Several preservation and fishing groups state the Snake River dams are making the river too hot for sockeye salmon. Now, they’re preparing to take legal action against the federal government to get rid of the dams. But dam supporters state the relocation will make environment modification – and warm water – even worse.
When water temperature levels increase above 68 degrees, adult salmon start to face genuine problem.
Columbia Riverkeeper, Idaho Rivers United, Idaho Conservation League and the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association officially alerted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of their intent to take legal action against.
According to the groups, the dams on the Lower Snake River are producing conditions that are deadly for threatened sockeye salmon.
“These fish are hanging on by a thread as it is. If conditions get worse, they’re extremely likely to go extinct,” said Miles Johnson, the legal director for Columbia Riverkeeper.
Climate modification will just make river temperature levels warmer for the fish, warming up rivers from bad conditions to even worse conditions, Johnson said. That’s why he said the 4 dams in southeastern Washington require to be gotten rid of.
“Big picture, it’s not about (how well salmon do in) one particular year,” Johnson said. “It’s that almost every year is a bad survival year for Snake River sockeye.”
In 2015, exceptionally high water temperature levels and low river streams ended up being a dreadful mix for adult salmon moving to generating premises. That summer season was expected to be a banner year for salmon. Instead, almost 99% of the run passed away prior to reaching Idaho’s Sawtooth Valley. Salmon supporters stressed the year was a precursor of the future with environment modification.
Hydroelectric dam advocates said environment modification is a huge factor to keep the dams in location. The 4 dams create carbon-free electrical energy, which might be assisting slow the result of environment modification on warming river and ocean temperature levels.
Research reveals salmon likewise die-off in undammed rivers due to the fact that the water is too hot, said Kurt Miller, executive director of Columbia RiverPartners.
“Climate change is the enemy most especially in the ocean but also in the river,” Miller said.
The official notification provides the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 60 days to react.
“Despite above-average snowpacks and a colder spring, we still have significant hot water pollution threatening these endangered fish. The only way to save these runs are substantive changes to the system of operations on the Columbia-Snake River systems,” said Nic Nelson, executive director of Idaho Rivers United, in a declaration.
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