PacifiCorp wants to keep Klamath dams, others don't

By Paul Boerger

Fish, farms and energy collide as PacifiCorp undergoes a review for a 50 year renewal license with the federal government to operate five hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River.

As recently as August 2006, PacifiCorp said the removal of the dams was part of the negotiations. PacifiCorp is now offering a complex and lengthy list of mitigations, such as fish migration passages, that would eliminate the need for removing dams.

“The company's revised alternative proposal demonstrates both its willingness and strong desire to work with the Departments of Interior and Commerce to focus on improving conditions for fish,” said PacifiCorp president Bill Fehrman. “Our revised alternative proposal is focused on fish passage and ensuring fish can safely and successfully be reintroduced throughout the project area.”

But Glenn Spain, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, says taking the dams down is the only realistic method of ensuring fish habitat and water quality.

“It's a last ditch effort to save a set of dams most experts believe are not worth keeping,” Spain said of PacifiCorp's latest proposals. “A California Energy Commission study estimated the cost of retrofitting the Klamath dams to fish passage prescriptions would be $101 million more than the cost of decommissioning the dams. Pacificorp needs to rethink its numbers.”

Spain also said fish passages don't address water quality.

“Fish ladders and trap and haul won't solve the water quality issues,” he said. “Fish will continue to be harmed downstream.”

PacifiCorp spokesperson Dave Kvamme said the numbers don't take into account several factors.

“The study model uses cost estimates for a federal prescription that has not been finalized and is preliminary,” said Kvamme. “We have the right to propose lower costs. The report quotes replacement power over the next 30 years. There is no market for energy out 30 years. It doesn't exist.”

On water quality, Kvamme said the study “totally ignores the sediment behind the dams,” which would have to be dealt with if the dams are removed. Sediment can choke streams and rivers, degrading water quality.

“It can't be ignored,” Kvamme said.

Kvamme noted the dams produce 161 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 70,000 residential customers for a year.

The Klamath Reclamation Project was begun in 1905 to reclaim land from lakes and marshland for farming. Water diversions continued unabated through the building of Iron Gate Dam, one of five on the Klamath River, in 1962. More than 230,000 acres of farmland are now irrigated by the Project.

The last five years have seen water cut off to farmers to save fish, and water restored to farmers with low river flows blamed for the deaths of tens of thousands of fish. Native American tribes claim areas of the Klamath as rightful fishing grounds that some tribes say they rely for subsistence.

This year, low salmon numbers caused the federal government to declare an almost total moratorium on salmon fishing along sections of Oregon and California coastlines, resulting in the areas being declared an economic disaster zone as fishermen were not allowed to ply their trade.

Numerous conflicting scientific studies have not been able to definitively come up with a solution acceptable to all interests. Recent reports, however, from the National Academy of Science and studies by the California Department of Fish and Game and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission have recommended studying removing some of the dams as a method of restoring the eco-system to improve fish habitat.

In lieu of removing the dams, Pacificorp proposes among other mitigations the following:

€ Upstream and downstream fishways including ladders at several dams;

€ Collection and transport of upstream migrating adult fish at several dams to appropriate release sites; and

€ Establishment of a Fisheries Technical Committee that would include federal and state agencies, tribes and other stakeholder representatives and would develop and make scientific recommendations on reintroduction plans and fisheries mitigation, protection and enhancement measures consistent with the new license.

Spain is not convinced trap and haul will solve the problems.

“Trap and haul has never been proven. It hasn't worked on the Columbia River,” Spain said.

Kvamme disagrees.

“Trap and haul has been prescribed in federal fisheries in many cases where parties generate electricity on salmon streams,” said Kvamme.

Greg Addington, executive director of Klamath Water Users Association, which represents farmers, has stated that taking down the dams will not affect irrigation, but could impact electricity costs.

“From a water delivery standpoint, the dams have no effect on our water supply,” Addington said. “We do have an association with the dams for power. We have had a 50 year preference rate. The contract has expired and we maintain an interest in the dams.”

Addington said irrigators will work with all parties to resolve the issues including removing the dams.

“We don't want to be a roadblock to negotiations,” Addington said.

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