Tony Schick argues. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)Ī joint OPB/Pro Publica article says the devices that would be installed at Detroit Lake east of Salem and Lookout Point southeast of Eugene would cost a total of $622 million, but there’s a “simpler way.” THE IMAGE IS SCREENSHOT FROM A MUCH LARGER PANORAMA IMAGE THAT CAPTURES DOWNSTREAM AND UPSTREAM VIEWS FROM THE DAM ROAD AND, DUE TO CAMERA SETTINGS, SLIGHTLY EXAGGERATES VERTICAL RELIEF. A VISITOR LOOKS OVER THE EDGE OF DETROIT DAM ON THE WILLAMETTE RIVER’S NORTH FORK SANTIAM. An Army Corps of Engineers plan to build two huge and expensive fish collectors at a pair of its Willamette Valley dams to improve downstream salmon and steelhead passage is being scrutinized in a news story out today that argues there’s another, far cheaper way to essentially achieve the same thing.
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