Letter to the Editor; Would removing dams be worth it?

To the Editor:

The railroads have announced they can haul grain in 110-car-unit trains for less money per ton than barges on the Snake River can transport it. Almost immediately, the fish people want to tear out the Snake River dams.

They say they want to restore the salmon and steelhead runs to what they used to be. How in the world were they able to count the fish before the dams were in place? There were a lot of fishermen in the Washtucna and Kahlotus areas that fished the Snake River and in the Lyons Ferry area that spent a lot of time fishing. They caught a great variety of fish, but not many salmon and steelhead.

There is one thing that is certain. If the dams are removed, your electric bill will go up by three to four times as much as the present rate. Also, it is certain that irrigation water will be gone and there are millions of tons of contaminated soil that will be washed downstream with unknown results. Will the smelt be able to live in the water?

We allowed several railroads to remove the tracks that were laid by very inexpensive labor. The cost to replace these dams would be many times more than the original dams cost.

The “Green People” have a lot of money and a loud voice! If you like low rates for your electricity you need to speak up now!

Also the people who know how to fish are doing very well with the dams in place!

Gerald W. Ray

Spokane

P.S. Sunday Spokesman 9-15-13 The 2013 run topped the record since counting began at Bonneville Dam in 1938, topping the 610,700 salmon counted in 2003. The fall Chinook run could reach 835,000 adult fish.