Dr. Conca reports that recently (mid-2016), a federal judge forced discussion of a radical step to save endangered salmon: taking out four somewhat large hydroelectric dams on the Lower Snake River in Washington State. These four dams include Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite Dams. They are fairly old dams and were not optimized for salmon survival. They were built primarily for navigation of barge and various river traffic, for low-carbon power, and to lesser degrees for flood control and irrigation. And despite millions of dollars spent on fish passage improvements, adult salmon still die in the reservoirs behind the dams, especially as the water can get quite warm sitting there during the summer. In addition, the Snake River is the gateway to thousands of square miles of pristine, high-elevation habitat in Idaho, Washington and Oregon, essential for salmon survival in a warming climate.
Significantly, the necessity of these dams for navigation has fallen since the regional rail system has dramatically improved and truck transport can handle the rest. But it is the power generation of these dams that gives us an environmental conundrum. Which is more important, salmon or carbon emissions? Ice Harbor Dam produces 1.7 billion kWhs/yr, Lower Monumental 2.3 billion kWhs/yr, Little Goose 2.2 billion kWhs/yr and Lower Granite 2.3 billion kWhs/yr, which total about 4% of the WA electricity generation. For comparison, the nearby nuclear power plant at Columbia produces over 9 billion kWhs per yr. Grand Coulee Dam, the largest electricity generating station in the State, and the second largest in the nation, produces 20 billion kWhs per yr. So the electricity lost by taking out these dams can be replaced by other sources, but if you care about the environment, it matters what you build to replace this power: - a single large nuclear plant like those being built in Georgia, - a small modular nuclear plant with 12 modules.
The original URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2016/10/12/global-warming-versus-salmon-dam-if-you-do-dam-if-you-dont/#7dbea34048b7
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