Letter: Breaching the dams is a sportsman’s issue

The proposal of breaching all the lower Snake River dams has been a hot topic in the recent mainstream media. The idea proposed by the west side of the state may seem ludicrous to our Tri-Cities population. However, the fish industry is a huge ticket item for the state of Washington.

Breaching all four dams on the lower Snake River (Ice Harbor to Lower Granite) would result in an immensely expensive operation to fulfill, and a fluctuating energy cost. Removing the dams would result in switching from hydroelectricity to natural gas. But isn’t Washington all about clean green energy?

Sportsman like myself are interested in this concept simply because fish numbers have not been steady nor what The Department of Fish and Wildlife predicts. Whether the dams play a significant role in salmon returns, one must not overlook the tribal right of netting salmon on the lower Columbia.

However, my greatest concern faces our community’s bedrock — agriculture. The agricultural industry is expediting our local economy in the Tri-Cities. If the dams are breached, there would be inadequate means of irrigation to supply farms and residents along the lower Snake River.

This story was originally published November 23, 2016 at 4:13 AM with the headline "Letter: Breaching the dams is a sportsman’s issue."