Dam Removal Case Study: Condit Dam. White Salmon River, WA
The Condit Dam is located on the White Salmon River – a tributary of the Columbia – in south central Washington State. Since Condit Dam was completed on the White Salmon in 1913, it has devastated the river's salmon and steelhead runs and damaged the entire ecosystem. The project currently blocks upstream access to approximately 33 stream miles for steelhead and 14 miles for spring and fall chinook and coho. In addition to blocking upstream migration of salmonids, the dam also blocks downstream flow of silt and sediments needed for a healthy river habitat below the dam.
Pursuant to the Federal Power Act of 1920, dam operators must apply for an operating license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). License terms typically span 30-50 years, and often represent the best opportunity within a generation to make lasting improvements for fish at large hydropower projects. As a part of this licensing process, operators must comply with several environmental requirements including protection of species listed under the Endangered Species Act. In the case of Condit Dam, passage for fish to reach habitat above the dam habitat is a requirement of the relicensing process.
In 1997, after studying the costs associated with the environmental requirements – particularly providing for fish passage - compared to the earning power of the project, Pacificorp (the dam's owner) decided that dam removal was the more economic option and entered into settlement discussions with more than 20 parties - including conservation groups, the Yakama Nation, government agencies and recreation groups. Trout Unlimited was a signatory to this final settlement agreement, reached in 1999 – identifying dam removal to begin in October of 2006. This removal date was later moved back to October 2008 to allow for additional revenues to pay for the removal.
The White Salmon River presents a uniquely high prospect for salmon and steelhead recovery given its many gravel beds, cool pools and large woody debris which provide spawning sites and refuge for fry. Additionally, only one dam, Bonneville on the Columbia, separates the White Salmon River from the Pacific.
The National Marine Fisheries Service published a Biological Opinion (BiOp) concerning species effects of dam removal and found that removal would provide long-term benefits to aquatic species, specifically salmon, steelhead and bull trout. Specifically, the BiOp predicts that "fish likely would have access to the new upstream habitat within a year and that habitat on the lower reach below the dam site would be useable within two years." Recent adult salmon radio telemetry studies have indicated that very few salmon and steelhead reside in the lower White Salmon. As a result of gravel loss and low flows caused by the dam, very little natural salmon production currently occurs downstream of Condit Dam. Dam removal will restore natural river processes, such as the transport of spawning gravel and large woody debris, and lower the water temperature downstream from the dam.
Currently, we are facing some debate surrounding the plans to remove this dam with threats of condemnation from the local Public Utility District which wants to keep the dam in place. Trout Unlimited, a signatory to the settlement agreement, is working hard to ensure that economic and ecological common sense will prevail – keeping us on the path to removal of this dam in fall 2008 and restoration of the White Salmon River for the benefit of fish, wildlife, people who enjoy this great river.
For more information on site-specific impacts of Condit Dam removal, or to get involved in supporting the removal effort, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Kate Miller
TU Legal Policy Analyst
Partner Links:
www.whitesalmonriver.org
www.hydroreform.org.
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