When hundreds of thousands of heat-stressed sockeye died before reaching their spawning grounds this summer, Columbia Riverkeeper warned that Columbia River dams were the main culprit. Hot temperatures and low snowpack compounded the problem, but the dams create a well-documented temperature crisis on the Columbia that cannot be ignored any longer.
In late October the Fish Passage Center released a report that continues to recognize the dams as the major culprit of
“Our overall conclusion is that elevated water temperatures in the Columbia and Snake rivers, including adult fishways, is a long-recognized problem that to date remains largely unmitigated. Significant long-term actions to address these temperature issues are necessary for the continued survival of salmon populations, particularly sockeye,” the report concludes.
None of this is new; in fact the Biological Opinion for salmon and steelhead identified temperature as exceeding water quality standards back in 1995. And a 2003 Environmental Protection Agency report stating that dams significantly impact river temperatures began a process for legally enforceable actions to combat temperature, but it was shelved when dam operators objected.
This summer’s disaster was preventable, and we cannot afford to sit idly by and let it happen again. Temperatures are expected to continue to rise and snowpack to decline, creating summer droughts that will continue to stress fish year after year. The time is now to take action to protect the future of our salmon. Removing the lower four Snake River dams could give salmon the edge that they need to fight rising temperatures and extinction. It could mean the difference between life or death for sockeye salmon.
There’s an instinct to ignore temperature issues as we slip into the cooler months of winter, but the salmon cannot afford for us to remain idle. We must take action and the evidence is clear that it is time to remove obsolete dams and give our salmon a chance at survival.
